Across thousands of years, entire societies have risen, flourished, and then disappeared – not only because of war or politics, but because the planet itself turned against them. From megadroughts that emptied once-mighty rivers to volcanic winters that darkened the sky, Earth’s forces have repeatedly reshaped the human story. Today, scientists armed with ice ...
When you think about the power of human activity to reshape our planet, the images that probably come to mind are positive ones: cities rising from empty fields, forests being replanted, or wetlands being restored. However, there’s a darker side to this story that has left permanent scars on our Earth’s surface. Environmental disasters triggered ...
Smoke without flame. Streets that buckle in winter like rising bread. In Pennsylvania’s old coal belt, underground fires smolder so quietly that a passerby might miss them – until a whiff of sulfur or a patch of snow that melts in a perfect oval gives the secret away. These coal-seam fires, some older than many ...
