Congress has until 22 December to vote on the new bill, which provides an increase in funding for NASA, USGS, NOAA, and more.
JoAnna Wendel
JoAnna Wendel is a freelance science writer and cartoonist. She covers topics ranging from the geology of faraway moons to the behavior of animals in our oceans. She served as a staff writer for Eos from 2014 to 2018, then worked in communications in NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. JoAnna is now freelancing full time as a writer and artist.
Human Radio Transmissions Create Barrier to "Killer Electrons"
An interaction between radio waves and the Van Allen radiation belts creates a bubble around the Earth that high-energy electrons can't penetrate.
Autonomous Undersea Technologies to Vie for New XPRIZE
The competition aims at improved health and understanding of Earth's oceans by spurring teams to devise better robotic technologies for seafloor mapping and exploration.
Laser Beams Brighten Prospects for Cave Science
Armed with laser technology, scientists now plot and study vivid maps of underground spaces with stunning accuracy. But the equipment is costly, fragile, and hard to maneuver through tight passages.
3-D Models Put Scientists, Students in Touch with Planets
Three-dimensional printing gives planetary scientists new ways to explore distant worlds and engage students.
How Bat Breath and Guano Can Change the Shapes of Caves
Researchers working in caves in Borneo and elsewhere are finding evidence that biological processes shape many tropical caves by slowly eating away at surrounding rock.
Cassini Probe Dives Through Enceladus Plume
NASA's Cassini probe takes a trip through a cosmic sprinkler to learn more about a subsurface ocean.
Woody Vines Limit How Much Carbon Tropical Forests Sequester
Vines called lianas, which store less carbon than trees, are winning the competition for sunlight and water.
Dengue Fever Epidemics Linked with El Niño, Study Says
High temperatures associated with the recurring global climate pattern foster mosquito-friendly conditions that may accelerate transmission of the virus.
Physics Nobel Winners Also Solved Solar Mystery
Although they won the prize for showing neutrinos have mass, the two Nobel-winning physicists also solved a long-standing mystery of solar neutrinos.