60-Second Earth
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
New Map Knows Noise
23 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
National Park Service researchers recorded ambient sound from all over the country to find out where there’s still stillness. David Biello reports
Oil-Eating Microbes Have Worldwide Underground Connections
15 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Life thrives even deep inside Earth and scientists are beginning to suspect extensive connections among those underground environments. David Biello r...
Siberian Winters See Temp Uptick
08 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The long-term winter warming of Russia’s far north has gotten a boost from industrialization. David Biello reports
Dig This: China Cuts Coal Production
01 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest single source of global warming pollution actually started to shrink in 2014. David Biello reports
Is Recycling Worth the Effort?
28 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The value of recycling depends on the material in question and whether all hidden costs and benefits go into the analysis. David Biello reports
Tropical Forests Pay Price for Gold Rush
20 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Desire for gold has made mining in tropical forests financially worthwhile, leading to ecosystem destruction. Cynthia Graber reports
Cheap Oil Means Raise the Gas T-Word
12 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Low oil prices present an opportunity to come to grips with our crumbling infrastructure and the cost of climate change. David Biello reports
Meet the (Newest Known) Beetles!
30 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers announced the discovery of 98 beetle species previously unknown to science. David Biello reports
Oil Spill Sullies World Heritage Site
22 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Sundarbans, part of the world's largest mangrove forest and stretching across India and Bangladesh, have been tarnished by a 350,000-liter oil spi...
Plummeting Petroleum Price Gases Up Global Warming
15 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Good news for gas and oil consumers can be bad news for the environment. David Biello reports
Movies Can Boost Solar Power
28 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The pattern that stores a film on a Blu-ray disc also can help improve photovoltaics. David Biello reports
Sun's Magnetic Field Boosts Earth Lightning
24 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
When the Sun's magnetic field is pointed away from Earth, lightning strikes in the U.K. go up 50 percent. Christopher Intagliata reports
Wildlife Crime? There's an App for That
18 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A new tool may help officials crack down on the illegal wildlife trade. David Biello reports
Protected Areas Get Short Shrift
10 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Protected land and sea areas serve the wildlife within them as well as the humans who live near them. But countries are backtracking on their financia...
Clock Ticking on Climate Change Prevention
02 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's new synthesis report adds urgency to the need to cut additional greenhouse gas polluti...
Better E-Waste Handling Helps Environment and Health
28 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Plastic-removal machines will enable Ghana's e-waste recoverers to get at valuable metal guts without burning off the exteriors. David Biello reports ...
Bottling the Sun's Power on Earth
19 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A breakthrough in fusion could solve the world's energy problems, but remains improbable. David Biello reports
Ebola Gorilla Vaccine Could Prevent Human Outbreaks
13 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Infected gorillas and chimps butchered for meat may be behind Ebola outbreaks. David Biello reports
Wildlife Population Plummeted Since 1970
05 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A World Wildlife Fund report estimates losses of 40 percent of all individual land and sea animals, and a 70 percent population crash of all river ani...
People Power Takes Aim at Climate Change
20 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Participlants in the People's Climate March in New York City September 21st hope to persuade world leaders at the U.N. Climate Summit that follows. Da...
Ozone Hole Closing Up, Thanks to Global Action
15 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The world united to combat the ozone hole, can we do the same for climate change? David Biello reports
Historic Abundance of Blue Whales Returns in California
07 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The mighty blue whale is back after being nearly hunted to extinction. David Biello reports
How to Save the Woods
24 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The first step in solving the world's forest problem is recognizing the world's forest problem. David Biello reports
Spill Some Oil? Magnetize It for Cleanup
17 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A physicist may have dreamed up a new way to clean up oil spills. David Biello reports
Antique Markets Used to Launder Poached Ivory
11 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Legal ivory markets that are supposed to only deal in stockpiles and antiques inevitably launder poached ivory. Close them all, says WCS vice presiden...
Bahamas Creation Linked to African Dust
03 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Cyanobacteria fed by nutrients carried over the Atlantic in African dust may have initiated the process by which, over millions of years, calcium carb...
Some Coral Should Produce Shells in Acidifying Ocean
27 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Of four common corals and algae tested, three still produced shells in conditions that mimic oceans if atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached 1,000 pp...
Ants Could Help Warming Cry Uncle
21 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
At test sites, the exposure of rock by ants accelerated the absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the rock by as much as 335 times compared with ant-free a...
Urban Growth Defines This Century
14 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
How existing cities expand and new cities emerge will determine how humanity fares in the 21st century. David Biello reports
Environmental Crime Funds Terrorism
29 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Environmental destruction—from smuggling elephant tusks to illegal dumping of toxic waste—generates as much as $213 billion annually for criminals...
Future Smog Looks More Persistent
23 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Computer models show that increased levels of greenhouse gases, along with their trapped heat, will make the atmosphere more stagnant, leading to many...
Poisoned Poor Killed in Millions by Pollution
15 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution calls for a war against pollution to save the lives of more than eight million people annually. David Biel...
I Just Want to Say One Word to You: Plastiglomerate
08 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks to us humans, there's a new type of rock in the geologic record. And it's part plastic. David Biello reports
Better Car Labeling Could Pump Up Fuel Efficiency
01 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
When gas mileage cost was explicitly revealed on new car window stickers, potential consumers were more likely to choose the most efficient vehicle. D...
Pope Francis Pleas for the Environment
25 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
In a May 21 speech Pope Francis warned that despoiling the environment would come back to haunt humanity. David Biello reports
Poetry Poster Sucks Up Smog
19 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A building-sized poem shows how billboards could help cut pollution from cars. David Biello reports
Hurricanes Move Away from Equator with Expanding Tropics
14 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 1970s the locations where tropical cyclones (hurricanes and typhoons) reach their maximum intensities have shifted toward both poles at a ra...
Bumper Corn Looks Dicey in Drought
05 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Corn plants bred to be planted very close together thrive in good weather but appear to be particularly vulnerable to the droughts predicted in the co...
Biodiversity Survives Extinctions for Now
20 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A meta-analysis of ecosystems finds that species losses in any given place do not yet translate to large changes in the number of different species in...
Earthquake Deflection Takes a Tiny Step
06 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Building on light-cloaking work, physicists took a small step toward the goal of shielding cities from earthquakes by deflecting incoming energy. Davi...
Citizen Environmental Monitoring Could Keep Officials Honest
01 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Smartphones, cheap satellite imaging and crowdfunded enterprises have made citizen oversight possible that was undreamed of by past transparency advoc...
Space-Based Solar Collectors Could Have a Sunny Future
24 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory has a working prototype for a space-based solar energy collector and distributor that would beat the cloudy-day pro...
Realistic Climate Models Exhibit Greenhouse Gas Sensitivity
16 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A consideration of the role of sootlike particulates and ozone implies that the climate should will not be insensitive to increasing levels of greenho...
Lighting May Cut Seed-Rich Bat Guano Production
13 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bats ate less fruit in lit areas than in dark ones, which may lessen their seed-dispersal activities needed to bring back slashed rainforests. Cynthia...
Air-Gun Oil Exploration Wrongs Right Whales
02 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. government has given industry permission to use of lethally loud seismic devices up and down the east coast. David Biello reports
Climate Currently Pays for Increased Human Wealth
23 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A new study attempts to quantify CO2 emissions if economic growth continues. David Biello reports
Cities Befriend Select Plants and Animals
18 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As more people move to cities, careful planning could mean a happy home for both humans and a substantial amount of wildlife. David Biello reports
Global Warming Freezes Penguin Chicks
09 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
More rain related to a warming climate soaks Magellanic penguin chicks to the skin before their waterproof feathers grow in, killing them from hypothe...
