Newfound gene may help bacteria survive in extreme environments
Resulting microbial lipids may also signify oxygen dips in Earth’s history.
River networks on Titan point to a puzzling geologic history
Findings suggest the surface of Saturn’s largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation.
Greenhouse gas can find a home underground
New MIT analysis shows there’s enough room to safely store at least a century’s worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions.
What drove the lunar dynamo?
Research supports theory that the moon’s molten core was likely sustained by an alternative power source.
An eruption-fueled extinction?
Enormous volcanic eruptions may have triggered the worst extinction in Earth’s history.
Timeline of a mass extinction
New evidence points to rapid collapse of Earth’s species 252 million years ago.
The tallest tree in the land
New model predicts maximum tree height across the United States; gives information about forest density, carbon storage.
Explained: Measuring earthquakes
How do scientists measure jolts such as the recent disaster in Japan? Hint: They don’t use the Richter scale.
Cold asteroids may have a soft heart
Partially molten small bodies may be abundant in space, and may have given the Earth its oceans.
Seeing through the cracks
In the wake of Japan’s largest earthquake, MIT scientists look for geological clues to explain its devastating magnitude
Reading Earth’s magnetic history
New tool allows unprecedented accuracy in dating of some seafloor rocks, with potential to help climate analysis.
Earth’s final growth spurt
NASA team suggests that massive projectiles added mass to Earth, Mars and the Moon during final phase of planet formation