News

  1. Astronomy

    Kepler’s surprise: Planet hunter also found supernovas

    NASA's now-defunct Kepler space telescope captured five stellar explosions as they happened.

    By Andrew Grant
  2. Agriculture

    Some bioenergy crops are greener than others

    In the Upper Midwest, switchgrass trumps maize at boosting ecological health.

    By Beth Mole
  3. Astronomy

    Galaxies’ missing mass may hide in gas clouds

    Vast reservoirs of previously undetected gas could account for much of galaxies’ matter, solving a cosmic mystery.

    By Gabriel Popkin
  4. Astronomy

    Enormous cosmic lens magnifies supernova

    Galaxy warps light of distant exploding star, greatly increasing its brightness.

    By Andrew Grant
  5. Life

    Marine microbes shed packets of DNA, nutrients

    The world’s most abundant marine microorganism, the photosynthetic bacteria Prochlorococcus, spits out nutrient-rich vesicles into ocean waters, perhaps for genetic exchange or as a survival mechanism.