First-ever evidence of a comet strike on Earth

When it exploded in Earth's atmosphere, the comet rained down a shock wave of fire that obliterated every life form in its path.

Will a box like this someday bring back samples from Mars?

Still probably many years in the future and most likely international in nature, a Mars sample-return mission is one of the most challenging space ventures possible for robotic exploration.

Researchers quantify toxic ocean conditions during major extinction

UC Riverside-led study points to an ancient oxygen-free and hydrogen sulfide-rich ocean that may foreshadow our future.

Astronauts and cosmonauts call for global cooperation on asteroid threat

“Asteroid impacts have dramatically altered the course of life on Earth and a rogue asteroid will certainly strike Earth, posing a global threat to human life and society.” - Astronaut Tom Jones

A glimpse of the violent past of Milky Way’s giant black hole

A new study shows that the Milky Way's supermassive black hole had at least two major outbursts in the last few centuries.

Aboriginal hunting practice increases animal populations

Burning approach mixing practical philosophy and knowledge leads to near doubling of lizards and improves habitat.

Our Milky Way galaxy wobbles

Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, makes small wobbling movements. Possible causes include the passage of a smaller galaxy through our own.

The most distant galaxy yet

It's the most distant, and therefore the earliest, yet discovered. It's seen as it was just 700 million years after the Big Bang.

Link between Neanderthals and humans is still missing

The search for a common ancestor that connects modern humans with the Neanderthals who lived in Europe thousands of years ago isn’t over yet, researchers say.

How climate change affects microbial life below the seafloor

Sediments from the deep sea give insight into the dynamics of the deep biosphere.