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Avery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She’s the author of "Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It," Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AI–interests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy. Find her on socials @AveryHurt

Avery Hurt

Climate-change deniers often exploit confusion about these terms to muddy the waters about the science of global warming. Here’s what you need to know.

Climate vs. Weather: What’s the Difference? 

Looking out into the Main Ethiopian Rift, taken at Boset Volcano in Ethiopia. (Image Credit: Prof Thomas Gernon, University of Southampton)

Main Ethiopian Rift in Afar, Ethiopia in Africa

Learn more about the pounding plume of molten rock that’s beneath Ethiopia, forcing its three tectonic plates to separate.

Deep Pulses Beneath Africa Are Breaking the Continent Apart, Creating a New Ocean

(Image Credit: Wonderful Nature/Shutterstock) 

white sand under water

Learn more about a sequence of increases in the carbon dioxide in our ancient atmosphere, which can tell us about our oceans’ future.

Ancient Carbon Dioxide Burps Once Devastated Our Oceans, and Could Do So Again

Volcano eruption not associated with the study. (Image Credit: LensFocusArt/Shutterstock)

Stealthy volcano eruption

Slow magma flows, small chambers, and hot rock all contribute to surprise volcano eruptions that occur without any prior warning.

Stealthy Volcanoes Are Quiet Until They Erupt Without Warning Signs – Here's Why

Summer solstice 2025. (Image Credit: Chuta Kooanantkul/Shutterstock)

Summer solstice at Stonehenge

When is the summer solstice? On June 20, 2025, the sun will reach its most northerly point in the sky, marking the start of summer. 

The Peak of the 2025 Summer Solstice Is Coming, Along With Celebrations – Here’s What to Know

Chaitén Volcano in southern Chile erupted on May 2, 2008 for the first time in 9,000 years. NASA satellites that monitor changes in vegetation near volcanoes could aid in earlier eruption warnings. (Image Courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

NASA satellites that monitor changes in vegetation near volcanoes

Learn how the changing color of tree leaves is being used as an early warning sign for volcanic activity.

Trees Can Warn Us of Volcanic Eruptions From Space

(Image Credit: Olga Bogatyrenko/Shutterstock)

Climate vs. Weather: What’s the Difference?

Climate-change deniers often exploit confusion about these terms to muddy the waters about the science of global warming. Here’s what you need to know.

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