Dinosaurs ended — and originated — with a bang!
April 16, 2018 - It is commonly understood that the dinosaurs disappeared with a bang - wiped out by a great meteorite impact on...
We think we’re the first advanced earthlings — but how do we really know?
April 16, 2018 - Imagine if, many millions of years ago, dinosaurs drove cars through cities of mile-high buildings. A preposterous idea, right? Over...
Wildfire smoke associated with more ER visits for heart, stroke ailments among seniors
DALLAS, April 11, 2018 — Smoke from wildfires may send people – particularly seniors – to hospital emergency rooms (ERs) with heart, stroke-related complaints,...
Stronger evidence for a weaker Atlantic overturning
April 11, 2018 - The Atlantic overturning – one of Earth’s most important heat transport systems, pumping warm water northwards and cold water southwards...
A cosmic gorilla effect could blind the detection of aliens
April 11, 2018 - A well-known experiment with young people bouncing a ball showed that when an observer focuses on counting the passes, he...
The 100th meridian, where the Great Plains begin, may be shifting
April 11, 2018 - In 1878, the American geologist and explorer John Wesley Powell drew an invisible line in the dirt—a very long line. It was the...
Brewing up Earth’s earliest life
April 9, 2018 - Around 4 billion years ago, Earth was an inhospitable place, devoid of oxygen, bursting with volcanic eruptions, and bombarded by...
Why weather forecasters still struggle to get the big storms right
Snow on the ground after a winter storm. NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response April 9, 2018 - It was March 2017, and a winter storm named...
An estimated two-thirds of tweeted links to popular websites are posted by automated accounts,...
WASHINGTON, D.C. April 9, 2018 – A large share of tweeted links to digital content are generated by bots – that is, by automated...
Study: Get Moving to Get Happier
ANN ARBOR, April 5, 2018 - Physical activity has long been known to reduce depression and anxiety, and is commonly prescribed to prevent or...
First Direct Observations of Methane’s Increasing Greenhouse Effect at the Earth’s Surface
April 2, 2018 - Scientists have directly measured the increasing greenhouse effect of methane at the Earth’s surface for the first time. A research...
Flood risk denial in US coastal communities
April 2, 2018 - Rising sea levels have worsened the destruction that routine tidal flooding causes in the nation's coastal communities. On the U.S....
Hubble uses cosmic lens to discover most distant star ever observed
April 2, 2018 - The international team, led by Patrick Kelly (University of Minnesota, USA), Jose Diego (Instituto de Física de Cantabria, Spain) and...
Most of Earth’s water was likely present before the moon-forming giant impact
March 29, 2018 - Based on an extensive collection of lunar and terrestrial samples, a new study probing the elusive origins of the Moon...
China’s falling space station highlights the problem of space junk crashing to Earth
China’s Tiangong-1 space station is due to hit Earth, and Australia is in the crash landing zone. Cindy Zhi/The Conversation, CC BY-ND March 29, 2018 -...
Spotted in space, Tiangong space station to reenter atmosphere in the coming days
March 29, 2018 - In the next few days, an unoccupied Chinese space station, Tiangong-1, is expected to reenter the atmosphere following the end...
Study links climate policy, carbon emissions from thawing permafrost
March 28, 2018 - Controlling greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades could substantially reduce the consequences of carbon releases from thawing permafrost during...
Kepler Beyond Planets: Finding Exploding Stars
March 26, 2018 - Astronomer Ed Shaya was in his office looking at data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope in 2012 when he noticed...
ESA testing detection of floating plastic litter from orbit
March 19, 2018 - The millions of tonnes of plastic ending up in the oceans every year are a global challenge. ESA is responding...
Black holes aren’t totally black, and other insights from Stephen Hawking’s groundbreaking work
What goes in doesn’t go out? NASA Goddard, CC BY March 16, 2018 - Mathematical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking was best known for his work...