- Reviews
- Interviews
Extinction Followed Eruption
A new study indicates that undersea volcanic activity may have triggered an extinction event in the Earth's oceans. The extinction occurred 93 million years ago and is responsible for creating some of today's major oil reserves.
Categories: Science
Stars of the Deep
Researchers studying life deep beneath the Earth's surface in a South African platinum mine have discovered microbes with a unique appearance. In fact, these tiny bacteria are the 'stars' of their community.
Categories: Science
Earth: An Alien World
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has filmed the moon transiting Earth from 31 million miles away. The event is now being used to develop techniques for studying alien worlds.
Categories: Science
Song from the Past
Scientists have discovered that the neural network behind sound production in vertebrates can be traced back to marine organisms. The finding provides a unique perspective on life's evolutionary mechanisms.
Categories: Science
Machine Evolution
Many scientists believe that life started out as nothing more than strands of proto-genetic material known as RNA. A new device automates studies of RNA evolution and could lend insights into the origin of life on Earth.
Categories: Science
RNA World Remnant
A new study has shown bacterial cells can perform a number of tasks without the involvement of DNA. The findings provide a glimpse into what the earliest forms of life on Earth may have looked like.
Categories: Science
When Mars Was a Water World
Two new studies indicate that Mars once hosted vast lakes, flowing rivers and other wet environments. Even more remarkable, the data supports the theory that Mars once had the potential to support life.
Categories: Science
Meteorite Acid Test
Evidence of acid rain in 1908 supports the theory that a meteorite impact was responsible for the Tunguska catastrophe. The study is uncovering important clues about how impact events can affect life on Earth.
Categories: Science
Spot the Difference: Alaska and Mars
Two geology professors have hypothesized that landscape features in Alaska are also seen on Mars, and the processes that formed those features are the same on both planets.
Categories: Science
Exploring with SnoMotes
Unmanned, toy-sized snowmobiles recently navigated Alaska's frozen arctic outback. The new technology may one day help scientists study the affects of global climate change on melting ice in the arctic.
Categories: Science
Complex Volcanoes
For the first time, scientists have mapped an elaborate maze of magma chambers beneath the volcanoes of Iceland. The unique view into a complex subterranean world could provide important information about earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Categories: Science
Signals from an Infant Earth
Precise dating of zircon crystals suggests that Earth may have been conducive to life even before an epic influx of asteroids pummeled our planet 4 billion years ago.
Categories: Science
Our Watery Moon
Scientists have discovered water inside beads of volcanic glass from moon rocks collected by the Apollo missions. The finding could alter our understanding of how the moon formed and evolved.
Categories: Science
Sun Pairs Asteroids
Astronomers have found that sunlight affects the formation of binary asteroids. The study sheds light on asteroid structure and could aid in the design of future sample-return missions.
Categories: Science
Phoenix Sticks a Fork in Mars
The Phoenix Mars Lander is continuing to dig into the martian soil. A fork-like probe will help determine how much frozen or unfrozen water is in the soil, while a microscope examines the shapes of tiny soil particles.
Categories: Science
Rare Jupiters?
Astronomers have found that fewer than 10 percent of the stars in the Orion Nebula have enough dust to make giant planets. The study suggests that our solar system may have been lucky to form a planet like Jupiter.
Categories: Science
Unlocking Martian Rocks
A new study offers a simplified technique for detecting biological molecules in martian rock. The equipment is too large to be put on a rover, but it could be used to analyze samples brought back from Mars.
Categories: Science
Early Diversity
A new study has found that, contrary to a long-held belief, marine species diversified early in history rather than becoming more diverse with time.
Categories: Science
Revising Earth's History
Geologists have found that major basins in India are 500 million years older than previously thought. The study may lend weight to idea that complex life originated earlier in Earth's history.
Categories: Science
Pondering "The Planet of the Apes"
In this interview, Charley Lineweaver explains how the movie Planet of the Apes is based on a flawed notion of evolution. Understanding this, he says, has implications for our search for life elsewhere in the universe.
Categories: Science
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Sub Rosa
Issue 6:
- Robert Bauval
- Collecting Crowley
- Secrets of Fatima
- Manly P. Hall