News Highlights from State of the Planet
Interactive: The Heezen–Tharp World Ocean Floor Map
Explore Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking 1977 World Ocean Floor map and discover how it transformed our understanding of the Earth.
From Marie Tharp to Seabed 2030: Marine Geophysicist Vicki Ferrini on Mapping the Ocean Floor
In honor of Tharp’s birthday, Ferrini discusses the geologist’s pioneering work and how it paved the way for her own collaborative efforts to map the ocean floor.
Pacific Ocean Pattern Helps Explain Diverging Wildfire Trends in U.S. and Australia
Two of the world’s most fire-prone regions have followed strikingly different wildfire trajectories despite both experiencing a warming climate.
In the Media
For the Media
Media Contact
Press Resources
Guides and information to help the media connect with our scientists and experts.
Press Releases
Top stories from State of the Planet.
Pacific Ocean Pattern Helps Explain Diverging Wildfire Trends in U.S. and Australia
Two of the world’s most fire-prone regions have followed strikingly different wildfire trajectories despite both experiencing a warming climate.
New Environmental Performance Index Highlights Sustainability Gains and the Challenges Ahead
The 2026 EPI, produced by Yale and Columbia Climate School, finds that Europe leads in environmental performance but few countries are on track for net-zero by 2050.
Study Reveals How Gas Bubbles Shaped Kīlauea’s 2018 Lava Flow
New research shows that gas bubbles played a central role in controlling how fast and far the lava traveled, and that lava flow models need to account for bubbles to more accurately forecast where lava will stop.
Communicating Science
There are many resources to help scientists and scholars better connect with the press, public, policymakers, and each other. Here are some handy links, including handbooks, toolkits, insights on the relationships between science and the media, and fellowships for scientists who want to hone their communication skills.
More Resources
Guides & Toolkits
- SciComm Toolkits, American Geophysical Union
- A Scientist’s Guide to Working with the Media, American Geophysical Union
- Communication Toolkit, American Association for Advancement of Science
- Social Media Workshop for Scientists: Extending Your Digital Footprint with Sree Sreenivasan, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science (Slides)
- A Research Communications Toolbox, Boise State University
- Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks, The OpEd Project
- Science Editing Handbook, Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT
- Media Training A to Z, TJ Walker
Videos
- Scientists Ordering Breakfast, NPR
- Life After Death by Powerpoint, Don McMillan
- Undergrads Unwittingly Subjected to World’s Worst Research Talk, NanoNerds
- Randy Olson, TEDMED Storytelling
- Gavin Schmidt: The Emergent Patterns of Climate Change, TED
Books
- A Scientist's Guide to Talking with the Media, Union of Concerned Scientists
- If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, Alan Alda
- Don't Be Such a Scientist, Randy Olson
- Am I Making Myself Clear?: A Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public, Cornelia Dean
- Explaining Research: How to Reach Key Audiences to Advance Your Work, Dennis Meredith
Articles
- Inside EurekAlert, the News Hub That Shapes the Science You Read, Wired
- Attention, All Scientists: Do Improv, With Alan Alda’s Help, New York Times
- Science Communication Requires Time, Trust, and Twitter, Science
- The Science and Art of Science Writing, New York Times
- Stop Complaining about Your PR Firm. Here’s How the Media Works
- Public Science 2.0—Back to the Future, Science
- Capably Communicating Science, Science
- Outreach: Field Hospitality, Nature
- Why Scientists and Journalists Don't Always Play Well Together, Forbes
- This Is a News Website Article About a Scientific Paper, The Guardian
- Climate Experts Tussle Over Details. Public Gets Whiplash, The New York Times
Fellowships
- Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program, American Geophysical Union
- AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship, American Association for Advancement of Science
- Energy Journalism Fellows, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University