In the mid-2010s, researchers discovered something odd underneath Greenland - there was a giant hole under a glacier, and they had no idea what had caused it. More confusing still, other researchers were searching for the cause of a...

If we want to avoid a climate disaster, we need much more radical leadership, says Jim Snabe, who knows a thing or two about leadership as chairman of the world's largest maritime shipping company. In a stirring talk, he encourages...

When it comes to piecing together what happened to civilizations that no longer exist, it can be challenging to solve the mystery. But research into Angkor, the Akkadian Empire, and even the Norse of Greenland, is helping us see that...

If you picture a rocket launch, do you imagine it taking off from a hot air balloon? In this episode, we'll learn how using balloons to launch sounding rockets advanced our understanding of planet Earth, radiation, and how to keep...

New evidence suggests some fossils as the oldest known sign of life on Earth, and scientists may have a way to speed up the process of carbon neutralization in the ocean!

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Hank answers some frequently asked questions about it, and how it got to be so crazy. What is up with this storm? Has this ever happened before? This is global warming right?

For the first time, we are forced to consider the real risk of destabilizing the entire planet, says climate impact scholar Johan Rockström. In a talk backed by vivid animations of the climate crisis, he shows how nine out of the 15 big...

A world only 2°C warmer, or 3.6°F, would be one that is much different than the world we live in today, but what does that actually look like?

Hank counts down some of the science superlatives from 2013: the first, biggest, strongest and longest things that were discovered, built or otherwise described. Find out his year's superlatives. They're the best!

Zaria Forman's large-scale compositions of melting glaciers, icebergs floating in glassy water and waves cresting with foam explore moments of transition, turbulence and tranquility. Join her as she discusses the meditative process of...

Megatsunamis are not only much larger than your average tsunami, they also form under different conditions. Good news: they're extremely rare. Bad news: they might not be for long.

Hidden beneath Greenland’s ice and powered by a nuclear reactor, Camp Century made for an interesting US military base. But life under the ice came with unique struggles; and although it wasn’t mainly constructed for science, the base...

The Greenland ice sheet is massive, mysterious -- and melting. Using advanced technology, scientists are revealing its secrets for the first time, and what they've found is amazing: hidden under the ice sheet is a vast aquifer that holds...

The Labrador Sea is also known as the ocean's lung, and there's evidence that it's in a lot of trouble.

Hank brings you news from around the universe, including what you can't blame on global warming, why being unfaithful is hazardous to your health, and how to watch a particularly awesome spectacle coming to a sky near you.

Today we’re going to talk about glaciers. These behemoth globs of compressed ice and snow moving across the land created fertile soils and physical features while also serving as frozen time capsules. They recorded both Earth’s climatic...

Photographer Camille Seaman shoots icebergs, showing the world the complex beauty of these massive, ancient chunks of ice. Dive in to her photo slideshow, "The Last Iceberg."

Why do societies fail? With lessons from the Norse of Iron Age Greenland, deforested Easter Island and present-day Montana, Jared Diamond talks about the signs that collapse is near, and how -- if we see it in time -- we can prevent it.

Rubber ducks aren’t just good for some bath time fun, they’ve also helped scientists learn about the world!

At TED2009, Al Gore presents updated slides from around the globe to make the case that worrying climate trends are even worse than scientists predicted, and to make clear his stance on "clean coal."

Hank introduces us to Alfred Wegener, a voraciously curious guy who proposed the original theory of continental drift - and was laughed at for it.

Greenlanders remained anxious despite Trump ruling out taking the territory by force.Source: The Independent / Getty / PA

Taking Anything From This Spot Is Prohibited

Warming ocean water is weakening a major current system called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which helps regulate global weather. Melting ice in Greenland and freshwater from rivers are making the ocean less...