Tiny crabs and other sea life live next to a hot hydrothermal vent on the ocean's floor.

The Ocean Vents Where Life on Earth Likely Began

In a recent paper, biologists outlined a three-part hypothesis for how all life as we know it began.
Astronomical diagram of the seasons and signs of the zodiac, c. 1860

Earth Isn’t the Only Planet With Seasons

But they can look wildly different on other worlds.
Police find bog body dated over 2,000 years in Bellaghy. Police Service of Northern Ireland

A Body in the Bog

The bog is where forensics and archaeology meet to solve “cold cases.”
Artist's impression of ʻOumuamua

Why Interstellar Objects Like ʻOumuamua and Borisov May Hold Clues to Exoplanets

The detection of two celestial interlopers careening through our solar system has scientists eagerly anticipating more.
Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis: Labor and the Tea Plant

Consumed as tea around the world, Camellia sinensis raises questions about plantation labor practices and the environmental impact of monocultures.
Andromeda Galaxy

100 Years after the “Great Debate”: How Edwin Hubble Expanded the Cosmos

In 1924, Edwin Hubble found proof that the Milky Way isn't the only galaxy in the Universe.
Eoneophron infernalis

A Fresh Hell (Chicken)

A newly identified “Hell chicken” species suggests dinosaurs weren’t sliding toward extinction before the fateful asteroid hit.
A deep image from the Dark Energy Survey showing the field covered by one of the individual detectors in the Dark Energy Camera.

Astronomers Use AI to Shed Light on Dark Energy

A new measurement offers insights on the density of the mysterious force driving the Universe’s expansion.
Dramatic skies over the Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Central American Volcanoes Offer Clues to Earth’s Geological Evolution

Along 1,100 kilometers, from Mexico to Costa Rica, lies the Central American volcanic arc, where the variety of magma types make for a geological paradise.
two tyrannosaurus rex fighting on a yellow colored background

Five Things You Probably Have Wrong about the T. rex

How well do you really know Tyrannosaurus rex, the so-called Tyrant Lizard King?