Revising Darwin’s sinking-island theory
New study helps resolve a dispute over the origins of coral-reef formations.
Islands in the rain
Researchers use volcanic islands to measure how rainfall sets the pace of landscape formation.
Huge and widespread volcanic eruptions triggered the end-Triassic extinction
Some 200 million years ago, an increase in atmospheric CO2 caused acidification of the oceans and global warming that killed off 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species on Earth.
Mercury may have harbored an ancient magma ocean
Massive lava flows may have given rise to two distinct rock types on Mercury’s surface.
India joined with Asia 10 million years later than previously thought
New timeline suggests India’s size before this collision was much smaller than generally assumed.
Scientists find first evidence of dynamo generation on an asteroid
A meteorite found in Antarctica holds evidence of a once-active dynamo on Vesta.
Sarah Stewart Johnson, EAPS PhD, gives rein to curiosity
Alumna envisions combining academia with public policy
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.
