Planet Earth

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The Ross Ice Shelf, an expanse of ice, with a blue sky and clouds above
Where is the coldest place on Earth? There are some bone-chilling places on Earth, but what is the lowest temperature ever recorded and where was it?
Deep sea water abyss with blue sun light.
'Earth's civilizations are shaped by what the ocean engine does,' says oceanographer Helen Czerski In this interview, British oceanographer Helen Czerski explains the systems driving our ocean, compares it to a fancy cocktail, and explains what the next great ocean frontier is.
image showing the international space station orbiting above the ocean
What is Point Nemo, the remote, watery satellite graveyard where the ISS will go to die? In the furthest, deepest reaches of the ocean, there is a watery graveyard where the world's satellites and space stations go to rest.

Latest about Planet Earth

3D model of Lorrainosaurus against a black background

Jurassic pliosaur 'megapredator' was a giant 'sea murderer'

By Patrick Pester published

The earliest pliosaur 'megapredator' helped rule the oceans 170 million years ago during the age of dinosaurs.

Fossils
Many valuable diamonds, raw and cut, for further processing for the jewelry industry.

What's the deepest-occurring gemstone on Earth?

By Amanda Heidt published

Very few gems can withstand the intense pressure of Earth's mantle, but some require it to crystallize.

Geology
illustration showing earth being bombarded with huge space rocks

Mystery blobs in Earth's mantle may be linked to ancient gold and platinum that arrived from space

By Stephanie Pappas published

The gold and platinum that came from giant space rocks should have sunk into Earth's core instead of rising to the crust. Scientists have now worked out how this happened — and it may explain some really weird blobs deep in our planet's mantle.

Geology
Sipuncula, Peanut Worm

10 phallic flora and fauna that look just like penises

By Patrick Pester published

Nature must think willies are funny, too.

Planet Earth
A color-enhanced image of surface water temperatures shows the Gulf Stream crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the Florida Straits.

Gulf Stream weakening now 99% certain, and ramifications will be global

By Ben Turner published

A new analysis has concluded that the Gulf Stream is definitely slowing, but whether it's due to climate change is hard to tell.

Planet Earth
The El Niño pattern stands out in the warm sea surface temperature anomalies in the Pacific in 2023.

A strong El Niño is coming this winter. What does that mean?

By Aaron Levine published

Thanks to El Niño, meteorologists are predict a snowy winter in the Rockies, storms and wet weather in the South and drier conditions in the Northwest and Uppder Midwest.

Weather
'The Fram in the Ice', 1895, (1897). Fram (Forward) was a ship used in northern and southern polar expeditions by the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen. It was launched in 1892 and used until 1912. Currently it is preserved at the Fram Museum, Oslo. From Farthest North, Vol. 2 by Fridtjof Nansen. [Archibald Constable and Company, London, 1897]. Artist Unknown. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

The Fram: A Victorian expedition to the North Pole that was as brilliant as it was bonkers

By Helen Czerski published

British physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski explains how Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen's expedition to the North Pole was 'one of the most bonkers and brilliant experiments ever devised'.

Planet Earth
A beautifully detailed image of a leatherback turtle nesting at sunrise on the beach.

'This is the cost of living in seawater': The ingenious and (to us) heartbreaking way turtles survive the salty oceans

By Helen Czerski published

In this extract from the new book Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works, oceanographer Helen Czerski explains the ingenious way turtles contend with the extreme saltiness of the sea.

Planet Earth
Deep sea water abyss with blue sun light.

'Earth's civilizations are shaped by what the ocean engine does,' says oceanographer Helen Czerski

By Alexander McNamara published

In this interview, British oceanographer Helen Czerski explains the systems driving our ocean, compares it to a fancy cocktail, and explains what the next great ocean frontier is.

Planet Earth
Close-up of costume diamonds in a black background.

Is anything harder than a diamond?

By Laurel Hamers published

Diamonds are naturally hard, but is there anything from Earth, space or even a lab that's harder?

Geology
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