News

  1. Astronomy

    Seven Earth-sized planets orbit nearby supercool star

    A planetary system called TRAPPIST-1 has seven Earth-sized planets, three in the habitable zone, researchers report.

    By Ashley Yeager
  2. Anthropology

    Power may have passed via women in ancient Chaco Canyon society

    DNA points to a 330-year-long reign of a maternal dynasty centered in New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon.

    By Bruce Bower
  3. Anthropology

    Low-status chimps revealed as trendsetters

    Outranked chimpanzees trigger spread of useful new behaviors among their comrades.

    By Bruce Bower
  4. Plants

    Enzymes aid rice plants’ arsenic defenses

    Rice plant roots have natural defenses against arsenic.

    By Laurel Hamers
  5. Microbes

    Microbes survived inside giant cave crystals for up to 50,000 years

    Microbes trapped in crystals in Mexico's Naica mine may represent some of the most distinct life-forms found in Earth so far.