Could there be underground lakes on Mars’s southern pole?
A new study suggests that there could be large subsurface lakes on Mars, though it seems to be too cold for liquid water to exist in the area......»»
LA"s quake mystery: 2024 brings the most seismic activity in decades. Why now?
The ground beneath Southern California has been particularly unsteady as of late, with the region experiencing more moderate-sized earthquakes this year than it has in decades......»»
Extreme floods, like those caused by Hurricane Helene, are becoming more frequent
Late last month, Hurricane Helene drenched the Southwest United States. Devastating floods hit communities on the Gulf Coast and southern Appalachia. The storm killed more than 200 people and destroyed billions of dollars of property......»»
How did magma oceans evolve on early Earth and Mars? Iron chemistry and primordial atmospheres offer clues
Before Earth became the blue planet, it was engulfed by a very different kind of ocean: a vast, deep magma ocean reaching down hundreds or perhaps even thousands of kilometers......»»
Underwater caves yield clues that may help explain early expansion of Homo sapiens into Mediterranean islands
Archaeological surveys led by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis suggest that coastal and underwater cave sites in southern Sicily contain important new clues about the path and fate of early human migrants to the island......»»
Team discovers three new magnetic and helium-enriched hot subdwarf stars
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of three new helium-enriched hot subdwarf stars with strong magnetic fields. The finding, made with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), is detailed in a research paper published Oct......»»
Scientists explore geothermal energy potential in supercritical reservoirs
A team of EPFL scientists has provided insight into the mechanisms at work in geothermal reservoirs located deep underground, known as supercritical reservoirs. Through a combination of computer simulations and lab experiments, they showed that rocks.....»»
Meet the microbes that transform toxic carbon monoxide into valuable biofuel
Microbes are hungry, all the time. They live everywhere, in enormous numbers. We might not see them with the naked eye, but they are in soils, lakes, oceans, hydrothermal vents, our homes, and even in and on our own bodies. And they don't just hang o.....»»
Perseverance team revives SHERLOC instrument to help with Jezero crater discovery
In January 2024, the SHERLOC instrument aboard NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover encountered a significant issue. A fault in the instrument's motor caused the dust cover and autofocus mechanism to become inoperative, putting the rover's SHERLOC Ram.....»»
Curiosity rover provides new insights into how Mars became uninhabitable
NASA's Curiosity rover, currently exploring Gale crater on Mars, is providing new details about how the ancient Martian climate went from potentially suitable for life—with evidence for widespread liquid water on the surface—to a surface that is.....»»
Orca tally "frustrating" for those trying to save the J, K and L pods
There are only 73 southern resident orcas left in Puget Sound, according to the most recent count released by the Center for Whale Research. It is one of the lowest tallies since the center counted 71 orcas when it began its survey in 1976......»»
Hurricane Milton becomes second-fastest storm to reach Category 5 status
Tampa Bay has not been directly hit by a major hurricane since 1921. In less than a day, Hurricane Milton has rapidly intensified over the southern Gulf of Mexico, exploding from.....»»
Nuclear rockets could travel to Mars in half the time, but designing the reactors that would power them isn"t easy
NASA plans to send crewed missions to Mars over the next decade—but the 140 million-mile (225 million-kilometer) journey to the red planet could take several months to years round trip......»»
A NASA Mars rover has a giant hole in one of its wheels
The wheels on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover are falling apart, but the plucky rover keeps on rolling......»»
NASA"s laser comms demo makes deep space record, completes first phase
The Deep Space Optical Communications tech demo has completed several key milestones, culminating in sending a signal to Mars' farthest distance from Earth......»»
2-billion-year-old rock could help understand very early life on Earth and the hunt for evidence of life on Mars
Pockets of microbes have been found living within a sealed fracture in a 2-billion-year-old rock. The rock was excavated from the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa, an area known for its rich ore deposits. This is the oldest example of living.....»»
Why PFAS-enriched foam is forming on some of the cleanest lakes in the country
A curious phenomenon springs up occasionally on New York's Finger Lakes: white foam, sometimes in miles-long swathes, almost as if a massive washing machine emptied out into the water......»»
Push to map Great Lakes bottom gains momentum amid promises effort will help fishing and shipping
Jennifer Boehme grew up scouting beaches around her home in St. Petersburg, Florida, for whatever she could find. Rocks, sand dollars, coquina mollusks—anything the ocean gave up......»»
Are plants and fungi trading carbon for nutrients? Not likely, say researchers
Every year, plants move 3.58 gigatons of carbon to mycorrhizal fungi, their underground partners—enough, in fact, that if it were ice, it would cover 112 million NHL hockey rinks. However, a dominant scientific theory explaining that huge transfer.....»»
Southern California study finds high levels of airborne plasticizers
A new study documents how Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that's been banned from children's items and beauty products......»»
Q&A: Extreme weather is disrupting lives in southern Africa—new policies are needed to keep the peace
Over the past decades, heavy and more frequent rainfall and dry spells in southern Africa have caused loss and damage to agriculture, livestock, the energy sector, food security and nutrition......»»