New AI data centers are proliferating worldwide, bringing a surge in air pollution. As technological ambitions rise, so do questions about the true environmental cost of this powerful industry.

As we near the United States’ 250th anniversary, scientists warn of a subtle numerical shift—what some call a “decimal deception”—that puts coral reefs in grave danger. In the same year that attention turned to newly discovered methane factors, these small changes in ocean conditions show how every fraction can mean life or death underwater.