Exotic chemical elements in the atmosphere of a dead star hint at the presence of a planet that formed after the star’s death—the first such second-generation planet ever seen.
News
Oil and Gas Development Heightens Risk of Valley Fever
Kern County has more cases of valley fever and more fossil fuel wells than anywhere else in California. A new study suggests this might not be a coincidence.
A Hydrological Paradox on the Silk Road
How did trade prosper in Central Asia during a period of droughts and little rain?
Reading Rainfall in a Snail’s Shell
The chemical record of a snail shell is allowing scientists to reconstruct a record of past storms from the recent—and maybe distant—past.
Scientists Finally Think They Know What Made These Geometric Fossils
Arthropods, with harder bodies and better cognition than some other candidates, seem to be the most likely culprit.
Underwater Umbrellas Reduce—and Reverse—Coral Bleaching in the Caribbean
When corals get too hot, the algae that feed them can disappear, leaving them bleached. Blocking the Sun could help.
Wildfires Burned in Antarctica 90 Million Years Ago
A new study finds evidence for the southernmost wildfires currently known, which may have facilitated a transition from temperate rainforest to peatland in Antarctica.
Fungi Are Holding the Food Web Together. New Research Images This Underground Network.
By combining computer tomography—the same technology used for medical scans—with a high-powered particle accelerator, researchers have imaged the network of roots, fungal structures, and soil together in their natural environment.
Chariklo’s Rings Are Evolving
One ring became more opaque, and the other became more translucent. Astronomers don’t know why.
Fast, Severe Wildfires Can Change How Forests Grow Back
These blazes can cause ecological shifts even in fire-adapted forests.
