The Byron Scar, left behind by an undersea landslide. Colours indicate depths.
The ocean floor off Australia's east coast bears the scars of numerous subsea landslides, which have potentially triggered tsunamis over the past several millennia.
Does living at a higher altitude affect your mental health?
Several studies suggest that suicide rates in the US vary along geographic patterns.
Interior Design / Shutterstock
Areas of the brain are being mapped, much like the towns, cities and countries represented in a typical atlas.
What sounds did the people of Chaco Canyon hear during daily life?
David E. Witt
We tend to think of archaeological sites as dead silent – empty ruins left by past cultures. But this isn't how the people who lived in and used these sites would have experienced them.
People currently speak 7,000 languages around the globe.
There's little research into origins of the geographic patterns of language diversity. A new model exploring processes that shaped Australia's language diversity provides a template for investigators.
A scale model of one of the two LAGEOS satellites.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
We know much about the true shape of our planet is thanks to two satellites that act as targets for lasers fired from Earth.
Ten states need to move the markers.
Quirky tourists, heads up! The old way to calculate geographical centers of U.S. states is out of date. To set course for a state's true center, read up on the azimuthal equidistant projection.
Turkanas have contributed significantly to the conflict in Kenya’s Laikipia County.
For over 20 years, Kenya’s Laikipia region and its neighbours have witnessed violence between January and April over location and geography.
Worldmapper.org / Sasi Group (University of Sheffield) and Mark Newman (University of Michigan).
Nothing is where you think it is.
Illustration titled, “If you want to get rid of mosquitos, drain the swamp that breeds them.” (1909)
Library of Congress
An urban planning expert goes knee-deep into the murky history behind this popular phrase often used to describe the nation's capital.
At one time, Bibles and Sears catalogs were printed here. Now, this building is known as the Lakeside Technology Center, one of the largest data centers in the world.
Data centers are taking over the factories where workers once processed checks, baked bread and printed Bibles. What will the rise of the information-based economy mean for American cities?
Malvoisie vineyards in Lanzarote.
From wine to cheese, geographical origin has long been used as a mark of quality in selling a wide array of agricultural products. How do we protect it?
Nelson Mandela came to power in 1994 with a promise to redress historical in equalities in South Africa.
South Africa has made remarkable progress in redressing its historically and mainly race based deprivations but a lot still needs to be done.
Cataclysmic natural disasters frame indelible human stories.
Francis Danby, The Deluge
New research suggests a mythical flood in China really happened about 4,000 years ago. It's the latest case of scientists matching ancient tales to actual local natural disasters.
Education provides a way out of rural areas – but the transition to city life can be very hard.
Students who move from rural areas to cities to pursue university degrees grapple with what it means to “leave behind” their home languages.
The biggest state has a brand new map.
Geologic Map of Alaska
On printed maps, piling on the detail risks obscuring the meaning. This new digital map is really more of a database from which users can create different versions that match their own interests.
3D visualisation of the mega-canyon.
Jonathan Bamber, University of Bristol
A previously unknown canyon has been discovered in Greenland, hidden beneath the ice. It is at least 750 kilometres long…
From geysers to tectonic plate movements, corn syrup has the answers.
A decade ago, with Ross Griffiths of the Australian National University, we aimed to build a 4D model which could replicate the Earth’s tectonic processes. Now, our research has helped us understand how…
The emperor tamarin is one of several species of New World monkey … but how did they get there?
How did you get to work today? I walked to the station, caught a train, then walked to a bus stop and hopped on the 891 express. All this time, while I was travelling, I moved in space – in fact a lot…