The heat of the Hadean may have come from impacts as well as the interior. Earth is the only planet we know of with buoyant, silica-rich continents. But, despite decades of research, geologists still don’t agree on how they formed. “The continents started appearing around about four billion years…
Disturbances in this critical sense are often linked to problems with brain health. About 14 years ago, Chrissi Kelly lost her sense of smell. She had traveled to the Czech Republic to visit family and caught some virus. Months later, when she still couldn’t smell, she made the rounds…
Biology could explain the find, but there are other potential explanations. NASA’s Perseverance rover has spent five years traversing Jezero Crater looking for the chemical leftovers of whatever processes were at work on Mars billions of years ago. The rover has found organic carbon, but it has mostly been…
NASA awarded Rocket Lab deals for three dedicated launches using the company’s Electron rocket. Welcome to Edition 9.01 of the Rocket Report! Back in January, I wrote about the 20 launches and landings we were most excited about in 2026. The list included things that were, at the time,…
It only works for a few divisions thanks to a lot of added materials. Understanding the origin of life requires addressing a collection of overlapping scientific questions. We’ve made a lot of progress toward explaining how simple chemicals present on an early Earth built the complex molecules used by…
Your comments on a dangerous rule putting politicals in charge of science can matter. Near the end of May, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a new rule that would govern how the federal government handles the grants it issues, including those that fund the vast majority…
Record home battery installations unlock options for grids—and AI data centers. US homeowners have embraced home batteries in record-breaking numbers in early 2026, spurred on by state incentives while seeking to offset rising residential electricity costs. The trend could even unlock a more flexible energy supply for power grid…
An optimal ratio of 10-15 grams of larvae per gram of specimen minimized cleaning time with no bone damage. Fatemeh Rastekar, Niloofar Alaei Kakhki and Morteza Monfared discuss the safe and practical utility of superworm larvae for cleaning museum specimens. Credit: Anthony Lewis, PLOS/CC-BY 4.0 Fatemeh Rastekar, Niloofar Alaei…
Also, the science of poop’s distinctive shape, boron buckyballs, and the secret to a soccer feint. It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across. So every month, we highlight a handful of the best stories that nearly…
Gov. Ron DeSantis calls it a crackdown on “radical climate policies.” A new state law limits Florida communities’ aims to offset greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the global climate and intensifying disasters such as hurricanes. Specifically, HB 1217 prohibits local governments from pursuing net-zero emissions goals. At least 10…
