7,733 results
- Life
Lichens are an early warning system for forest health
Lichens, fascinating mosaics of fungi and algae or cyanobacteria, are made for sensing environmental change.
- Space
Readers weigh in on ET and the meaning of life
Reader feedback from the June 25, 2016, issue of Science News
- Space
Will we know extraterrestrial life when we see it?
Desert varnish and certain minerals hint that life — here and elsewhere — may defy current criteria.
- Particle Physics
Dark matter helped destroy the dinosaurs, physicist posits
In ‘Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs,’ Lisa Randall finds connections between particle physics, cosmology, geology and paleontology.
- Planetary Science
Rock hounds are on the hunt for new carbon minerals
The race is on to find about 140 predicted carbon-based minerals in locations around the world. Map included.
- Paleontology
Ancient larvae built predator-thwarting mazes
Mazelike tunnels built by ancient insect larvae offered protection from predators, paleontologists propose.
- Earth
Ancient tectonic plate blocks magma plume at Yellowstone, simulation shows
A rising plume of hot rock from Earth’s mantle may not be responsible for the Yellowstone supervolcano, new research suggests.
- Planetary Science
Get your Pluto trivia down cold
Eight months after visiting Pluto, the New Horizons spacecraft has delivered a wealth of details about the dwarf planet and its family of moons.
- Climate
Eocene temperature spike caused by half as much CO2 as once thought
Revised experiments demonstrate that hot temperatures during the Eocene resulted from lower carbon dioxide concentrations than previously thought.
- Planetary Science
Long-running lunar mission reveals moon’s surprises
Seven years into its mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is still going strong and finding surprises on the moon.
- Animals
Snake fungal disease spreading in eastern United States
A decade after snake fungal disease was first discovered, it has now been found in its 16th U.S. state.
- Planetary Science
Space experts say sending humans to Mars worth the risk
At a meeting in Washington, NASA and aerospace reps discuss the hopes and hurdles of landing a crew on Mars by the 2030s.