China Holiday Travel Puts Spotlight on Transportation
02 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Lunar New Year means tens of millions of travelers in China, mostly by bus but increasingly by car, which is bad news for air quality. David Biello re...
If the Fuel Source Ain't Clean, Your Electric Car Ain't Green
26 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A host of factors determine the role of electric and hybrid cars in reducing greenhouse gas pollution, such as whether coal is their ultimate fuel sou...
Heat Is on These Countries for the Heat
21 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A new analysis calculates each of the world's countries total amount of CO2 pollution, along with responsibility for the ensuing global warming
Cold Outside? Forecast Calls for an Uptick in Global Warming Disbelief
12 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The temperature outside governs most people's response to climate change. David Biello reports
The Biggest Stories on Earth
29 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
David Biello looks back at the big environmental stories of the year covered on 60-Second Earth
Don't Treat Old Gadgets Like Garbage
22 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
E-waste is a large--and growing--problem that can be addressed by thoughtful disposal, David Biello reports
How Many Partridges Are Really in that Pear Tree?
15 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The annual Christmas Bird Count is revealing big changes in the avian world, thanks to us ground-dwellers. David Biello reports
Blame Heat Waves on Loss of Arctic Sea Ice
08 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
New research suggests a link between the precipitous meltdown of Arctic summer sea ice and broiling heat waves. David Biello reports
Dandruff Shampoo Could Mess Up Waterways
01 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Toxicity testing on shampoo that fights flakes reveals that it's bad for plants and animals once it's in wastewater. David Biello reports
Human Health Depends on a Healthy Environment
25 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A new study examines the links between environmental degradation and human illness. David Biello reports
Burying Coal Ash for Good
17 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Five years later, what lessons have been learned from the Christmas coal ash spill? David Biello investigates
Ozone Hole History Offers Climate Lesson
10 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The Montreal Protocol aimed to fix the ozone hole but it also delayed global warming. David Biello reports
Fertilizers Are (Nearly) Forever
27 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
While most fertilizer nitrogen ends up in plants, plenty sits in the soil for decades. David Biello reports
U.S. Government Shutdown Disrupts Earth Monitoring
20 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
From climate records to penguin counts, the shutdown of the U.S. government will have lasting science effects. David Biello reports
Climate Change Fight Needs Game Attitude
13 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Game theory suggests that punishment for pollution has to come at the local level. David Biello reports
Airplane Pollution Needs To Descend
06 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Airplanes may only contribute roughly 2 percent of the greenhouse gases warming the atmosphere. But they are one of the fastest growing sources. David...
Can Solar Power Be Cheap?
29 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
New technologies will be needed for photovoltaics to become cheap. David Biello reports
Fighting Climate Change Also Battles Disease
22 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Cutting down on greenhouse gas pollution could deliver health benefits. David Biello reports
Which Places Are Most Vulnerable to Climate Change?
15 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Changes in the weather mean changes in ecosystems and a new report maps vulnerability. David Biello investigates
Trees Write Air Pollution Record In Wood
08 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The red cedar trees of West Virginia reveal just how effective U.S. clean air laws have been. David Biello reports
Which Came First: Low CO2 or an Ice Age?
01 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Look to the shells of marine algae to find the answer to historical global cooling. David Biello reports
Cellist Converts Climate Data To Song
25 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
University of Minnesota undergraduate Daniel Crawford studies geography and environmental science. He's also a cellist. He converted more than a centu...
How Many Ants Become World Travelers?
18 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Just how many ant species are humans moving from place to place? David Biello reports
Big Animal Extinction Impoverishes Soil
11 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Megafauna extinctions prove a key factor in reduced soil fertility. David Biello reports
Desert Shrubs Could Suck Up Carbon
04 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Planting the shrub jatropha in arid regions worldwide could sequester enough carbon to offset the annual CO2 pollution of China, the E.U. and the U.S....
