All Stories by Lisa Grossman
- Earth
The big spill: Flood could have filled Mediterranean in less than two years
Discovery of a distinctive channel and new calculations of possible water movement suggest a fast and furious flow formed the sea.
- Space
Black hole may construct its own galactic home
Observations of a ‘homeless’ quasar suggest new ideas for galaxy formation.
- Humans
Loneliness is contagious, study suggests
An analysis of social networks finds that people who feel isolated may spread mistrust among others.
- Space
Sun may not be a ‘Goldilocks’ star
The stars that are just right to support life-bearing planets might be dimmer and longer-lived than the sun.
- Physics
New device can use noise to store one bit
Data storage system employs a resonance effect to do work.
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Unsticking Spirit
Efforts to extract the Mars rover from a sandpit will start November 16, but success is uncertain.
- Space
Giant galaxy graveyard grows
The largest known galactic congregation is bigger than astronomers thought—and its inhabitants are all dead or dying.
- Space
Volcanic and ferric surprises on Mercury
Volcanic activity is more recent than expected, MESSENGER shows on its third flyby of the planet. Also, surface iron occurs as oxides.
- Space
New way to help avoid a space shuttle disaster
A new technique to make shuttle launches safer combines tricks from particle colliders, moon landings and vulture tracking.
- Life
Three dino types may be just three dino ages
Study suggests three dinos placed in separate taxa are actually from one group at different growth stages
- Life
Estrogen helps ward off belly fat
Hormone is one reason that men and women carry weight differently
- Anthropology
Droughts gave early humans survival skills for later travels
Droughts were actually good times for early humans, helping to develop skills for survival in other parts of the world, Lisa Grossman reports in a blog from the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing's New Horizons in Science meeting.
