Year’s biggest and brightest supermoon on April 7-8

Watch for the biggest supermoon of the year to shine all night long. It lights up the eastern sky at dusk/nightfall April 7, climbs highest up for the night around midnight and sets in the west around sunrise April 8.

Fossil skull suggests human ancestors emerged 200,000 years earlier than thought

This newly discovered fossil is a hugely important find, say scientists. It means that one of our earliest ancestors possibly originated in southern Africa. Read more

Was Mercury once habitable?

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.

April 3 is John Burroughs’ birthday

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."

Photos: Venus and the Pleiades meet

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.

Don’t miss Venus and the Pleiades! Their conjunction is April 3

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

More essential coronavirus links March 24-April 2

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

How to model a 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.

What is dark energy?

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

International team discovers 3 new species of flying reptiles

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