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With the advent of Web 2.0, not only journalists report science to the public. Researchers should be aware of the implications for the public dissemination of their findings.
Mantle dynamics drive the formation of ocean islands and seamounts in the interior of oceanic plates. Yet the mechanisms for generating these volcanic edifices differ from chain to chain, and their material can be generated at a variety of depths.
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.