Science News Explores

The weather forecast can get extreme in the land of Hyrule, found in the Nintendo series The Legend of Zelda. A downpour in the coastal province of Faron, for instance, prevents Link, the game’s hero, from reaching Calora Lake. And constant lightning and rain threaten the skybound Thunderhead Isles. These storms only end once Link completes a series of quests, all wh...

The term “snow line” is used in both earth science and astronomy. It has similar, but slightly different, meanings in each field.

On Earth, a snow line is the boundary between snow-covered and bare ground.

Imagine you are hiking up a craggy, white-capped mountain. When you reach the edge of the snowpack...

For thousands of years, farmers have prepared their fields for planting by overturning the soil. It helps them the manage the moisture, nutrients and flow of air underfoot. But modern farming’s deep plowing and heavy machinery often do more harm than good, rese...

A parrot missing half his beak has become top bird at New Zealand’s Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Named Bruce, he wins every fight with other kea parrots. He also gets priority access to food.

This observation has made scientists question their ide...

A warming climate has been helping drive a global rise in sea levels. A new analysis now finds that hundreds of major studies missed just how much sea levels have risen. Past estimates were too low, the new study shows. On average, true sea levels are 20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches) higher than what past studies reported.

This means that the toll of future sea...