Green Science

Green Science is the application of eco-friendly thinking to scientific disciplines. Learn about global warming, pollution and other impacts on nature and the planet, plus what we can do to combat them.

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The world's population is expected to hit 8 billion Nov. 15 2022. Is that too many people or just right?

By Melanie Channon & Jasmine Fledderjohann

Though certain parks or preserves have gotten the International Dark Sky Place designation before, this remote South Pacific island became the first entire country to be so honored.

By Nathan Chandler

Earth is a complex place, and its climate follows suit. That may explain why many of us are still confused about climate change. Think you can tell the facts from myths? Find out with this quiz.

By Mark Mancini

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Green, clean energy sounds good at first: Harness the power of the wind to run our creature comforts. But could the sounds people hear (and don't hear) from wind turbines endanger their health?

By Julia Layton & Sarah Gleim

Over the years, many theories have been advanced about why the once-mighty Mayan civilization fell. But a newer one is getting attention: Was it because of climate change?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Environmental awareness is at an all-time high. We've moved beyond the message that littering is bad -- today we have Web sites, television programs, documentaries and books examining our impact upon the environment.

By Jonathan Strickland

Greenhouse gases, CFCs, oil guzzling cars and smoke-belching industry. We don't lack examples of environmental threats that have occupied the previous generations.

By Kate Kershner

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No one would blame you if you're sick of hearing about carbon. Every day it seems there are news stories about rising carbon levels, carbon emissions and even the search for new carbon-based life forms

By Jamie Page Deaton

This green science image gallery shows eco-friendly applications as they apply to scientific disciplines. Take a look at these green science pictures.

Though not everyone agrees why the Earth is getting warmer, temperatures are inching up worldwide. A couple of degrees doesn't seem like such a big deal. What difference can a subtle change make?

By Jonathan Strickland

The mighty Romans certainly never thought it would happen to them, but the sun eventually sets on even the most powerful empires. Is there more to the story than war?

By Robert Lamb

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Ocean waste like this discarded net often works its way across thousands of miles, photodegrading and ultimately converging into a swirling vortex big by any standards. Is it possible to clean up the world's biggest landfill?

By Julia Layton

We're currently suspended between two ages: a time dependent on fossil fuels and a future dominated by renewable energy sources. Yet not everyone is sold on this vision, so a number of myths about renewable energy persist.

By Robert Lamb

Most folks are trying to green their driving to help out the environment (and their wallets). But what is NASCAR doing to clean up its image?

By Julia Layton

Earthquakes are "natural" disasters, right? Yes, but that doesn't mean the shifting plates that cause them can't be aggravated by human industry.

By Julia Layton

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Everyone knows carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a problem. But what about carbon dioxide in the ocean? Is there a way to manipulate the world's seas so that they absorb more CO2?

By Maria Trimarchi

China built the Three Gorges Dam to prevent floods and satisfy the nation's need for massive amounts of energy. What can go wrong when you dam one of the largest rivers in the world?

By Stephanie Watson

If your nearest source for food specializes in hot dogs, ice and a wide variety of potato chips, you might be living in a food desert. What's so dangerous about these barren regions?

By Maria Trimarchi

You may think of corn as something you slather in butter and salt and wolf down at dinner. But everyone's favorite summertime vegetable has a new look, and it may be reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

By Robert Lamb

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Sustainable urbanism is no longer a futuristic dream. Welcome to five cities around the world that will be turning a radical shade of green in the coming decades.

By Maria Trimarchi

If you love leaping into mounds of fallen leaves, you might have to jump into a big pile of nothing one autumn -- global warming could affect these little seasonal distractions.

By Jennifer Horton

Sure, the Emerald City looked green, but you won't need green-tinted glasses to see how environmentally friendly the cities on this list are. What makes a city amazingly green?

By Maria Trimarchi & Jacob Clifton

L.A. and ancient Rome have more in common than a culture of excess. Both cities turned to complex systems of siphons and aqueducts to solve their water problems.

By Julia Layton

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Are multipurpose plastic bags or those throwback brown paper bags more environmentally friendly? That question could leave you speechless on your next trip to the grocery store.

By Jane McGrath

For those who reduce, reuse and recycle to the beat of their own drum, here are some of the wackier ways to help better the environment and lessen carbon footprints.

By Jennifer Horton & Patrick J. Kiger