Gypsum crystals of the Naica cave.

Exploring Mexico’s Otherworldly Cave of Crystals

The Cave of Crystals is a massive cavern, filled with gigantic gypsum crystals, larger than any crystals ever before seen on Earth.
Rings of Saturn

Why Does Saturn Have Rings?

Every school child will recognize a photo of Saturn. The squash-colored planet is orbited by distinctive rings, easily visible ...
Hope Diamond

The Secrets of Diamonds

Diamonds are sparkly. Diamonds are expensive. But diamonds are more than bling—they tell us a lot about the earth, itself.
Vera Rubin

Vera Rubin

Vera Rubin was groundbreaking astrophysicist who discovered evidence of dark matter.
receptors

How Microcosms Help Us Understand Ecology

Is it possible to witness evolution in action? Researchers at University of California, San Diego, aiming to do just ...
Harvard Observatory, 1899

How Women Finally Broke Into the Sciences

Women finally broke into the sciences in sex-segregated jobs in the years between 1880 and 1910.
Pierre and Marie Curie

How Marie Curie Claimed Credit for Her Scientific Work

Marie Curie was the first major woman scientist to get full credit for her scientific contributions.
Sputnik replica

Three Ways the President Can Affect Science

Given some of the campaign rhetoric, many scientists are concerned about what a new administration might mean for scientific research.
Anders Celsius

The Legacy of Anders Celsius

Happy birthday, Anders Celsius! The astronomer and geographer was born on November 27th, 1701, in Uppsala, Sweden. Most ...
Black Sea Shipwreck

A Black Sea Shipwreck Trove

A remarkable discovery has been made in the Black Sea: 42 extremely well-preserved ships spanning a millennia from the ninth to the nineteenth century CE.