Illustration of the Kepler spacecraft

Kepler: The Little Telescope That Could

A year after a potentially fatal setback, a rejuvenated Kepler telescope discovered the first exoplanet (outside the solar system) of its new mission.
Ice floes float in icy water

Hidden Ecosystems Under Arctic Ice Reveal Themselves

Thanks to remotely operated vehicles scientists are able to peek at one of the coldest, darkest environments of all: ecosystems deep underneath arctic ice.
A comet moving through a starry sky

Where is Water From? Probably Not Comets

A recently completed analysis of comet 67P/C-G by the Rosetta Space Craft has effectively ruled out comets as the primary source of Earth’s water.
Reese Witherspoon as "Cheryl Strayed" in WILD.

A Way in the Wilderness: The Pacific Crest Trail

The movie version of Cheryl Strayed’s searing memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” starring ...
Lava flowing into water while steam rises into the fog

Life with Lava

Lava from the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii has been used to answer questions about life on Mars.
A satellite near a large space rock in the middle of space

How to Catch a Comet

Last week, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully landed an unmanned probe (Philae) on a comet, a feat heretofore unmatched in human history
Older photograph of Mount Kirishima in the south of Japan

Volcanoes or “Volcanoes”? Gleaning Insights from Informal Research

When informal research are used for scientific sources
Mohawk Mesolite, a crystalized mineral spray.

2014 is the International Year of Crystallography

UNESCO has declared 2014 to be the International Year of Crystallography.
Astronomical image of Alpha Capricorni

Ole Rømer and the Speed of Light

In 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer predicted that an eclipse of one of Jupiter’s moons would occur ten minutes later than expected. How did he know?
A lone aequorea victoria, a bioluminescent jellyfish, in the ocean.

Happy Birthday, Osamu Shimomura!

August 27th marked the birthday of Osamu Shimomura, the organic chemist who discovered green fluorescent protein in 1962. ...