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Earth, Nature & the Ocean

106 curious, true stories.

Illustration of blue ocean waves crashing against dark rocks under a bright skyEarth, Nature & the OceanRivers Are Fresh and Rain Is Fresh. So How Did the Ocean Get So Salty?Illustration of a submarine light shining into the deep, dark oceanEarth, Nature & the OceanDrop Mount Everest Into the Deepest Part of the Ocean and It Would Still VanishA shallow red lake in Tanzania with flocks of pink flamingos wading near the shoreEarth, Nature & the OceanEerie Photos of 'Stone' Birds Made This Red Lake Famous. The Truth Is StrangerIllustration of colorful autumn trees in red, orange, and gold along a country roadEarth, Nature & the OceanThose Golden Fall Leaves Were Yellow All Summer Long. You Just Couldn't See It
Illustration of a rainbow over a farmhouse after rainEarth, Nature & the OceanEvery Rainbow Is Really a Full Circle. The Ground Just Hides the Bottom HalfIllustration of an ancient, gnarled bristlecone pine on a rocky mountainsideEarth, Nature & the OceanThis Gnarled Pine Sprouted Before the Great Pyramid. Officials Won't Say Where It Stands
Illustration of a bolt of lightning striking the top of a tall city building during a nighttime stormEarth, Nature & the OceanOne Famous New York Skyscraper Gets Hit by Lightning About 23 Times Every YearIllustration of water from a cliff-top waterfall being blown upward into a cloud of sprayEarth, Nature & the OceanThis English Waterfall Sometimes Seems to Run Uphill. Gravity Isn't Broken, Though
Illustration of an aerial view of an endless green forestEarth, Nature & the OceanScientists Tried to Count Every Tree on Earth. The Answer Was 8 Times Bigger Than ExpectedA pink sand beach curving along clear turquoise waterEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Beaches Have Soft Pink Sand. The Color Comes From Something AliveIllustration of dark storm clouds and a lightning bolt over a wide prairieEarth, Nature & the OceanLightning Lasts a Split Second, So Why Does Thunder Keep Rumbling for So Long?Illustration of open blue ocean waves with scattered bits of floating plastic debrisEarth, Nature & the OceanYou've Heard of the Floating Trash Island. Sailors Passing Through Barely See It
Illustration of a close-up of a delicate six-armed snowflake crystalEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Perfect Six-Armed Snowflake on Holiday Cards Is Surprisingly Rare in Real LifeIllustration of a forest of curved pine treesEarth, Nature & the OceanHundreds of Pine Trees in Poland Bend the Same Strange Way, and Nobody Knows Exactly WhyA person floating on their back and reading in very calm, salty blue-green waterEarth, Nature & the OceanIn the Dead Sea, You Can Lie Back and Read a Newspaper Without Even Trying to FloatIllustration of a dry desert with salt flatsEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Weather Stations in This Desert Have Never Recorded a Single Drop of Rain
Illustration of a large hurricane swirling over the ocean seen from aboveEarth, Nature & the OceanHurricane Names Aren't Picked When a Storm Forms. Most Were Chosen Years AheadIllustration of a towering giant sequoia tree with a tiny car parked at its baseEarth, Nature & the OceanThis California Tree Lost a Branch Bigger Than Most Whole Trees, and Barely NoticedIllustration of Old Faithful geyser erupting in Yellowstone under a blue skyEarth, Nature & the OceanOld Faithful Erupts Almost on Schedule. A Kitchen Gadget Explains What's Going On BelowIllustration of glowing blue waves washing onto a dark beach at nightEarth, Nature & the OceanOn Some Nights, Ocean Waves Glow Electric Blue. The Light Comes From Living Things
Close-up illustration of colorful sand grains in shades of white, gold, black, and greenEarth, Nature & the OceanSome of the White Sand on Tropical Beaches Comes From a Very Surprising SourceIllustration of a green pine tree next to a bare maple in winterEarth, Nature & the OceanYour Maple Goes Bare Every Winter While the Pine Stays Green. Both Are Playing It SmartMount Everest's snowy summit glowing gold and pink at sunriseEarth, Nature & the OceanThe World's Tallest Mountain Isn't Done Growing Yet, and Its Summit Was Once SeafloorIllustration of an old world map showing the continents drifting apartEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Ground Under Your Feet Is Moving Right Now, at a Speed You Can Compare to Your Body
Illustration of a dragon blood tree on a rocky islandEarth, Nature & the OceanOn One Remote Island Grows a Tree Shaped Like an Umbrella That Bleeds Deep RedIllustration of the Grand Canyon glowing in warm colors at sunsetEarth, Nature & the OceanA River Carved the Grand Canyon, but It Had a Giant Helper Pushing From BelowIllustration of the Great Barrier Reef seen from above, with turquoise water, coral patterns, and small islandsEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Biggest Thing Ever Built by Living Creatures Is Visible From SpaceIllustration of a huge white iceberg with its much larger hidden part visible beneath the waterEarth, Nature & the OceanAn Iceberg Can Weigh Millions of Tons and Still Float. The Secret Is in the Ice Itself
