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Tiny fossils have helped scientists crack a Cretaceous cold case. Using chemical signals preserved in microscopic shells, Northwestern University researchers found strong evidence that ocean acidification helped trigger one of the biggest extinction events in the history of planktic foraminifera, small shell-building organisms that are essential to Earth's carbon cycle.

In November 1968, aerospace engineer Peter E. Glaser published a proposal in Science that described enormous solar power stations placed in geostationary orbit, about 36,000 kilometers (22,300 miles) above Earth.

Concrete is the most widely used manufactured material on Earth, yet most people only ever encounter it once it has already hardened into a wall, a road or a slab. Science communicator Derek Muller set out to understand what the material actually does while it is still wet, by climbing into a tank of fresh concrete himself and slowly letting it set around his body.

Spider silk is gram for gram stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar, one of the toughest materials on Earth. As Spider-Man: Brand New Day reaches Indian screens, here is the real science of why spider webs are so strong.

The Pacific Ring of Fire, the horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean, may have played a far bigger role in shaping Earth's past climate than previously understood. Findings show that some of the largest volcanic eruptions of the past 12,000 years, many originating from this seismically active region, align closely with major glacial advances and centennial-scale cold spells during the Holocene.

As the world searches for ways to remove carbon dioxide already accumulating in the atmosphere, ocean iron fertilisation (OIF) has emerged as one of the most debated climate intervention strategies. The idea is deceptively simple: adding tiny amounts of iron to iron-poor parts of the ocean stimulates the growth of phytoplankton, microscopic marine organisms that absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.

Life is often imagined as something that flourishes under mild conditions, comfortable temperatures, liquid water and breathable air. Yet some of Earth's most resilient organisms have evolved in places that appear utterly inhospitable.

The Canary Islands are known for their distinctive biodiversity, including many plant species found nowhere else on Earth. Researchers say invasive daisies may be doing more than simply spreading across the Canary Islands.

Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, featuring a deadly combination of extreme temperatures, high elevation and ice-covered terrain. The Russian Vostok Station here averages minus 55degC and on July 21, 1983, it recorded the lowest reliably measured air temperature on Earth, -89.2degC.

Mangrove forests occupy only a tiny fraction of Earth's land surface, yet they are among the planet's most valuable ecosystems. Growing where land meets the sea, these salt-tolerant trees form dense coastal forests that shield shorelines from storms, provide nurseries for marine life and lock away enormous amounts of carbon.