News
- Planetary Science
Never-before-seen dunes on Pluto spotted in New Horizons images
Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal dunes on Pluto — but the sand-sized grains must have had an unusual boost to get moving.
- Genetics
Guidelines call for limits to whole genome testing for fetuses
Powerful tests offer unprecedented detail about fetal genomes. But whole-genome tests aren’t ready for widespread use yet, doctors caution.
- Paleontology
Oldest known lizard fossil pushes group’s origins back 75 million years
CT scan reveals hidden identity of an unusual lizard fossil found years ago in the Italian Alps.
- Astronomy
Astronomers scrutinized last year’s eclipse. Here’s what they’ve learned
Astronomers observed the 2017 total solar eclipse from the ground and the air, and found some never-before-seen features of the sun’s atmosphere.
- Health & Medicine
Here’s what we know about the deadly Nipah virus
The deadly and rare Nipah virus has killed at least 11 people in southern India, causing concern among epidemiologists.
- Paleontology
How birds may have escaped the dino-killing asteroid impact
A tree-loving lifestyle became a risk for ancient birds in a world-changing catastrophe.
- Paleontology
The Chicxulub asteroid impact might have set off 100,000 years of global warming
About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid impact set off 100,000 years of global warming, an analysis of oxygen in fish fossils suggests.
- Astronomy
Plasma rain in the sun’s atmosphere falls in surprising places
Scientists found rain in the sun’s corona where they didn’t expect it, which could help solve the mystery of why the corona is so hot.
- Genetics
Genetic sleuthing again IDs a murder suspect in a cold case
The arrest of a second murder suspect with the help of genetic genealogy raises worries that suspicionless searches may be next.
- Animals
A caterpillar outwits corn defenses by gorging on fattening ‘junk’ food
The crop plants defend themselves with zombie-maker wasps, but one pest has a desperate work-around.
- Psychology
Gun owner or not, Americans agree on many ways to limit gun violence
A new survey suggests that gun owners support many potential gun-control policies — now research on their efficacy needs to catch up.
- Health & Medicine
What we know about the Ebola outbreak, and the vaccine that might help
Even as an experimental vaccine arrives in Congo to contain the virus, there are worrisome signs Ebola has spread to a city.
