What can minerals tell us about Earth’s past? This geologist is finding out
Smithsonian geologist Gabriela Farfan studies corals, gemstones and other minerals for clues to changing oceans and environments.
Category: Science
James Webb telescope discovers surprising trove of metals around the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole
The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole is surrounded by a surprising trove of heavy metals, according to new observations by the James Webb Space Telescope
Extremely rare Viking Age coin from the reign of ‘Olaf the Holy’ may have been ‘held in the king’s own hand’
A rare silver coin minted during the reign of a famous Viking king has been discovered in a massive hoard in Norway that now comprises
Science on the Space Station with NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins
NASA astronaut and Expedition 75 flight engineer Jessica Watkins works inside the Kibo laboratory module’s Life Science Glovebox, safely mixing living cell samples with a
See Inside Cells Like Never Before in These Vivid Microscopic Images
On a frigid February morning in Edinburgh, Scotland, Patrick Hickey had run out of living things to put under his microscope. The plants and fungi
Uranium from World War II reveals how close the Nazis were to an atomic bomb
The Nazis were far from completing a working reactor for their atomic bomb program, despite claims by the project’s leader that it was almost ready
‘The Russians were the problem in the end’: Sailor Matt Rutherford on being intercepted by the FSB while attempting to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo
Sailor Matt Rutherford has dreamed for several years of becoming the first person to circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean solo, nonstop and unassisted. He finally set
AI could turn scientific papers into research assistants
An AI ‘virtual author’ can help scientists use a paper’s methods on new data. But it’s not going to match a human author’s expertise.
A lifesaving medication is not behind the drop in U.S. overdose deaths
A possible reason for the overdose deaths drop is more use of naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses. But while still a key tool, its use
Lightest known pair of neutron stars proves Einstein right yet again
Astronomers have discovered the lightest known pair of neutron stars — two ultradense stellar remnants that circle each other every 2 hours, 22 minutes, veering
A fighter pilot had unexplained headaches for over a year. The cause was hiding in plain sight.
The patient: A 29-year-old man in India The symptoms: The man, a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, went to a civilian neurologist after
See pieces of Halley’s Comet fall to Earth this week as the Orionid meteor shower peaks
One of the best fall meteor showers peaks this week, when pieces of the famous Halley’s Comet streak across Earth’s atmosphere as fast-moving “shooting stars.”
Case of mysterious medieval skeleton buried in Roman-era sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey finally solved
In the late 1800s, Westminster Abbey clergy stumbled upon a mysterious sarcophagus. The lid was decorated with an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon cross, but the base had
Could ‘body clocks’ play a role in depression? Study proposes a new ‘circadian’ subtype
Some people with depression sleep far more than average, wake up exhausted, habitually stay up late, and experience mood shifts with the seasons. A new