Asteroid dust in Chicxulub crater seals deal on dino extinction

Scientists examined rock cores taken from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, site of the asteroid impact that triggered dinosaur extinction, and found iridium, a telltale sign of asteroids.

Gulf Stream at its weakest in over 1,000 years

A new study suggests that the Gulf Stream - an Atlantic Ocean current that plays a large role in shaping Earth’s weather patterns - is weaker now than at any point in the last 1,000 years.

Is this the world’s tiniest reptile?

Meet the nano-chameleon, a new contender for the title of world's smallest reptile

World’s oldest DNA sheds light on mammoth evolution

A mammoth tooth uncovered from the Siberian permafrost yields the oldest DNA yet discovered and provides insight into the evolution of the giant beasts.

What’s the coldest Earth has ever been?

Our planet’s history includes episodes of cold so extreme that glaciers reached sea level in equatorial regions.

Astrophysicists design ‘radically different’ world map

You know the old problem of how to portray the round globe of Earth on a flat map? Now a trio of map experts has worked together to solve this problem. Their new map is 2-sided and round.

Can air pollution help us find alien life?

To find alien life in our universe, scientists have considered searches for optical lasers or even giant energy-harvesting structures known as Dyson spheres. Now they're suggesting a more mundane sort of search, a hunt for air pollution in exoplanet atmospheres.

Upheaval and extinctions linked to magnetic reversal 42,000 years ago

A magnetic reversal 42,000 years ago helped bring about earthly extinctions, scientists said, accompanied by changes in the sky including electrical storms and widespread auroras. "It would have been scary," they commented.

Hundreds of fish species, including many we eat, are consuming plastic

As more and more plastic trash permeates the oceans, microplastics are making their way into fish and shellfish, and potentially into humans.

Strong earthquake in Japan called ‘aftershock’ of deadly 2011 quake

No fatalities were reported in the February 13, 2021, strong earthquake in Japan, which occurred off Japan's east coast, near the epicenter of the 2011 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake.