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The world is undergoing a phenomenally fast wave of urban growth. Research that can help tackle some of the ensuing problems is likely to originate in cities themselves.
Global demand for raw materials is at an all time high, and rising. As mining companies scale up their operations in response, society needs to develop strategies to keep damage to a minimum.
Accessible storage of scientific data is usually mandated, but not often achieved. The task needs people who are interested in information technology and regard it as their primary focus.
A substantial amount of the Earth's surface water moves between ice sheets and oceans as the climate oscillates on geological timescales. Ocean warming, as well as atmospheric temperature rise, affects the current redistribution in response to climate change.
Earth's climate is changing rapidly. A closer look at the planet's distant past can help determine its sensitivity to changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.
A cultural divide separates science from the media. To bridge the gulf, Nature Geoscience presents a science writer's perspective on the Earth sciences in a new monthly column.
Seismic risk is poorly known in many places on Earth. To save lives it is necessary — but by no means sufficient — to map the faults that pose a threat more accurately.
The deaths of birds have become a rallying point against the proliferation of wind farms. Yet the loss of human life in mines is rarely linked with coal as an energy source.
The launch of Nature Climate Change provides a new outlet for climate researchers' work, while Nature Geoscience and Nature will continue to publish climate studies.
Forty years ago, the Apollo missions brought unprecedented knowledge of the Moon. After a lengthy period of hibernation, the material recovered in the late 1960s and early 1970s is back in the limelight.
The sea floor is emerging as a source of carbon to the overlying ocean. Scientific exploration of the sea bed is essential for a full understanding of the global carbon budget and the safety of deep-sea carbon storage proposals.
Mitigation of climate change is increasingly being portrayed as technologically feasible, if only political support was adequate. But there are good reasons to be unsure.
Geophysical analyses of the 2010 Haiti earthquake suggest that there is still potential for seismic activity in the region. Building a more resilient country is the only option.
The deep ocean is largely uncharted territory. The aftermath of the BP oil spill has been a poignant reminder that its relative inaccessibility hinders exploration, but does not extend much protection from human interference.