How to Prevent Another Fukushima Explosion
28 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A new material for protecting nuclear fuel could cut down on the risk of explosions. David Biello reports
When a Heat Wave Is the Future, You Need Better Air-Conditioning
21 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Demand for A-C is only going to grow, so we'll need better technologies. David Biello reports
Where's the Best Place to Put a Wind Farm?
14 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
It's not just where it's windiest, according to new research. David Biello reports
Climate Change Alters Soil Bacteria Distribution
07 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A warmer planet means that heat-seeking microbes will elbow out those that prefer life a bit more chilly, with unknown effects on the planet's ecology...
Is There a Formula for Better Cities?
30 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Mathematical rules could allow for better city planning, David Biello reports
To Store More Carbon, Make Grasshoppers Nervous
23 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Living in a landscape of fear means more of the greenhouse gas driving climate change gets stored in plants. David Biello reports
Climate Change Getting Worse by the Minute
16 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The world is not on track to reduce, or even restrain global warming. David Biello reports
Plastic Bags Litter Seafloor
09 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A new survey reveals that trash from our activities on land litters the bottom of the ocean, from shallow to deep. David Biello reports
400-Year-Old Plant Resurrected
02 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Moss can wait out being entombed in glacial ice for centuries. David Biello reports
Water Waste May Leave Us Thirsty
26 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Humans are using and abusing freshwater resources at an accelerating rate. David Biello reports
Who's Paying the Price for Global Warming?
19 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
U.S. taxpayers have so far borne the brunt of climate change costs. David Biello reports
Moon Base Work Yields Clean Steel Process
13 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A new method to make steel using electricity rather than flame could produce virtually no carbon emissions. David Biello reports
Remember the BP Oil Spill? Malformed Fish Do
05 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A new study shows that sediments fouled with oil from the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico caused problems for fish embryos. David Biello reports
Air Gun Blasts Shatter Undersea Tranquility
28 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Proposals to open the U.S. east coast for oil and gas exploration mean an increasingly noisy neighborhood for marine life. David Biello reports
Is Sustainability Even Possible?
21 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
More than 40 years after Earth Day, human civilization is still far from the ideal of sustainability. David Biello reports
Cut Soot to Stave Off Sea Level Rise
14 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Reducing certain kinds of air pollution could limit the rise of ocean waters and buy time to address CO2 emissions. David Biello reports
Penguin Species Could Be Climate Winner
08 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Although climate change will cause massive disruption, it could benefit some species, such as the Adelie penguin. David Biello reports
Extinction May Not Be Forever
31 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The tools of synthetic biology offer hope for the resurrection of extinct species. David Biello reports
Can a Pope Change the World?
24 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
New Pope Francis I called for protecting the environment, but it remains to be seen how that might happen. David Biello reports
Life Abides, Even in the Deep
17 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
An analysis of the deepest spot in the oceans finds signs of microbial life. David Biello reports
Chavez's Death Could Affect Oil Prices, Production and Pollution
10 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Hugo Chavez's death may have an impact on the global oil market--and thus on the global climate as well. David Biello reports
Will There Be Enough Water?
03 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Water demands continue to inch up year after year even as climate change queers supply. Can civilization cope? David Biello reports
How Skynet Could Help Save the Planet
24 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Machine-to-machine communication offers an opportunity to make the modern world more energy efficient. David Biello reports
Insurance for Global Catastrophes, Whether Asteroids or Climate Change
20 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Spend a little more time observing meteors or combating climate change, spend a little less time worrying about global catastrophes. David Biello repo...
Roses Raise Environment Concerns
10 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
From water use to carbon emissions, raising and distributing roses has an environmental impact worse than many other crops. David Biello reports
Earthworm Invaders Up Soil Greenhouse Gases
03 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The earthworm invasion of North America is increasing carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions from the soil. David Biello reports
Communication Towers Pluck Birds
29 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Almost seven million birds are killed each year when they fly into communication towers. David Biello reports