Feature

  1. Astronomy

    Gorgeous Gas

    Beyond their undeniable beauty, images of nearby, starlit clouds of gas and dust, known as HeII nebulae, may reveal properties of the very first stars in the universe.

    By Ron Cowen
  2. Earth

    Patterns from Nowhere

    Scientists are developing geophysical models that may explain the polygonal patterns that appear in and on the ground in remote regions of the Arctic, Antarctica, and possibly the surface of Mars.

    By Sid Perkins
  3. Chemistry

    Plastic Electric

    Scientists are finding new ways to improve the molecular order and electrical conductivity of a commercially important conducting plastic.

    By Jessica Gorman
  4. Earth

    The Fires Below

    Underground coal fires help shape the landscape on many scales and in many ways, some transient and some long-lasting.