Earther

Nature for nerds

Climate Change Conservation Earth Science Energy Environmental Justice

A thermometer shows cold temperatures against a snowy background

The Polar Vortex Just Broke a 68-Year Record—and We May Pay the Price at Thanksgiving

The earliest polar vortex disruption on record is sending frigid air into the United States.

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 13

Researchers stand on an iceberg in Antarctica

Earth’s Ice Has Crossed an Alarming Threshold—and There May Be No Going Back

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Nov 12

Archean Eon Artists Depiction Earth

Something Switched On Inside Earth 2.7 Billion Years Ago—and It Made the Planet We Know

Earth Science Gayoung Lee Nov 11

A map of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a very strong El Niño has developed

This Super El Niño Looks Like It’s Losing Steam. Don’t Be Fooled

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 11

Usfws Yellow Burbot Close Large

Biologists Caught a Rare Golden Fish in New York—and It’s Good News for the Great Lakes

Conservation Passant Rabie Nov 11

Latest on Earther

A thermometer shows cold temperatures against a snowy background

The Polar Vortex Just Broke a 68-Year Record—and We May Pay the Price at Thanksgiving

Researchers stand on an iceberg in Antarctica

Earth’s Ice Has Crossed an Alarming Threshold—and There May Be No Going Back

Archean Eon Artists Depiction Earth

Something Switched On Inside Earth 2.7 Billion Years Ago—and It Made the Planet We Know

A map of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a very strong El Niño has developed

This Super El Niño Looks Like It’s Losing Steam. Don’t Be Fooled

Usfws Yellow Burbot Close Large

Biologists Caught a Rare Golden Fish in New York—and It’s Good News for the Great Lakes

A satellite image of the edge of Thwaites Glacier

Earth Has Been This Warm Before. Here’s What Happened to the ‘Doomsday Glacier’

A map of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a very strong El Niño has developed

This Super El Niño Just Triggered Something the WHO Has Never Done Before

A map of expected snowfall across the northeastern US

Break Out the Shovels—a Nor’easter May Bring the Northeast’s First Snow This Week

Several smoke stacks billowing smoke

Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Actually Fell in 2026. Don’t Get Used to It

Tokamak Diii D National Fusion Lab General Atomics

Physicists Gave Up on This Fusion Technique in the 1980s. Now It’s Working

A person crouches on a hillside looking out over a building destroyed by floodwaters

The World Is Heading Toward 1.5 Degrees of Warming—but Many Regions Are Already Living It

Wind turbine technicians work on the nacelle of a turbine on the Sidrap Wind Farm in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Scientists Found a Clever Second Life for Dead Wind Turbine Blades

A data visualization of the 2026 ozone hole

The Ozone Hole Is the Largest It’s Been in a Decade. The Reason May Surprise You

Three moths on a person's hand

Scientists Thought California Had as Few as 26,000 Insect Species. They Were Way Off

Grand Canyon Powell Great Unconformity

The Grand Canyon Is Missing 1.2 Billion Years of Earth History. Scientists May Have Figured Out Why

The House of Representatives and the Senate are the two chambers of the U.S. Congress.

Here’s What the Historic Blue Wave Means for Trump’s Climate Rollbacks

Street signs stand half submerged in a flooded street, with homes and trees in the background

Winter Hasn’t Even Started, and El Niño Is Already Drenching the US From Coast to Coast

A burning house and property

Wildfire Risk to US Buildings Is On Track to Triple by 2060

Researchers Deploying Argo Float

This Super El Niño Might Be a Global Disaster. It Will Also Be an Incredible Scientific Opportunity

A blue whale swims at the surface of the ocean seen from above

This Super El Niño May Be Driving Blue Whales Away From the Galápagos

Climate Change

Researchers stand on an iceberg in Antarctica

Earth’s Ice Has Crossed an Alarming Threshold—and There May Be No Going Back

The cryosphere is integral to the climate system, but it's breaking down in a warming world.

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Nov 12

A satellite image of the edge of Thwaites Glacier

Earth Has Been This Warm Before. Here’s What Happened to the ‘Doomsday Glacier’

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Nov 11

Several smoke stacks billowing smoke

Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Actually Fell in 2026. Don’t Get Used to It

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Nov 9

A person crouches on a hillside looking out over a building destroyed by floodwaters

The World Is Heading Toward 1.5 Degrees of Warming—but Many Regions Are Already Living It

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Nov 9

The House of Representatives and the Senate are the two chambers of the U.S. Congress.

