EARTH

NASA explained the mystery behind the decreased solar activity during the Sun's 11-year cycle, linking it to the changing speeds of plasma inside the Sun.

Marauding human impact on fragile eco systems could spawn a deadly scenario of species becoming extinct one after another, leading to the possible extinction of life on Earth, according to scientists.

In wake of the recent attention and international developments on rare earth minerals, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed its first review of China's rare-earth industry.

China has worked on tougher regulations for rare earth minerals by setting stricter emission limits on miners, which 60% of the local industry would struggle to meet.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has warned students to avoid visiting Mexico for the Spring Break in the wake of fresh killings and drug-related violence in the country.

Scientists say Earth could be on the brink of its sixth mass extinction.

NASA said it has rescheduled a media teleconference to Wednesday 2 p.m. EST to discuss the first computer model that explains the recent period of decreased solar activity during the Sun's 11-year cycle.

With warships and missiles, Russia is flexing its muscles in the Far East in a bid to defend its position as an Asian power against China's growing might.

Greg Laughlin, an astrophysicist from the University of California at Santa Cruz has evolved a formula to come up with a monetary valuation for planets in the Universe, according to which planet Earth is the most expensive at 3000 trillion pounds, or almost $5000 trillion!

The value of China's exports of rare earth ore, metals and compounds in January jumped nearly fivefold, or 376 per cent, from a year earlier to $148.3 million.

Even though only about 30 percent of Americans may be holding a valid passport, the number of U.S. travelers visiting Switzerland is on the rise.

Researchers are studying how boiling is altered in zero-gravity, the results of which could help design space hardware.

Japan aims to cut rare earth consumption by a third within a few years and reduce its reliance on China, by providing subsidies for recycling and investing in new ways to limit their use.

Loggerhead turtles navigate their way in the ocean by picking up magnetic cues from the Earth's surface, according to a new research published in Current Biology.

The Japanese government and private companies will spend $1.34 billion to curb Japan's dependence on rare-earth imports from China by a third, the Nikkei news report said Friday.

Accel Partners is planning to raise $2 billion in new funds and invest more broadly into energy opportunities in China, VentureBeat has learned, even as Peter Wagner, the man who led its cleantech efforts, is leaving the company.

African farmland investment has the potential to match the exponential growth of Brazil's agricultural industry, the head of business development at privately owned agricultural operator Quifel said.

Spain's new immigration bill will adjust the inflow of migrant workers to the demands of the job market in the new economic cycle, Secretary of State for Immigration Anna Terron said. The demise of an economic model based on a decade-long construction and property boom which attracted a wave of South American

Five people were killed in anti-government protests over the weekend in Morocco, according to the county’s interior ministry.

A new NASA satellite -- Glory -- will collect data on the properties and distribution of aerosols in Earth's atmosphere and on solar irradiance for the long-term record of Earth's climate. The launch of NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Taurus XL rocket is scheduled for February 23.

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motors is seeking to secure rare earth mineral supply, as the industry faces a possible shortage of minerals.