The Search for Life on Mars Begins in Iceland

NASA is sending a rover to Mars in 2020 to look for signs of life. To know which signs to look for, scientists are studying geothermal sites in coastal Iceland.

Dec 12, 2018 | 900 words, about 4 minutes

The Cavernous World under the Woods

On Vancouver Island, karst researchers hustle to save one of Earth’s most underappreciated—and fragile—ecosystems: an ecosystem hidden in plain sight.

Nov 20, 2018 | 5,400 words, about 27 minutes

The Mysterious Origin of Oolitic Sand

New evidence is emerging for the odd hypothesis that this strange, egg-shaped sand is built by microbes.

Aug 23, 2018 | 450 words, about 2 minutes

What Bones, Genes, and Space-Singed Rocks Tell Us About the Peopling of the Americas

Two new studies add to the emerging narrative of how the first people arrived in and settled the Americas.

May 31, 2018 | 1,000 words, about 5 minutes

When Mountains Fall into the Sea

As glaciers melt, unstable slopes are being exposed and are on the precipice of collapse.

May 1, 2018 | 2,800 words, about 14 minutes

Pulling Up a Piece of Hades’s Home

Expeditions to the hadal seafloor are turning up a trove of surprising discoveries.

Apr 23, 2018 | 700 words, about 3 minutes

Volcanoes Get a Kick from Climate Change

Melting ice will make volcanic eruptions more frequent—and more dangerous.

Feb 2, 2018 | 650 words, about 3 minutes

Did Ancient Greeks Sail to Canada?

Researchers think Plutarch’s De Facie tells the tale of Greek sailors making the treacherous transatlantic crossing. They dug into the science to show how it could have happened.

Feb 1, 2018 | 1,800 words, about 9 minutes