Black and white illustration of a beached whale

An Age-Old Whale of a Tale

Researchers recently sequenced the genome of a 200 year old bowhead whale.
A pocket of rust colored snow in a crater

The Surprising Colors of Snow

In mountain and other wilderness areas where deep snows last well into the spring, the snow may be tinted red, green, orange, or yellow.
yellow-green image on a lake that is poisoned and polluted

The Latest Legacy of Acid Rain: Jellied Lakes

The impact of decades of acid rain (better known as acid precipitation) is causing North American lakes to turn to jelly.
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.
A Deep Sea Anglerfish with mouth opened wide to display sharp teeth

Lights! Camera! Anglerfish!

For the first time, scientists have footage of the black sea devil anglerfish Melanocetus sp. in its natural environment.
Dr. Eugene Porter Walking Dead

Walking Dead: The Science Behind the Zombies

Walking Dead: the science behind the zombies.
A close-up of a finger prick diabetes test

Stem Cells Offer Hope for Treating Type I Diabetes

Douglas Melton’s stem cell lab at Harvard published a landmark study in Cell documenting a huge step towards treating Type I Diabetes
A stamp depicted the first earthling in space, Laika, a dog.

Laika: The First Earthling in Space

The first Earthling was Laika, a Russian mongrel found on the streets of Moscow.