Stalled rescue for icebound ship in Antarctica

Three ships had been headed toward the trapped Russian vessel. Two have now turned back, but a third is expected to reach the vessel late Sunday.

This date in science: Dawn spacecraft closer to Ceres than Vesta

NASA's Dawn spacecraft will arrive at the asteroid Ceres -- to be captured by Ceres’ gravity -- in late March or the beginning of April 2015.

Here is the (John) Lennon crater on Mercury

Truman Capote has a crater on Mercury now, too. So does Enrico Caruso ... and seven other artists, musicians, painters and authors.

Find black holes while you’re on the bus

"With a large enough sample from your classifications, we can pick out black holes at different stages and build a better picture of their origins." - Radio Galaxy Zoo

Largest-ever true-color photo of the night sky

The photographer trekked 60,000 miles (100,000 km) across the western United States and South Africa to create this massive composite image.

Video: Touch down of China’s moon mission

The lander is named for the moon goddess of Chinese mythology. Its successful landing on Saturday made China the third nation ever to land on the moon.

Researchers create a kidney using stem cells

The team designed a protocol that prompts stem cells to form all the required cell types to "self-organize" into a mini-kidney in a dish.

Long-lasting greenhouse gas breaks all the records

A newly identified greenhouse gas shatters all other records for the chemical’s potential to contribute to climate change.

Rare snow storm hits Middle East

A rare snow storm hit the Middle East, producing record snows and extreme conditions for Syrian refugees.

It’s time for Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count

The National Audubon Society’s 114th Christmas Bird Count starts this weekend. It runs until January 5. Info on how to participate here.