Science Visualized
- Planetary Science
Big space rock makes an impact on Mars
An orbiting spacecraft snapped images of a huge crater and blast marks on the surface of the Red Planet.
- Plants
Bladderwort opens wide
Under a microscope, the tiny trap of a carnivorous plant becomes an impressive gaping maw.
- Microbes
Gut bacteria respect diets, not borders
Malawian and Guahibo gut microbiomes resembled those of herbivorous mammals, while American guts were more similar to carnivores’.
- Cosmology
Best maps of the universe, bugs and all
Maps from the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite reveal the cosmos in a range of microwave and infrared frequencies.
- Ecosystems
Online map tracks forest shifts from space
By layering more than 650,000 satellite images onto a Google map, researchers have created a new tool to track forest cover.
- Astronomy
Solar explosion forms ‘Canyon of Fire’
Just when the sun was looking especially lethargic, a violent eruption left behind a vast chasm of superheated gas on the solar surface.
- Animals
How ticks get under your skin
A close look at a tick’s mouthparts reveals enviable burrowing tools.
- Planetary Science
A grander canyon on Mars
Hebes Chasma, a huge trough on Mars, reflects the Red Planet’s tumultuous and varied past.
- Math
Twin primes
Mathematicians have conjectured since Euclid’s time that there are infinite pairs of prime numbers.
