Science & Earth

A World Meteorological Organization report says Earth's climate is out of balance and that ocean warming and sea-level rise are effectively locked in for centuries.

Seven dogs reportedly escaped from a truck in Changchun, China, and were filmed walking about 10.5 miles before rescue volunteers and a local group helped reunite them with their owners.

A multi-year survey of more than 60 limestone caves in Battambang province, Cambodia, documented multiple rare and previously unknown species, including a flying snake and a fluorescent-turquoise pit viper; the study ran from November 2023 to July 2025 and was led by Fauna & Flora Cambodia with the environment ministry.

Washington's mountain snowpack is at a statewide median of about 54% of normal after a short-lived rebound, and NOAA's seasonal outlook forecasts warmer and drier conditions through June.

Russia launched the uncrewed Progress MS-33 cargo ship from Baikonur after repairs to the launch site; it carries more than 2.5 tons and is due to dock March 24, while NASA reported one automatic docking antenna failed to deploy and troubleshooting is underway.

At its 'Ignition' event, NASA announced agencywide initiatives to implement the National Space Policy, including a phased plan for a lunar base and a Space Reactor‑1 Freedom mission targeted to launch before the end of 2028.

Only about 22% of global electronic waste was properly recycled in 2022, and U.S. recycling rates are below 25% each year.

A 2026 study estimates PM2.5 pollution in southwestern Pennsylvania was linked to roughly 3,085–3,467 deaths in 2019, and many harms were reported at levels below the EPA's current PM2.5 standard.

Heat pumps run on electricity to move heat from the air, ground or water into homes, and UK homeowners can get a £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant while typically paying about £5,000 extra for installation.

Soil is described as a living ecosystem that hosts a large share of Earth's biodiversity, and the article outlines gradual practices such as adding organic matter, testing pH and nutrients, and avoiding aggressive tilling to maintain soil condition.

Crews and residents in Hawaii are beginning recovery after back-to-back kona storms caused widespread flooding across Oahu and Maui; officials said the immediate threat has passed while damage assessments and debris removal continue.

NASA-funded Science Through Shadows, led by Fiske Planetarium, offers a series of short films showing how eclipses, occultations and transits help scientists study celestial bodies; the videos are freely available in English and Spanish in 2D and fulldome formats.

A study reports that undisturbed primary forests in Sweden contain about 83% more carbon per acre than nearby managed forests when harvested wood products are excluded, and that most of the difference is in soils.

Experts told Travel + Leisure that Everglades National Park is the most mosquito-filled U.S. national park, and they also listed Congaree, Shenandoah, Denali and Gates of the Arctic as parks that regularly produce large numbers of mosquitoes.

A whale shark circled Darwin Island in the Galapagos and swam through a group of scuba divers; whale sharks visit the islands for cleaning stations where other fish remove remoras.

A biodiversity survey in Battambang, Cambodia, explored 64 caves across 10 karst hills between November 2023 and July 2025 and reported several species new to science, including a turquoise pit viper, a flying snake, multiple geckos, two micro-snails and two millipedes.

A U.N. report finds the gap between solar energy absorbed and energy reflected back to space is the largest since 1960, leaving more heat trapped on Earth. That imbalance is reported to be warming the oceans, atmosphere and frozen regions.

No-till gardening avoids digging to preserve soil structure and relies on mulches or layered organic matter such as cardboard, wood chips, or straw; experts note it can help water retention, fertility, and soil biology.

NOAA forecasts a Kp index of 5 for Sunday night, signaling minor to moderate geomagnetic storms that could make the northern lights visible across about 15 northern U.S. states along the Canadian border.

A Swiss study found that beaver-built wetlands at one stream sequestered about 108–146 tons of carbon per year and estimated that similar wetlands across suitable floodplains could offset roughly 1.2–1.8% of Switzerland’s annual emissions.

Researchers documented Lahille's bottlenose dolphins in Laguna, Brazil, guiding local fishers to mullet during the May–July migration; a decline in mullet numbers now threatens this long-standing cooperation.

Two bronze bison cast at the Art Casting Foundry in Loveland completed a roughly 1,800-mile tour and were installed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on March 19. The museum plans related exhibits opening May 7 and May 21.

Never-before-seen photos from Neil Armstrong's 1966 Gemini 8 splashdown have been donated to the Armstrong Air and Space Museum; the images show Armstrong and David Scott after their unplanned splashdown near Okinawa.

Officials say back-to-back Kona storms have produced the worst flooding in Hawaii in 20 years, prompting evacuations after a nearby 120-year-old dam was reported to be at imminent risk of failure; a statewide flood watch runs through March 22.

Experts report a historic snow drought across multiple Western states, with record-low mountain snowpack and unusually warm winter temperatures. Federal and regional forecasts say that low snowmelt could reduce water supplies and raise the risk of earlier wildfire conditions in the months ahead.

State wildlife agencies still stock millions of nonnative fish into lakes and streams to support recreational fishing and the license revenue that funds conservation, while scientists say those introductions can harm native species and ecosystems.

A March heat wave across the U.S. Southwest shattered monthly temperature records, including a 110°F (43.3°C) reading in Arizona. World Weather Attribution reported the event would have been virtually impossible without human-caused warming and estimated roughly 2.6–4°C of extra warming contributed to the temperatures.

Grasses enter a dormant survival state in winter rather than dying, and common winter stresses — dehydration, snow mold, ice, mites, and road salt — often produce similar damage that becomes visible after snow and ice recede.

This winter was the warmest on record in six Western states, and the Colorado River Basin has record-low snow cover. A rapid March heat wave is accelerating melt and reducing the season’s snowpack.

Belarus’s forests now cover nearly 10 million hectares, up about one million hectares over 30 years, and UNDP and national authorities say they provide carbon storage, biodiversity habitat and local economic benefits. Officials report rising threats from climate-linked fires and pests and note recent steps to update forest management approaches and adopt a national biodiversity strategy.