All Stories

Astronomy

Kepler telescope identifies new ‘habitable zone’ planet

A new analysis of data from NASA’s Kepler mission has uncovered a planet orbiting a sunlike star that could be Earth’s “cousin.”

Planetary Science

First craters on Mars spotted 50 years ago

Fifty years ago, Mariner 4 revealed that the Red Planet was peppered with craters. Now we know pockmarks are common on many other planets and moons, too.

Paleontology

Sudden heat spikes did in Ice Age’s mammoth mammals

Abrupt warming and excessive hunting by ancient humans were responsible for the disappearance of many large mammals, including woolly mammoths, during Earth’s last glacial period.

Paleontology

Museum fossil links snakes to lizards

Scientists have discovered the fossilized remains of the first four-legged snake. The fossil bridges the gap between snakes and lizards.

Life

Cells from grandma help keep fetus safe

Grandmother’s cells may watch over grandchildren in the womb.

Environment

Fracking doesn’t always go to great depths

Fracking at shallow depths is unexpectedly common in the United States and raises new concern for drinking water contamination.

Animals

Boas kill by cutting off blood flow, not airflow

Boas actually kill by constricting blood flow of their prey, not suffocating them, as scientists previously suspected.

Neuroscience

Boosting estrogen, only in the brain

Scientists have developed a chemical that transforms into the hormone estrogen in the brain, but not the body, of rats.

Animals

Sea level rise threatens sea turtles

Sea level rise is causing coastal areas to be inundated with water. Even short periods of being wet can kill sea turtle eggs, a new study finds.

Health & Medicine

Bystanders deliver on CPR

People suffering from cardiac arrest are more likely to survive without brain damage if a bystander performs CPR, new studies suggest.

Science & Society

Microbes may be a forensic tool for time of death

By using an ecological lens to examine dead bodies, scientists are bridging the gap between forensic science and the ecological concept of succession.

Genetics

Research teams duel over Native American origins

Genetic link between Australia and the Amazon fuels two interpretations of Native American origins.