Illustration of morning fog drifting over a farm in a valleyEarth, Nature & the OceanFog Is Really a Cloud Lying on the Ground. Here's What Pulls It Down to EarthA towering corpse flower with a dark red frilled bloom inside a greenhouseEarth, Nature & the OceanCrowds Line Up to Smell This Giant Flower. It Smells Like Something DiedIllustration of a plastic bottle half buried in the sand on an empty beachEarth, Nature & the OceanA Plastic Bottle Can Outlast Everyone Alive Today. But Nobody Has Watched It HappenIllustration of a rusty round metal cover set into the ground at an abandoned remote drilling siteEarth, Nature & the OceanSoviet Scientists Drilled More Than 7 Miles Into Earth. The Hole Is Only 9 Inches Wide
Illustration of a field of tall golden grass bending in a strong breezeEarth, Nature & the OceanEvery Breeze You Feel Starts With the Sun. The Rest Is a Giant Balancing ActIllustration of Angel Falls dropping from a table mountainEarth, Nature & the OceanThis Waterfall Drops Farther Than the World's Tallest Building Is TallA dark tornado funnel touching down over a wide, flat Kansas farm field under a stormy skyEarth, Nature & the OceanMost Big Tornadoes Start Spinning Miles Up in the Sky Before They Ever Touch DownIllustration of a swimmer among golden jellyfishEarth, Nature & the OceanSwimmers Glide Among Millions of Golden Jellyfish in This Lake. Here's the Catch
Illustration of a green Irish hillside under a soft cloudy skyEarth, Nature & the OceanLegend Says St. Patrick Drove the Snakes Out of Ireland. The Real Reason Is OlderIllustration of a huge red rafflesia flower with white spots on a rainforest floorEarth, Nature & the OceanThe World's Biggest Flower Is 3 Feet Wide, and You'd Probably Smell It Before You Saw ItIllustration of a riverboat on the wide Mississippi RiverEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Mississippi Once Ran Backward. Other Rivers Reverse Themselves Every Single YearIllustration of a cutaway view of Earth showing its glowing layers and coreEarth, Nature & the OceanDeep Beneath Your Feet Is a Ball of Iron About as Hot as the Sun's Surface, Yet It's Solid
Illustration of a quiet forest with softly glowing roots and threads spreading undergroundEarth, Nature & the OceanYou've Heard That Trees Talk Through Underground Fungi. Scientists Aren't So SureIllustration of puffy white clouds over a green fieldEarth, Nature & the OceanThat Fluffy White Cloud Looks Weightless. The Water Inside Adds Up to a Surprising TotalA giant cave opening with mist drifting through it and green jungle growing on the cave floorEarth, Nature & the OceanIn Rural China, Locals Watch a Giant Cave to Know When Rain Is ComingIllustration of a pile of colorful autumn leaves on damp groundEarth, Nature & the OceanThat Cozy Earthy Smell of Fall Comes From Tiny Workers You'll Never See
Illustration of sand dunes at sunsetEarth, Nature & the OceanOn a Beach North of Boston, the Sand Squeaks Under Your Feet. It's Not Your ImaginationIllustration of ancient, weathered rocks along a rugged coastlineEarth, Nature & the OceanSome of the Oldest Earth Rock Ever Found Was Picked Up on the MoonIllustration of a bright turquoise lake surrounded by evergreen forest and snowy mountain peaksEarth, Nature & the OceanThose Unreal Turquoise Mountain Lakes Get Their Color From Ground-Up RockIllustration of a small smoking volcanic island rising from a blue seaEarth, Nature & the OceanIn 1831, a New Island Rose From the Sea. Four Countries Fought Over It. Then It Vanished
Illustration of white hailstones scattered across a green lawn after a stormEarth, Nature & the OceanSlice a Hailstone in Half and You'll Find Onion-Style Rings. Each One Tells a StoryA green Venus flytrap with red-lined jaws closing on a flyEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Venus Flytrap Can Count. It Won't Snap Shut Until a Bug Touches It TwiceIllustration of a snowy Antarctic landscape with a group of penguins on the iceEarth, Nature & the OceanThe South Pole Gets More Summer Sunlight Than the Equator. It Still Stays FrozenIllustration of a steaming river winding through dense green Amazon jungleEarth, Nature & the OceanDeep in the Amazon, a River Runs Nearly Hot Enough to Boil. There's No Volcano Nearby
