Earth

Scientists are developing new methods to control mosquitoes, the animal that kills more people than any other on Earth. As the climate warms, mosquito seasons are growing longer, giving the insects more time to spread dangerous diseases such as malaria and dengue. Reports highlight how shifting temperatures are expanding the disease threat into new regions and prompting fresh research into targeting the insects.

Scientists have captured a subduction zone off Vancouver Island in the process of tearing itself apart, suggesting these massive tectonic systems may die piece by piece rather than all at once. The finding offers new insight into how subduction zones end over geological time, with implications for understanding seismic hazards in the Pacific Northwest, where the Cascadia zone poses earthquake and tsunami risks.

A study published in Science argues that a Mega El Niño pattern, producing extreme and prolonged climate swings, triggered the end-Permian mass extinction around 252 million years ago, the deadliest extinction event in Earth's history. The researchers say runaway warming destabilised ecosystems beyond what species could tolerate. The paper is being shared widely, with an open-access version of the full text available.

Google has unveiled Project Suncatcher, an initiative to run machine learning infrastructure in space, with details published on its research blog. The plan points to solar-powered data centers orbiting Earth to expand computing capacity for AI. The announcement is drawing attention among technologists debating the feasibility, cost and environmental logic of moving AI compute off-planet.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck near New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean on September 26, 2026, prompting a natural disaster alert. The available evidence comes from a US embassy advisory posted for Fiji, warning people in the region about the event. The posts collected do not include eyewitness reactions, damage reports, or details on casualties, and no tsunami warning information is given in the evidence, so the full public response is not yet clear.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday urging the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency failed to consider the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy, raising concerns about a growing commercial trend of using orbiting reflectors to illuminate areas on the ground at night.

Asteroid 2024 YR4, discovered in December 2024, has drawn attention from NASA and space watchers worldwide after early calculations suggested a small but nonzero chance it could hit Earth in December 2032. The roughly 40-metre-wide rock briefly topped impact-risk monitoring lists, and astronomers have been refining its orbit as it moves away from view.

Astronomers report 'groundbreaking' observations of a dead, collapsed star that repeatedly flashes toward Earth as it wobbles, with the pulsing apparently driven by a huge outflow of gas — described colorfully as a giant cosmic 'fart'. The findings offer a rare look at the behavior of a stellar remnant and the material it expels.

A new report suggests scientists may have misinterpreted evidence dating back some two billion years, with potential implications for how Earth's early history is understood. The finding is drawing attention in science media, as re-evaluating such ancient clues could reshape assumptions about the planet's past conditions and evolution.

The New York Times reports on a scientific discovery connected to an $80 motel room that researchers say could shed light on the origins of life. Details of the finding and the scientists involved remain limited, but the story highlights how an ordinary roadside room became tied to research into how life first emerged on Earth.

A spacecraft built to explore icy moons where life could exist is flying close by Earth, using the planet's gravity to adjust its course. The maneuver is part of a long journey toward the outer solar system, where scientists hope to study oceans beneath the moons' surfaces. The flyby has drawn attention as a milestone in the search for conditions suitable for life beyond our planet.

New research indicates that Earth microbes can survive under simulated conditions of the ocean beneath the ice of Saturn's moon Enceladus, suggesting life there is not out of the question. Scientists see the finding as encouraging for the search for life beyond Earth, since Enceladus's subsurface ocean is considered one of the most promising places to look.

Researchers report that the amount of dust in Earth's atmosphere has declined, a reversal of the long-term trend. The shift is described as mysterious, with the causes not yet fully understood. Dust affects climate, weather patterns and air quality, so scientists are paying close attention to what is driving the change and what it could mean for warming.

Google has announced Project Suncatcher, an initiative to test its AI chips in space for the first time. The plan points to putting data-processing hardware aboard satellites, a step that could eventually move parts of AI computing off Earth. The announcement is drawing attention across the tech and semiconductor world, with observers weighing the engineering challenges of running chips in orbit and what it could mean for the future of data centers.

Scientists report the discovery of a so-called "fire amoeba", an organism said to survive at temperatures beyond what was thought to be life's upper limit. If confirmed, the find would force a rethink of the thermal boundaries of life on Earth, with implications for the search for life in extreme environments such as deep-sea vents and possibly other planets.

Google is preparing to test its AI chips in space, according to a report carried by The Brussels Times. The move suggests the company is exploring how its custom AI hardware performs outside Earth, though details on the mission, timeline and partners have not been disclosed. Observers of the semiconductor and space industries are watching for what this could mean for satellite computing and data processing in orbit.

Scientists report that the Earth's crust beneath Italy is 'unzipping,' a process they say is driving seismic activity along the Apennine mountain range. The finding offers a new explanation for the earthquakes that regularly strike the Italian peninsula and is drawing attention for its striking description of how the crust is gradually pulling apart.

DARPA is developing a robotic spacecraft designed to service and repair satellites in geosynchronous orbit, some 36,000 kilometers above Earth. The program aims to extend the life of expensive communications and military satellites that currently cannot be fixed once deployed. Interest is focused on how robotic servicing could reshape satellite operations and reduce costs for both government and commercial operators.

Two earthquakes struck California on Sunday morning with little warning, according to early reports. Details on the magnitude, epicenter and any damage or injuries remain limited, but the back-to-back quakes have drawn attention as residents report feeling the ground shake. Authorities are likely monitoring the area for aftershocks as more information emerges.

A new report describes geological rifting underway beneath the Pacific Northwest, where tectonic forces are slowly pulling the Earth's crust apart. The findings are drawing widespread attention, with readers sharing and discussing the story of the region's underlying seismic activity. Scientists point to the ongoing deformation of the Cascadia region as evidence of powerful forces reshaping the ocean floor and coastline over geological timescales.

New research suggests icy moons in the outer solar system, such as those orbiting Jupiter and Saturn, could retain their subsurface liquid oceans even if their outer ice shells are shattered by giant impacts. If impacts like those that formed some of the moon's craters did not destroy interior oceans, this raises the chances that oceans on worlds like Europa and Enceladus are more resilient than thought, keeping interest high in future missions to icy bodies.

The U.S. government has seized a 54-pound Martian meteorite that was sold at auction last year, raising questions over who owns the rare space rock. The case, which involves Jeanine Pirro according to the report, has drawn attention to the legal status of meteorites found on Earth and whether such finds belong to private collectors or the state.

A robotic submarine deployed beneath Antarctic ice mapped unusual structures on the seafloor before disappearing without a trace. The lost vehicle reportedly recorded strange formations under the ice shelf before contact was cut off. The disappearance has drawn attention because the sub was gathering rare data from one of the least explored environments on Earth, raising questions about what it found and why contact was lost.

French science outlet Futura reports that scientists are examining whether a nuclear detonation could be used to save Earth, most likely by deflecting a dangerous asteroid on a collision course with the planet. The idea, long confined to Hollywood films like Armageddon, is now being seriously studied by researchers, who are running tests and simulations on what they call the unthinkable scenario.

A private spacecraft sent to service or boost an aging NASA telescope failed in its mission and has burned up in Earth's atmosphere. The attempt, which would have extended the observatory's life, ended without a rescue, raising questions about the telescope's future and the risks of commercial deep-space servicing missions.