News

  1. Ecosystems

    In debate over origin of fairy circles, both sides might be right

    Odd bare spots called fairy circles in African grasslands might be caused by both termites and plants.

    By Susan Milius
  2. Science & Society

    Cancer studies get mixed grades on redo tests

    Replications of cancer studies fail to reproduce some results.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. Climate

    For three years in a row, Earth breaks heat record

    Spurred by climate change and heat from a strong El Niño, 2016 was the hottest year on record.

    By Thomas Sumner
  4. Earth

    Coastal waters were an oxygen oasis 2.3 billion years ago

    Coastal waters contained enough oxygen to support complex life-forms including some animals hundreds of millions of years before fossils of such life first appear.