Illustration of an open oyster shell holding a single glowing white pearlEarth, Nature & the OceanEveryone Learned That Pearls Start With a Grain of Sand. That's Rarely How It HappensIllustration of a glass of water held over the oceanEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Ocean Isn't Blue Just Because It Reflects the Sky. The Real Reason Is in the WaterA huge, round, deep sinkhole in the middle of a city street surrounded by buildingsEarth, Nature & the OceanIn 2010, a Nearly Round Hole Opened in Guatemala City and Swallowed a 3-Story BuildingIllustration of a volcano erupting at nightEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Volcanoes Have Been Erupting Nonstop for Decades. A Few for Thousands of Years
Illustration of a field of colorful wildflowers with bees flying between themEarth, Nature & the OceanMany Flowers Carry Secret Patterns That Human Eyes Can't See. Bees CanIllustration of a single acacia tree standing alone in a vast sandy desertEarth, Nature & the OceanFor Decades, One Tree Stood Alone in the Sahara. Then It Met an Unlikely EnemyIllustration of snowy mountain peaks glowing pink at dawnEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Top of Mount Everest Was Once Under the Sea. A Slow-Motion Crash Lifted It UpIllustration of a bamboo forest with tall green stalks and soft light filtering throughEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Bamboo Can Grow About 3 Feet in a Single Day. The Trick Starts Below Ground
Illustration of a vast white salt flat covered by a thin sheet of water reflecting puffy clouds and blue skyEarth, Nature & the OceanAfter a Rain, This Bolivian Desert Turns Into a Mirror 80 Miles AcrossIllustration of an old seismograph with a needle drawing linesEarth, Nature & the OceanNews Reports Still Say Richter Scale. Scientists Quietly Switched Decades AgoWaves rolling onto a rugged Pacific coastline under a soft evening skyEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Pacific Is Bigger Than All of Earth's Land Combined, Yet It's Quietly Getting SmallerIllustration of white salt crystals along the shore of a shallow lakeEarth, Nature & the OceanThis Tiny Antarctic Pond Is So Salty It Stays Liquid at 58 Degrees Below Zero
Illustration of a close-up of a sunflower centerEarth, Nature & the OceanThat Big Sunflower in Your Garden Isn't Really One Flower at AllIllustration of mushrooms growing among moss on a damp forest floor after rainEarth, Nature & the OceanMushrooms Seem to Appear Overnight After Rain. They've Been Getting Ready for DaysIllustration of an underwater kelp forest with tall golden-green kelp and sunlight filtering down through the waterEarth, Nature & the OceanThere Are Forests Under the Sea, and Their Giant 'Trees' Can Grow 2 Feet a DayIllustration of a single raindrop falling toward the calm surface of a lakeEarth, Nature & the OceanA Raindrop Can Spend 9 Days in the Sky or 10,000 Years Underground
Illustration of long green seagrass waving underwater in clear blue waterEarth, Nature & the OceanA Seagrass Meadow Near Ibiza May Be Older Than Civilization. Nobody Knows How OldA glacier flowing down a wide mountain valley between steep rocky wallsEarth, Nature & the OceanA River Carves a V. A Glacier Carves a U. The Difference Is Written in the MountainsIllustration of a large oak tree with a thick carpet of acorns on the ground beneath itEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Years Your Yard Is Buried in Acorns, Other Years There Are Hardly Any. Here's WhyIllustration of many cats lounging on stone steps and docks in a small Japanese fishing villageEarth, Nature & the OceanOn This Tiny Japanese Island, Cats Outnumber People by About 20 to 1
Illustration of a rough, branching glassy tube lying partly buried in pale sandEarth, Nature & the OceanLightning Can Leave Something Behind in the Sand. People Call It Fossilized LightningIllustration of a globe with sound wavesEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Whole Planet Is Quietly Humming Right Now, and the Ocean Is Behind ItThe Nile River winding through golden desert with a strip of green farmland along its banksEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Nile Is Called the World's Longest River. Brazil Has Been Arguing OtherwiseIllustration of a coconut floating to a tropical beachEarth, Nature & the OceanCoconuts Are Built to Float. But They Probably Had Help Crossing the Pacific
Illustration of a white snowbank beside a row of clear icicles hanging from a roofEarth, Nature & the OceanSnow and Icicles Are Made of the Exact Same Stuff. So Why Don't They Match?Illustration of Mauna Kea rising from the deep ocean floor up above the sea surfaceEarth, Nature & the OceanEverest Gets All the Glory, but a Hawaiian Mountain Hides Most of Its Height UnderwaterIllustration of an ancient, twisted olive tree in a sunny groveEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Trees Have Lived Nearly 5,000 Years. Their Secret Is Surprisingly Low-KeyIllustration of a clear river in Colombia with a riverbed in bright red, yellow, and greenEarth, Nature & the OceanFor a Few Months a Year, a River in Colombia Turns Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Black
