Paul Heltzel

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Volcanoes offer a number of roadblocks to exploration: Face-melting heat, daunting terrain and deep crevices.

NASA Develops Volcano-Exploring Robots

Earth & Conservation

A new report from Duke University found 6,648 spills at hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells were reported across Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Pennsylvania over 10 years.

Fracking Spills Are Far More Widespread Than We Thought

Energy

You might be surprised to find out that very small amounts of uranium are found in seawater.

Seawater Could Provide an 'Endless' Source of Uranium for Nuclear Plants

Space & Innovation

About a quarter of all Arctic land ice outside of Greenland is found in the glaciers and ice caps of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in Canada.

Canada's Glaciers Are Melting 900 Percent Faster Since 2005

A piece of an ancient continent, running the length from India to Madagascar, has been discovered under the tiny island of Mauritius off of the east coast of Africa.

A 'Lost Continent' Has Been Found Under the Island of Mauritius

The novelist Tom Robbins has said that if he were ever offered a last meal, he would ask that it be a sun-warmed tomato sliced and placed on two pieces of white bread, slathered in Best Foods or Hellman's mayo.

We've Bred the Taste Out of Tomatoes. Here's How to Bring It Back.

Climate

A new report suggests that the goal of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (or less) above pre-industrial temperatures is well within reach - but only if half of the world's energy supply is sourced from renewables by 2060.

A Massive Renewable Energy Push Is Needed to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change

Gadgets

Rising incomes and high demand for electronics created an almost two-thirds jump in e-waste in East and Southeast Asia over five years, reports a new study.

Electronic Junk Is Piling Up in Asia at an Alarming Rate

California has suffered a statewide drought since 2011, what some have called the worst drought in more than a thousand years, but powerful winter storms since the beginning of the year could mean it's finally over.

2017 Could Be the Year California’s Drought Comes to an End

Like a book and a cover, you can't always judge a tree by how it looks.

Sound Waves Give Tropical Trees a Checkup

History

A Bosnian pine growing in the highlands of Northern Greece is the continent's oldest living tree at 1,075 years, say a group of international scientists.

Latest Posts From Paul

NASA Develops Volcano-Exploring Robots

The small bots will help researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory map fissures and learn more about how eruptions occur.

Fracking Spills Are Far More Widespread Than We Thought

A 10-year study shows far more spills than had previously been reported, about half occurring when moving and storing fluids in pipelines.

Seawater Could Provide an 'Endless' Source of Uranium for Nuclear Plants

Stanford researchers have developed a new method of extracting trace amounts of uranium from seawater instead of mining.

Canada's Glaciers Are Melting 900 Percent Faster Since 2005

Canadian glaciers account for a huge portion of Arctic ice. As the planet warms, meltwater is eating away at them at an astonishing rate.

A 'Lost Continent' Has Been Found Under the Island of Mauritius

Grains of a three-billion-year-old mineral found in rock point to a hidden continent left over by the break-up of the supercontinent, Gondwana, about 200 million years ago.

We've Bred the Taste Out of Tomatoes. Here's How to Bring It Back.

A Florida scientist is on a mission to restore flavor to grocery store tomatoes.

A Massive Renewable Energy Push Is Needed to Avoid Catastrophic Climate Change

Keeping the planet from warming beyond 2 degrees Celsius will require a global effort to rely on renewable energy.

Electronic Junk Is Piling Up in Asia at an Alarming Rate

The amount of e-waste in Asia has jumped by nearly two-thirds in five years, raising hazards for the environment and for the people dismantling discarded gadgets.

2017 Could Be the Year California’s Drought Comes to an End

Monster winter storms have lead to mudslides and flooding — but could also mean the end of a statewide drought that's heading into its sixth year.

Sound Waves Give Tropical Trees a Checkup

Measuring how fast sound travels through a tree trunk can reveal whether it's rotting from the inside.

Europe's Oldest Living Tree Discovered

In northern Greece, a Bosnian pine has been dated at more than 1,000 years.

Lava Meets the Ocean Near Hawaii Volcano

Lava meet ocean: Ocean, this is lava.