Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute’s (AGI) Center for Geoscience and Society is pleased to release two reports concerning geosciences education in the United States. The reports were developed in response to the need for comprehensive monitoring of the U.S. educational system in terms of the instruction of geoscience content and participation in geoscience-related learning experiences. The reports are based on data pertaining to science education collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. - It now appears that, of the many moons of Jupiter and Saturn, two of them may have oceans beneath their icy exteriors. Scientists studying Jupiter’s moon Ganymede - the largest moon in the solar system and the only one with its own magnetic field, which frequently sparks aurorae - used the Hubble space telescope to detect ultraviolet light emitted by the aurorae, which were less active than expected, given the moon’s magnetic field. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - The United States’ Icebreaker Fleet, operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, consists of just two ships that are used for everything from search and rescue to national security operations to scientific research. In the August cover story, EARTH Magazine examines the various roles icebreakers play, especially in Arctic research, and how insufficient funding is affecting the icebreakers’ roles. Icebreakers are becoming more important every year, as more commerce is conducted in Arctic regions as seasonal ice cover decreases. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - EARTH Magazine takes you to Le Mans, France, to cover how the World Endurance Competition (WEC) race series is transforming automotive efficiency in both high-performance racing and the commercial automotive industries. EARTH’s latest feature explores the science behind efficiency upgrades used by three major racing competitors: Porsche, Audi and Toyota. Using physics and cutting-edge materials results in a “fascinating case study of how unbridled competition can produce unique, innovative and extraordinary solutions to engineering barriers once thought intractable,” wrote authors Todd Davidson and Michael Webber, both of the University of Texas at Austin. [Read More]

Alexandria, Va. - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is now accepting advance orders for the Earth Science Week 2015 Toolkit. The Toolkit contains educational materials for all ages that correspond to this year’s event theme, “Visualizing Earth Systems”. Materials include the traditional program poster and school-year activity calendar, as well as a DVD, posters, activities, and other resources from distinguished program partners. This year’s Toolkit provides students with the opportunity to learn about the many exciting ways that scientists visually represent information about Earth systems. [Read More]

With the Internet, science, and a little imagination, scientists are able to bring remote worlds to life. Dinologue.com is a new website that brings the Mesozoic to life through captivating articles and adventurous videos. The website was created through a partnership between Parallax Film Productions and popular science writer and amateur paleontologist Brian Switek. Get the geoscientist’s perspective of Dinologue in EARTH Magazine: http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/geomedia-web-dinologue The July 2015 Issue of EARTH Magazine brings the geoscience community the science behind the headlines, including: [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Go online today to view a new webcast detailing three new contests that are being conducted as part of Earth Science Week, the annual worldwide celebration of the geosciences! Find the “Contests of Earth Science Week 2015” webcast online now for viewing at your convenience. This free webcast, narrated by AGI Outreach Assistant Katelyn Murtha, provides an overview of guidelines for photography, visual arts, and essay contests. The tutorial includes online links, which viewers can click during the presentation to review detailed guidelines. [Read More]

Alexandria, VA - Analyzing thousands of records, researchers have reinforced the claim that for marine life, bigger has been better for the last 542 million years. The study examined Cope’s rule - the idea, named for paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope, that species evolve to larger sizes over time. With the help of undergraduate students and high-school interns, the researchers compiled information on five major marine phyla, including arthropods, brachiopods, chordates, echinoderms and mollusks. [Read More]

Humans depend on copper for everything from electrical wiring to water pipes. To meet demand, the metal has been largely mined from Porphyry Copper Deposits (PCDs). For decades, scientists generally agreed upon the geological processes behind PCD formation; now EARTH Magazine examines two new studies that suggest alternatives to these long-held understandings. From enriched pulses of magmatic fluids creating copper concentrations, to remelted crust allowing deeper PCDs to rise up to shallower depths, these conclusions may better inform geologists about where large new copper deposits may be located. [Read More]

Geoscience information can be used by federal, state, and local decision makers to assess the positive and negative impacts of onshore oil and gas energy resource development, and to inform policy to both facilitate U.S. energy production and minimize impacts on water and land resources. In this briefing, the speakers will address key questions that geosciences help to inform: How does onshore oil and gas development impact our water and land resources? [Read More]