All Stories by Sid Perkins
- Earth
Tiny Bubbles: Oldest evidence yet for methane makers
Analyses of the gases dissolved in water trapped in ancient minerals suggest that methane-generating microbes have been around almost 3.5 billion years.
- Earth
Shaken but Not Stirred: Rock formations reveal past quakes’ size limit
Dozens of precariously balanced rocks in southern California tell a consistent story that earthquakes at nearby faults in recent millennia haven't exceeded magnitude 7.
- Paleontology
Out of the Shadows
An ongoing flurry of fossil finds is triggering a reevaluation of how early mammals and their close kin eked out an existence during the Age of Dinosaurs.
- Earth
Crater in the sand
Researchers analyzing satellite images of the Sahara Desert have discovered the region's largest impact crater.
- Earth
Rome at Risk: Seismic shaking could be long and destructive
If a large earthquake struck Rome, ground motions could rock the city for up to a minute, threatening many of the city's ancient landmarks.
- Humans
Evolution in Action
Debates on the conflict between evolution and intelligent design are taking place not only in the courts but also in state legislatures and even among members of local school boards, where topics include curricula, textbooks, and the definition of science itself.
- Earth
Krakatoa stifled sea level rise for decades
Ocean cooling caused by the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 kept sea level worldwide in check well into the 20th century.
- Earth
How to rate a snowstorm
Scientists have developed a rating scale to assess the impact of major snowstorms that strike the northeastern United States.
- Paleontology
Ancestor of Kings: Early progenitor of T. rex had a crest
Paleontologists have unearthed remains of the oldest known dinosaur of the tyrannosaur clan.
- Earth
Cold and Deep: Antarctica’s Lake Vostok has two big neighbors
Trapped beneath Antarctica's kilometers-thick ice sheet are two immense bodies of water that may harbor ecosystems that have been isolated for millions of years.
- Earth
2005 was warmest year on record
Last year's global average temperature was the warmest since scientists began compiling records in the late 1800s.
- Earth
Warming climate will slow ocean circulation
Later this century, rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere could slow the ocean currents that bring warm waters to the North Atlantic.
