Nature

NASA Is Bringing Mars Rocks Back to Earth. Scientists Are Worried About What Else Might Hitch a Ride.
In February 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Jezero Crater. It carried drills, cameras, and spectrometers. It drilled into reddish rock layers and sealed rock cores in titanium tubes. Those tubes lie on the Martian surface, waiting for a return mission that has not been determined. Scientists want to know whether the rocks contain traces of ancient life. They are also dealing with another question: if there is life in the tubes, could it make us sick on Earth?
By Jinabout a month ago in Earth
A 12,000-Yuan House in the Woods: What the Videos Leave Out
Xiaokui parked her tricycle at the morning market and bought two jin of potatoes. The market opens at seven and closes at twelve. After twelve, there is nowhere in town to buy vegetables.
By Jinabout a month ago in Earth
We Are the Last Generation That Can Avoid Climate Catastrophe
Before the Carbon Budget Runs Out On September 23, 2026, at the climate action and transition meeting during the high-level week of the 81st UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We are the first generation with the tools to end the fossil fuel era, and the last generation that can avoid a climate catastrophe.”
By Jinabout a month ago in Earth
Why Humans Wear Clothes When Every Other Animal Goes Naked
Shave a polar bear and put it in the Arctic. It will die. Put a human in the Arctic with a down jacket, a snow house, fire, and an oil lamp. They can live.
By Jinabout a month ago in Earth
Earth Already Has Immortal Creatures. Evolution Still Chose Death.
“Immortality” splits into two meanings. Biology has one. Physics has the other. Biological immortality means no built-in expiry date. If nothing eats it, crushes it, infects it, or drops a catastrophe on it, it will not die of old age. Physical immortality means nothing can kill it at all. No knife. No fire. No radiation. No black hole.
By Jinabout a month ago in Earth
Rare and Endangered Animals in Mexico
On Land Baird’s Tapir There are a number of extant tapir species, including the Baird’s tapir. Today less than 2,000 of these animals remain. It differs from other mammals due to its intriguing appearance. It may also be an ancient species that has endured and changed over time based on its appearance. Deforestation and careless hunting have both been threats to Baird’s tapir.
By Rasma Raistersabout a month ago in Earth
The Docile Squid is not a Kraken
Deep in the depths of the ocean is a giant squid. This squid had people creating lore that a giant kraken would rise it's tentacles and take a boat under. This seems to be because of how scary they seem when washed up huge onto the shore when they have passed away. This is the only way anyone has seen them besides pictures because they don't bother coming up towards the surface otherwise.
By Seashell Harpspring 2 months ago in Earth
The Mountain Has No Reservoir. So Why Did I Keep Expecting the Stream to Run?
The question begins with a clause that is not true for most small mountain channels. Many streams do not run all year. When water is there, people call it a stream. When it is gone, they call it a gully. The same channel changes name, and the dry months disappear from memory.
By Jin2 months ago in Earth
From Fish to Civilization
• • • With the arrival of human beings, the story of existence entered a new stage, one governed not by biological laws alone, but by something unprecedented: conscious social organization.
By Han Elucidation2 months ago in Earth
The Rhythm of Zero Road: Sweat, Lactic Acid, and Late-Autumn Leaves
Cadence and Fallen Leaves on Zero Road Zero Road in Jiangbei. Drawing a line on the map takes two seconds. Zipping up my running shoes, pulling the laces tight. I hesitate. I leave the water behind. I head out. The wind hits my face directly, carrying the dry air of early autumn evenings. The sudden drop in temperature makes my skin tighten.
By Jin2 months ago in Earth
Rare and Endangered Animals of North America
Black-Footed Ferrets There are only believed to be 206 mature black-footed ferrets in the wild as of 2025. Prairie dogs are the primary source of food for these creatures with characteristic black markings. Due to burrow damage to fields, farmers and ranchers were permitted to kill prairie dogs during the 20th century, which almost completely eradicated the black-footed ferret population.
By Rasma Raisters2 months ago in Earth
The Strongest El Niño Ever Recorded Is Forming. Here's What It Could Do to the Planet.
Super El Niño: data, impacts, and the response already underway 1. Confirmation: peak points to late 2026 In September 2026, sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific are still rising.
By Jin2 months ago in Earth