Computer maps 21 distinct emotional expressions

... even seemingly contradictory ones, like "happily disgusted."

Hidden ocean discovered on Saturn’s moon Enceladus

A large ocean under Enceladus' icy surface supplies the water that's been seen spraying out of the "tiger stripes" on its surface, suggests new research.

Mercury has a long history of exploding volcanoes

Throughout extended periods of its history, the surface of planet Mercury crackled with volcanic explosions, a new analysis suggests.

Why do zebras have stripes? To keep bugs off, says study

Researchers say they've solved the riddle of why zebras have stripes: The stripes act like insect repellant, keeping away blood-sucking flies, say researchers.

Video: April 1 tsunami moving across Pacific

Near real-time animation of the tsunami that resulted from the April 1 earthquake off northern Chile. Amazing to see the waves move across the Pacific

Mid-level solar flare April 2

Awesome image! A mid-level flare, an M6.5, erupted from the sun on April 2, 2014, peaking at 10:05 a.m. EDT.

New image: Two contrasting galaxies

A new image shows two galaxies, close to each other in space, but with very different histories - small spiral NGC 1317 and the large battle-scarred NGC 1316.

Mars opposition happens this month: It’s really easy to see

Earth and Mars are converging for a beautiful close encounter in April, an event astronomers call "the opposition of Mars."

Will the Yellowstone supervolcano erupt in your lifetime?

The supervolcano under Yellowstone Park is one of the biggest in the world. When will it erupt again? This NFS scientist doesn't think it'll happen anytime soon.

Are microbes responsible for Earth’s largest mass extinction?

Around 250 million years ago, 90 percent of Earth's life was wiped out. The cause, new research suggests, wasn't asteroids, or volcanoes, but methane-spewing microbes.