Illustration of honey bees visiting pink and white blossoms on a flowering apple tree in springEarth, Nature & the OceanBees Don't Actually Keep Plants Alive. What They Really Do Matters Even MoreIllustration of stalactites hanging in a softly lit caveEarth, Nature & the OceanEvery Cave Stalactite Started as a Single Drop of Water. Then Came Centuries of PatienceA giant coast redwood rising through drifting fog in a California forestEarth, Nature & the OceanThe World's Tallest Tree Is Taller Than Lady Liberty, and You're Not Allowed Near ItIllustration of a sprouting seed in soil with a root growing down and a shoot growing upEarth, Nature & the OceanPlant a Seed Upside Down and It Still Grows the Right Way. Here's the Hidden Trick
Illustration of a quick change from autumn to winterEarth, Nature & the OceanFall Really Is Shorter Than Summer Here. Earth's Orbit Is Partly to BlameIllustration of a desert landscape covered in colorful wildflowersEarth, Nature & the OceanSome Years, One of the Driest Places on Earth Turns Into a Sea of FlowersIllustration of tiny baby sea turtles crawling across moonlit sand toward the ocean wavesEarth, Nature & the OceanSea Turtles Swim Thousands of Miles, Then Find Their Way Back to Where They HatchedIllustration of overlapping layers of green leaves in a sunlit forestEarth, Nature & the OceanEvery Leaf in the Forest Is Green, Yet No Two Look Quite Alike. Here's Why
Illustration of a rock with a long trail behind it on a cracked dry lakebedEarth, Nature & the OceanRocks in Death Valley Slide Across the Desert on Their Own. Cameras Finally Caught ThemA large tree with its root system shown spreading through the soil undergroundEarth, Nature & the OceanMost Tree Roots Stay Near the Surface. A Few Plunge Deeper Than a Skyscraper Is TallIllustration of raindrops falling on a dry garden path lined with plantsEarth, Nature & the OceanThat Wonderful Smell After Rain Has a Name, and It Comes From Somewhere UnexpectedIllustration of a small green heart-shaped island surrounded by turquoise waterEarth, Nature & the OceanThis Little Island Is Shaped Like a Perfect Heart, and Nobody Carved It That Way
Illustration of a clear block of glacier ice filled with tiny trapped air bubblesEarth, Nature & the OceanScientists Drilled Two Miles Into Antarctic Ice. The Tiny Bubbles Held Air From Long AgoIllustration of big waves rolling onto a beachEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Wave Crashing at Your Feet May Have Started Thousands of Miles AwayA smooth, saucer-shaped lenticular cloud hovering over a snowy mountain peak at sunsetEarth, Nature & the OceanThis Smooth, Saucer-Shaped Cloud Has Fooled People Into Reporting UFOsIllustration of mist rising from a rainforest canopyEarth, Nature & the OceanA Single Large Oak Can Release 40,000 Gallons of Water Into the Air Every Year
Illustration of waves breaking on the rocky shore of Lake Superior under a wide skyEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Great Lakes Hold a Fifth of Earth's Surface Fresh Water. Ice Dug Their BasinsIllustration of dry rocky cliffs where the American Falls usually flows, with mist from the Horseshoe Falls nearbyEarth, Nature & the OceanIn 1969, Engineers Shut Off the American Falls for Months. The Rest of Niagara Kept GoingTall redwood trees in a misty forest, one with a blackened, fire-scarred trunkEarth, Nature & the OceanWildfires Can Sweep Through a Redwood Forest and Leave the Giants StandingIllustration of a sandy beach at night beneath a sky filled with countless starsEarth, Nature & the OceanCount Every Grain of Sand on Every Beach on Earth. The Stars Probably Still Win
Illustration of Old Faithful geyser shooting a tall column of steam and water into the dawn skyEarth, Nature & the OceanOld Faithful Doesn't Erupt Every Hour on the Hour. Rangers Still Predict ItIllustration of a honey bee dusted in yellow pollen sipping nectar from a bright flowerEarth, Nature & the OceanOne Bee May Visit More Than a Thousand Flowers to Fill Up Once. Then the Real Work StartsGolden and red leaves drifting down from trees along a path in a city parkEarth, Nature & the OceanLeaves Don't Just Drop Off in the Fall. Trees Actually Cut Them Loose on PurposeIllustration of dandelion seeds with fluffy parachutes floating on a breezeEarth, Nature & the OceanA Dandelion Seed Can Drift Up to 62 Miles, Using a Trick Scientists Cracked in 2018
Illustration of waves crashing on a moonlit beachEarth, Nature & the OceanThe Surf Seems to Roar Louder After Dark. The Waves Aren't What ChangedIllustration of Niagara Falls with rising mist and a rainbowEarth, Nature & the OceanNiagara Falls Feels Eternal, but It's Young by Earth's Standards, and It's on the Move