As unlikely as it may sound, Mercury may have once been able to support subsurface microscopic life, according to a new study from the Planetary Science Institute.

John Burroughs - born in 1837 - was one of the 1st nature writers. He said: "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

This week, Venus - the brightest planet and dazzling "evening star" - will pass the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. Look west after sunset! Venus and the Pleiades meet only every 8 years. Photos here.

The Venus-Pleiades conjunction is April 3. That's when Venus passes the Pleiades' brightest star, Alcyone. Any evening around then will be lovely!

A roundup of information from physicians, scientists and journalists about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behind every government announcement, there is an army of epidemiologists predicting how the virus will spread, and how to beat it. Note that this story doesn't deal specifically with the University of Washington models released April 5, projecting U.S. infections and deaths from COVID-19 in the coming months. But it does provide insights into how scientists create models.

Dark energy is one of the great unsolved mysteries of cosmology. It's now thought to make up 68% of everything in the universe.

The new fossil discoveries provide clues about flying, spike-toothed reptiles that lived in the Sahara 100 million years ago.

Geologists say the worm-like creature - about the size of a grain of rice - is the 1st ancestor on the family tree that contains most animals today, including humans.

What a great time to identify many bright stars! Let the moon be your guide.