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Editors of EarthSky

Fossils reveal earliest known live birth

The fossil embryos of three little ichthyosaurs are preserved within the body of their mother that died while giving birth, 248 million years ago.

New system lets fleets of robots collaborate in new ways

MIT researchers have developed a new system that stitches together existing control programs to let multiple robots collaborate in more complex ways.

A 360-degree view of Saturn’s auroras

Ultraviolet and infrared images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope show active and quiet auroras at Saturn's north and south poles.

Genetic mix lets Tibetans thrive at high altitudes

A new study looks at the genetic adaptations that allow Tibetans to live at high elevations despite low oxygen levels.

NASA photos suggest water might be flowing on Mars

New clues about the mysterious streaks that appear on the surface of Mars during warm weather. Scientists they might be caused by flowing water.

The oldest known star in the universe

The ancient star, about 6,000 light years from Earth, formed 13.7 billion years ago, shortly after the Big Bang. It's the oldest star yet found.

What killed the woolly mammoth? New clues.

Ten thousand years ago, large mammals of the Arctic, like the woolly mammoth, went extinct. What caused it? Climate change? Disease? Over-hunting by humans?

What if the sun disappeared?

We wouldn't know the sun was gone for eight-and-a-half minutes. Then Earth would head off in a straight line, into eternal night.

Catch-and-release fishing creates too much trauma for some sharks

When a shark swims away after being caught by a catch-and-release sport fisherman, that doesn't mean the shark will survive the encounter.

Why does this brown dwarf have such strangely red skies ?

Brown dwarfs straddle the line between stars and planets. This one caught researchers' attention for its extremely red appearance. Turns out its atmosphere is laden with dust.