Here’s What the Historic Blue Wave Means for Trump’s Climate Rollbacks

Climate Change Grist staff, Grist Nov 4

Conservation

Usfws Yellow Burbot Close Large

Biologists Caught a Rare Golden Fish in New York—and It’s Good News for the Great Lakes

The burbot has a genetic mutation that suppresses normal pigmentation.

Conservation Passant Rabie Nov 11

Three moths on a person's hand

Scientists Thought California Had as Few as 26,000 Insect Species. They Were Way Off

Conservation Ellyn Lapointe Nov 4

A blue whale swims at the surface of the ocean seen from above

This Super El Niño May Be Driving Blue Whales Away From the Galápagos

Conservation Ellyn Lapointe Nov 2

Basketwork Eels Patience Seamount Csiro Survey

2.8 Million Eels Keep Swarming This Underwater Mountain—and Scientists Still Don’t Know Why

Biology Gayoung Lee Oct 30

A tropical coral reef

Earth’s Shallow Coral Reefs May Have Just 50 Years Left

Conservation Ellyn Lapointe Oct 23

Earth Science

A thermometer shows cold temperatures against a snowy background

The Polar Vortex Just Broke a 68-Year Record—and We May Pay the Price at Thanksgiving

The earliest polar vortex disruption on record is sending frigid air into the United States.

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 13

Archean Eon Artists Depiction Earth

Something Switched On Inside Earth 2.7 Billion Years Ago—and It Made the Planet We Know

Earth Science Gayoung Lee Nov 11

A map of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a very strong El Niño has developed

This Super El Niño Looks Like It’s Losing Steam. Don’t Be Fooled

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 11

A map of sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, where a very strong El Niño has developed

This Super El Niño Just Triggered Something the WHO Has Never Done Before

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 10

A map of expected snowfall across the northeastern US

Break Out the Shovels—a Nor’easter May Bring the Northeast’s First Snow This Week

Earth Science Ellyn Lapointe Nov 10

Energy

Tokamak Diii D National Fusion Lab General Atomics

Physicists Gave Up on This Fusion Technique in the 1980s. Now It’s Working

A fusion trick that failed in the 1980s finally works—and it may keep reactors running nonstop.

Energy Gayoung Lee Nov 9

Wind turbine technicians work on the nacelle of a turbine on the Sidrap Wind Farm in South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Scientists Found a Clever Second Life for Dead Wind Turbine Blades

Energy Ellyn Lapointe Nov 6

A subsea geothermal power plant suspended on wires aboard a ship

A Startup Just Pulled Electricity From an Underwater Volcano Off Oregon. The Next Step Is Much Harder

Energy Ellyn Lapointe Oct 28

Transmission Lines with a river in the background

A ‘Super’ El Niño Is Here. Can the US Power Grid Handle It This Winter?

Energy Ellyn Lapointe Oct 10

Deep Isolation Deep Nuclear Rig

Big Oil Perfected Sideways Drilling. A Startup Wants to Do the Same With Nuclear Waste

Energy Matthew Phelan Oct 2

Environmental Justice

Water drips from the faucet of a kitchen sink.

US Water Bills Surged 62% in 10 Years. A New Map Reveals Where Americans Pay the Most

The report blames corporate control of water systems, climate change, and federal disinvestment in infrastructure.

Environmental Justice Ellyn Lapointe Oct 6

U-boat UC-30 Danish Navy diver

Sunken WWI and WWII Ships and Subs Are Leaking TNT Pollution Into the Ocean

Environmental Justice Matthew Phelan Aug 24

A hand holds a cardboard sign that reads: "We don't have enough water for this"

Just How Bad Are AI Data Centers for Your Local Water?

Environmental Justice Ellyn Lapointe Aug 8

Animas River toxic mine spill colorado

Over 26,000 US Public Parks Border a Toxic Superfund Site—But It’s Worse Than That

Environmental Justice Matthew Phelan Aug 7

Recycling symbol

A Federal Judge Just Turned the Recycling Symbol Into a Fight Over Free Speech

Environmental Justice Joseph Winters, Grist Aug 6

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