News

  1. Astronomy

    Hole power

    New computer simulations and observations are adding to the evidence that supermassive black holes control the growth of the galaxies they inhabit, wielding an influence far beyond their gravitational grasp.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Archaeology

    Pottery points to ‘mother culture’

    The Olmec, a society that more than 3,000 years ago inhabited what is now Mexico's Gulf Coast, acted as a mother culture for communities located hundreds of miles away, according to a chemical analysis of pottery remains and local clays from ancient population sites in the area.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Earth

    Baking dirt to predict erosion after a fire

    Lab tests suggest that a wide variety of soils exposed to the heat of intense wildfires end up with a similar resistance to erosion, a finding that may help scientists model that process more accurately.