As the Syrian Civil War enters its sixth year, seismic hazard might not immediately come to mind, but there is a reason it should. According to research presented at the AGU Fall Meeting, new estimates of the number of earthquake fatalities that could be expected in Turkey under several potential earthquake scenarios are 3 to 20 percent higher when Syrian refugees are counted in seismic risk models. In the April issue of EARTH Magazine, read how researchers at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville made this discovery, which will provide vital data for disaster mitigation and response efforts.

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has signed a new consensus document, Geoscience Policy Recommendations for the New Administration and the 115th Congress. The document outlines strategies for achieving shared national interests in which geoscience plays a key role, offering recommendations around five high-level thematic areas.

The American Geosciences Institute congratulates Master's student Clarice Perryman and Ph.D. student Zena Cardman as the 2017 recipients of the Harriet Evelyn Wallace Scholarship. The scholarship, which is awarded to women pursuing graduate degrees in geoscience, disburses a $5,000 award for one academic year. Wallace Scholars who are continuing their graduate studies are eligible to apply for the award a second time.

The American Geosciences Institute announces its flagship publication, EARTH Magazine, is now available direct from Amazon.com on the Kindle. Now, the latest EARTH issue can be delivered to your Kindle each month automatically, providing yet another way to access EARTH’s timely news and niche content. Visit http://a.co/5yVCeAW to sign up for a free trial from Amazon.

Some of the world's richest fossil locales are in Mongolia: For instance, you can find dinosaur fossils every few steps in the country's Flaming Cliffs. But many Mongolians have no idea their country has such a treasure trove of dinosaurs because the specimens are often removed and displayed in other countries. However, one Mongolian paleontologist is working to change this paradigm by introducing children to dinosaur science and rebuilding Mongolia's fossil collection. Read the full story in EARTH Magazine.

A series of "atmospheric river" storms have brought thirst-quenching rain to much of California, but much of that water is contributing to high - and in some cases dangerous, as seen with the Oroville Dam - levels of runoff. In the April comment for EARTH Magazine, Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California Water Policy Center, provides timely insight into what he calls "a blessing and a challenge for California water managers." Read more in EARTH Magazine's April comment, live today at EARTH online.

Alexandria, VA - The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) Workforce Program announces the release of its annual Status of Recent Geoscience Graduates report. The report details the results of the 2016 Geoscience Student Exit Survey, documenting trends trends in geoscience coursework, enrollment, student experiences, as well as a recent shift in hiring patterns for new graduates.

It makes for a dramatic narrative: Roughly 252 million years ago, a mass extinction event killed up to 96 percent of marine life, earning an infamous name in the geologic record, "the Great Dying." However, a new study suggests that this cataclysmic event has been overestimated. In the February issue of EARTH Magazine, read how a University of Hawaii paleontologist is improving our understanding of mass extinction events by exploring the effects of natural variability on background extinction levels, revealing a clearer signal in the noise.

The latest research suggests humans first arrived in the Americas as early as 16,000 years ago, but using which path - along the Pacific coast, through an inland ice-free corridor, or from the East along the Atlantic coast - remains controversial. Archaeologists and geologists are working to try to answer the question of how and when the first Americans arrived. In the January issue of EARTH Magazine, their work is showcased, reexamining the origins of our shared geoheritage in light of new evidence.