Ectomycorrhizal fungi

The Fungi in the Carbon Jigsaw

Out of sight, below the soil’s surface, fungi play a vital role in the existence and health of our forests, woodlands, jungles, and prairies.
Hellas Chaos on Mars

Mars Time Machine

Researchers are creating advanced simulations that will provide a deeper understanding of Mars’s climatic history and help to determine whether it was once able to sustain life.
Joseph Russell Smith

He Spoke for the Trees (and Also the Soil)

A champion of agroforestry, J. Russell Smith argued for the restoration of forests as key to sustainable agriculture in his seminal work Tree Crops.
Illustration from a Russian postal card of Luna 9

The First Lunar Lander and the Great Moon Dust Debate

In 1966, the Soviet Union’s Luna 9 became the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon, helping to resolve questions about the nature of the lunar surface.
Lonomia obliqua

The Caterpillars That Can Kill You

Some species make venoms that are deadly. With more research, those toxic compounds could yield useful medicines.
Greenland village of Kulusuk in winter

Greenland: Polar Politics

Though it may seem like a new topic of concern, the glaciated landscape of Greenland has floated in and out of American politics for decades.
Artist’s conception of early star formation:

When Everything in the Universe Changed

The revolutionary James Webb Space Telescope and next-gen radio telescopes are probing what’s known as the epoch of reionization.
Vanessa cardui

The Secrets of Butterfly Migration, Written in Pollen

Trillions of insects move around the globe each year. Scientists are working on new ways to map those long-distance journeys.
An orange cat playing with a toy

Ginger, Tortie, Calico

The mystery gene responsible for orange color in cat coats has been found.