News

Earth

Dry winters heat European summers

When southern Europe receives scant rainfall in the winter, the whole continent tends to bake the following summer.

Animals

Killer mice hit seabird chicks

A surveillance video shows a worrisome sight: house mice nibbling to death rare seabird chicks on a remote island breeding colony.

Planetary Science

A hexagon on the ringed planet

NASA scientists are puzzled by a giant, hexagon-shaped feature that covers Saturn's entire north pole.

Astronomy

Back to (Near) the Beginning: Galactic springtime

In their quest to capture ever-earlier moments of cosmic history, astronomers may have found some of the first galaxies.

Health & Medicine

Tenacious STD: Drug-resistant gonorrhea is spreading

Responding to a surge in tough-to-treat gonorrhea, the CDC has stopped recommending Cipro-class antibiotics for the disease.

Health & Medicine

Visual Clarity: People with MS maintain eyesight with drug

A drug for multiple sclerosis seems to prevent subtle vision loss in many patients.

Tech

A New Low: Lilliputian pipette releases tiniest drops

Physicists have constructed a pipette that dispenses a billionth of a trillionth of a liter.

Planetary Science

Northern Exposure: The inhospitable side of the galaxy?

Our solar system's periodic motion from one side of the galaxy to the other could expose life on Earth to massive amounts of cosmic rays and cause recurring, catastrophic mass extinctions.

Paleontology

Forest Primeval: The oldest known trees finally gain a crown

Recently unearthed fossils provide new insights about the appearance of the world's oldest known trees, plants that previously were known only from preserved stumps.

Planetary Science

Little Enceladus disturbs Saturn’s magnetic field

Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus is acting as a brake on the giant planet's magnetic field.