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Anthropology

Some secrets of China’s terra-cotta army are baked in the clay

Specialized production system lay behind the famous terra-cotta troops found in ancient Chinese emperor’s tomb.

Astronomy

On a mountain in Wyoming, the eclipse brings wonder — and, hopefully, answers

Astronomy writer Lisa Grossman joined scientists on a mountain in Wyoming who were measuring the corona using four different instruments to try to figure out why it’s so hot.

Planetary Science

Mars has nighttime snow storms

When clouds of water-ice particles cool at night, snow starts to fall rapidly on Mars, simulations suggest. The squalls could explain observations made by the Phoenix lander in 2008.

Science & Society

Today is the day! A last-minute guide for watching the Great American Eclipse

You’ve probably heard this already, but there’s a total solar eclipse traversing the United States today, August 21. Here’s what you need to know.

Astronomy

Eclipse watchers will go after the biggest solar mystery: Why is the corona so hot?

Usually when you move away from a heat source, it gets cooler. Not so in the sun’s atmosphere.

Astronomy

Does the corona look different when solar activity is high versus when it’s low?

Carbondale, Ill., will get two eclipses in a row, seven years apart — making it the perfect spot to watch the solar cycle in action.

Astronomy

Cosmic lens lets astronomers zoom in on a black hole’s burps

The beginnings of a jet from an active black hole in a distant galaxy were spotted thanks to a lucky alignment.

Astronomy

Here are the paths of the next 15 total solar eclipses

From 2017 to 2040, there will be 15 total solar eclipses. Here's a map of where to see them.

Astronomy

We share the Milky Way with 100 million black holes

New census calculates black hole populations in galaxies big and small.

Astronomy

Where does the solar wind come from? The eclipse may offer answers

A quick-fire polarization camera should help scientists detect the origins of the solar wind during the Aug. 21 eclipse.

Astronomy

Eclipses show wrong physics can give right results

Math for making astronomical predictions doesn’t necessarily reflect physical reality.

Life

Embryos kill off male tissue to become female

Female embryos actively dismantle male reproductive tissue, a textbook-challenging study suggests.