For how long can the Earth support complex life before entering an irreversible zone from an environmental perspective?

A sweeping new study reveals that humanity has already pushed 60% of Earth’s land outside its safe biosphere zone, with 38% in a high-risk state. By analyzing centuries of data, researchers mapped how ...

At half the size of Earth and one-tenth its mass, Mars is a featherweight as far as planets go. Yet new research reveals the ...

Researchers uncover how Mars affects Earth’s orbit, offering new insight into the planetary forces behind ice ages.

Research suggests that Mars may strongly influence these cycles. For example, Mars helps drive a 2.4‑million‑year cycle ...

Earth's climate has swung between ice ages and warmer periods for millions of years, driven by subtle changes in our planet's orbit and axial tilt. These variations, known as Milankovitch cycles, ...

Climate change also alters nitrogen in soils and plants, shaping food quality, water safety, and pollution risks worldwide.

: [POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION Aug. 4, 2025: A previous version of this report incorrectly said that there are phytoplankton in the upper layer of the atmosphere. Phytoplankton live in the upper layer ...

Our species likes it cold. Homo sapiens evolved in — and still inhabits — one of Earth’s rare and fragile ice ages, periods distinguished not by an abundance of saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths ...