We all know Earth is special, but we may not fully appreciate how good we have it on this planet. Unlike its planetary neighbors, Earth has remained habitable for billions of years thanks to a ...

Scents from plants, animals, and microbes merge into one chemical landscape, and pollution can scramble the messages ...

Earth didn't always harbor life. But around 4 billion years ago, something in the environment changed, and systems with biological properties began to emerge. Many scientists believe a lively dance of ...

The sun as a source of energy, and catalysts to accelerate chemical reactions, were of critical importance in the emergence of the first biochemical molecules on Earth. A research team has now shown ...

Water has made the Earth the planet that it is—a planet known for its blue oceans. Water shapes the land through erosion and is fundamental to Earth’s ability to support life. But we have a hard time ...

Long before oceans teemed with life, Earth endured relentless violence. Asteroids slammed into its surface again and again, ...

Scientists have discovered that an ultra-reactive chemical in Earth's atmosphere lasts much longer than we previously believed. In fact, they believe that millions of tons of the chemical could linger ...

Earth’s surface environment hosts large reservoirs of hydrogen (H, mainly in the form of water, H2O), nitrogen (in atmospheric N2) and carbon (mainly in carbonate rocks). H, N and C are sometimes ...

Down near the Earth's core, there are zones where seismic waves slow to a crawl. New research finds that these enigmatic and descriptively-named ultra-low velocity zones are surprisingly layered.

A chemical process used in the browning of food to give it its distinct smell and taste is probably happening deep in the oceans, where it helped create the conditions necessary for life. Known as the ...