Living Stalactites and Other Geological Surprises
August 19, 2014
Dripstones in caves can be made by microbes, some speleologists find. That's among several recent geological surprises.
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Fluffballs in Space Shouldn't Exist
August 18, 2014
A rubble-pile asteroid has such low density it should have disintegrated, but it's doing just fine.
Extinct Reptiles Quickly Spread Over the Globe
August 16, 2014
On every continent, dinosaurs and other extinct reptiles thrived. Here are some recent amazing finds.
Io Volcanoes Go Hyperactive
August 7, 2014
The volcanoes on Jupiter's moon are bursting out at record rates, and nobody knows why. Is it the new normal?
Amber Alert: New Discoveries in Old Sap
August 5, 2014
Even old pieces of amber in a museum drawer can reveal unexpected surprises.
Rest of the Story: Hobbit Evolution Debunked
August 5, 2014
That little skull from a cave in Indonesia was not a pre-human, but a regular human with Down Syndrome.
Saturn's F-Ring Has Quieted Down
August 4, 2014
Comparing measurements over 25 years, planetary scientists have noted a drop in bright clumps in Saturn's tenuous F-ring.
Can You Shrink a Dinosaur to Make a Bird?
August 3, 2014
A new research paper claims that birds emerged from a long process of dinosaur miniaturization. The news media loved it.
Enceladus Geysers Still Unexplained
July 31, 2014
The number of geysers has topped a hundred on Saturn's overactive moon. How could they be sustained for billions of years?
Dinosaur Extinction Story Becomes More Chancy
July 29, 2014
Why did dinosaurs die but birds and butterflies survive? The latest idea involves sheer dumb luck.
Reality Check: Favored Planet Theory Dries Up
July 26, 2014
Three "hot Jupiters" sing "how dry I am," casting serious doubt on the leading theory of planet formation.
Featherlike Structures Are Not Feathers
July 25, 2014
The media have jumped all over a discovery of fuzz on a small ornithischian dinosaur, ignoring the evolutionary problems.
Real Feathers Found on Imaginary Dinosaur
July 24, 2014
We've reported "imaginary feathers" on dinosaurs over the years, but this new fossil bird could fly.
Start Over: The Evolution of Planets Is All Wrong
July 5, 2014
Ideas about planetary evolution are so far off base with observations of exoplanets, it's time to wipe the slate clean.