Earth & The Planet
The Deepest Places on Earth—and What Lives There
Visit Challenger Deep, hadal trenches, deep rock and subglacial lakes to discover how life persists in Earth’s most extreme depths.
Sep 12, 2026 • 12 min readOUR LIVING PLANET
Earth & The Planet
Explore Earth's landscapes, oceans, atmosphere and changing systems, from geological processes to the environments that support life.
EDITOR’S PICK
Why Volcanoes Produce Lightning
Inside an eruption cloud, colliding ash, ice and fragmented rock can separate electric charge until the plume discharges like a violent thunderstorm.
Sep 16, 2026 • 4 min readRead the discovery →LATEST
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New stories, explanations and research from Earth & The Planet.
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Climate Systems
How Ice Cores Preserve Earth’s Ancient Atmosphere
Layered polar ice stores old air, volcanic fallout, dust and water chemistry that scientists use to reconstruct past climates.
Sep 21, 2026 • 12 min read
Earth & The Planet
How Seismic Waves Reveal Earth’s Hidden Interior
Earthquakes send different kinds of waves through the planet, allowing researchers to map boundaries, materials and motion far below any drill.
Sep 19, 2026 • 12 min read
Earth & The Planet
How Scientists Detect Tsunamis Before They Reach Shore
Seismometers, satellite positioning, seabed pressure sensors and coastal gauges transform an offshore disturbance into a rapidly updated warning.
Sep 13, 2026 • 13 min read
Earth & The Planet
How Plate Tectonics Continually Rebuilds Earth
Ocean floors are created and consumed, continents collide and landscapes rise and erode within one measurable planetary system.
Sep 13, 2026 • 13 min read