Earth

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Geologists See Earth in New 'Anthropocene Age'

Humanity's footprint on the planet marks whole new game

(Newser) - Humanity's impact on the planet over the last 200 years has been so vast that geologists are proposing to label it the start of a new geological era, Canada.com reports. Textbooks label these times as the Holocene era, which began 12,000 years ago, but scientists argue that carbon...

Leap Into 2008 Was Miles Early
Leap Into 2008 Was Miles Early
Jan 2, 2008 12:18 PM CST

Leap Into 2008 Was Miles Early

New year has an extra day to keep calendar and planet synchronized

(Newser) - The Earth finished another rotation around the sun in 2007—just about. At midnight on December 31, it was actually about 400,000 miles short of where it had been a year before, and that annual shortfall is why we have leap years, explains the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Leap years...

Mars Draws Near, Shines Bright
Mars Draws Near, Shines Bright
Dec 14, 2007 4:56 PM CST

Mars Draws Near, Shines Bright

Our next chance for this good a look at red planet won't come until 2016

(Newser) - Astronomers of all abilities—and children scanning the night sky for Santa Claus—should be able to see a gleaming Mars as the red planet draws close enough, and into the right position, to outshine Sirius as the brightest evening star. Practically brushing shoulders with Earth—a mere 54,783,...

Get Ready for a Light Show
Get Ready for a Light Show
Dec 11, 2007 12:39 PM CST

Get Ready for a Light Show

Geminids will benefit from a moonless night

(Newser) - This week's incarnation of the annual Geminid meteor shower should be particularly awe-inspiring, reports National Geographic, because it coincides with dark, moonless sky for the first time since 1996. Skywatchers can expect at least 110 meteors per minute, with the best viewing on Thursday and Friday. The peak will be...

Astronomers Watch as New Earth-Like Planet Forms

424 light-years away, materials clump together around young star

(Newser) - A massive belt of dust swirling around a young star 424 light-years away could be evidence of a second Earth in the making, Space.com reports. Astronomers observing the area through a NASA space telescope say many of the conditions for forming an Earth-sized planet are present, including moderate temperatures...

Earth Flunks Its Annual Physical
Earth Flunks Its Annual Physical
Sep 14, 2007 4:15 AM CDT

Earth Flunks Its Annual Physical

Most vital signs bad as planet suffers from greenhouse gas

(Newser) - Most of the Earth's vital stats are "pronouncedly bad," according to a research institute that tracks 44 indicators of the world's health. Only six were positive. More wood was harvested this year than ever before, meat production and consumption hit record highs, people ate 156 million metric tons...

When the Sun Dies, Earth Might Not
When the Sun Dies, Earth Might Not
Sep 13, 2007 3:32 AM CDT

When the Sun Dies, Earth Might Not

Just-discovered planet survived; so there's hope for the old globe

(Newser) - When the Sun begins to kick out in some 5 billion years, it might not take Earth with it, reports the New York Times. Scientists are more optimistic since discovering a planet that survived a similar situation. A lack of hydrogen fuel is expected to cause the Sun to expand...

Western US Awaits Total Lunar Eclipse

Early birds who look to the skies will get an eyeful on Tuesday

(Newser) - The Western US will get a celestial treat early Tuesday morning: a total lunar eclipse. Residents of the Western Hemisphere and eastern Asia will get at least a glimpse of the spectacle, but Europeans will miss out—the moon will be below the horizon. Space.com tells you how to...

5 Last-Ditch Plans to Save Earth
5 Last-Ditch Plans to Save Earth
Aug 22, 2007 2:25 PM CDT

5 Last-Ditch Plans to Save Earth

Crank up your ingenuity and combat climate change the MacGyver way

(Newser) - If reducing emissions was Plan A to save the earth from global warming, these plans from Popular Science would be more like Plan ... Z:
  1. Make more Arctic ice—out of saltwater.
  2. Cool the oceans, which feed storms with warm water, by sucking up cold water from the ocean floor with
...

Destroy Earth: 10 Easy Methods
Destroy Earth: 10 Easy Methods
Aug 6, 2007 9:34 AM CDT

Destroy Earth: 10 Easy Methods

Get your evil on with these surefire ways to obliterate the planet

(Newser) - Destroying life on earth is one thing; obliterating the planet entirely is quite another. Bring out your inner supervillain with any of these 10 strategies.
  1. Hurl the earth into the sun.
  2. Release a Von Neumann machine beneath the earth's crust.
  3. Smash something large (such as Mars) into the earth.
  4. Eject
...

Atlantis Heads Home
Atlantis Heads Home
Jun 19, 2007 7:10 PM CDT

Atlantis Heads Home

13-day mission concludes; rain may delay landing in Florida

(Newser) - Space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station today and set out on the final leg of its 13-day mission. The seven astronauts' final preparations for landing included making sure the craft's heat shield was ready to re-enter the atmosphere before landing Thursday—or later if the weather doesn't...

San Francisco Bans Plastic Grocery Bags

Nation's first law mandating paper or earth-friendly plastic

(Newser) - Plastic bags are history in San Francisco's large grocery and drug stores, after the city's board of supervisors adopted the country's first ban on petroleum-based bags yesterday. The ubiquitous bags don't biodegrade, clog recycling machines, clutter landfills, catch in trees and can injure or poison marine life.

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