Geology

Unlike previous epochs in the world, this one is massively changed by mankind, geologists argue. “We forget that plastic, frozen foods, antibiotics, the nuclear bomb — all these things are very recent,” says author Dianne Ackerman

Newfoundlanders hope a major fossil find will bring new tourists to the area. But history suggests that fossil thieves will also make their way north.

Recent research has strongly suggested the ancient Earth was dry and could not support life until icy comets left behind the water necessary to create life as we know it. Now a new study suggests something very different: Our planet made its own water through geologic processes, and is still doing so all the time.

Everyone’s heard of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, but six months later, the Japanese also bombed Dutch Harbor in Alaska. Three days after that, they captured two remote islands far out on the Aleutian chain. It’s a battle that’s all but forgotten, but it’s the subject of a new book.

Scientists say a rash of small earthquakes suggest that Iceland’s largest volcano is about to blow. That could mean trouble for trans-Atlantic travelers but likely would be no big deal for local — and might even lead to a tourism boom.