Ocean slicks—naturally occurring bands of smooth water—are home to an astounding diversity of fish larvae and other marine life, researchers show.

Katherine Kornei
Katherine Kornei is a freelance science journalist covering Earth and space science. Her bylines frequently appear in Eos, Science, and The New York Times. Katherine holds a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Fresh Insights into What Protects Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf
Scientists bored 755 meters through Antarctic ice and found that a layer of extremely cold, fresh water insulates part of the Ross Ice Shelf against melting.
Gulf Stream Slowed as Hurricanes Struck
Hurricanes Jose and Maria temporarily decelerated this powerful ocean current’s flow last year, according to data from an ocean glider that rode the stream between Florida and Massachusetts.
Students Get Help from Weather Radar to Find Space Rock Remains
Teens helped by scientists and educators seek meteorites that plunged into Lake Michigan early this year. Weather radar guided the search for the projectiles.
After Obliteration, How Long Until Life Returned?
By studying the Chicxulub crater associated with the extinction of more than 75% of species then on Earth, researchers have begun to fill in a timeline for life’s rebound after the cataclysm.
Offshore Islands Might Not Shield Coastlines from Tsunami Waves
Rather than offering protection, islands sometimes cause increased wave run-up on shorelines, experiments in a wave laboratory suggest.
Ice Caves atop a Volcano Give Taste of Otherworldly Science
Researchers brave perils and tumbling trash to probe glacial caves on Mount Rainier, improving their understanding of its extraordinary environment and helping to advance space exploration.
Signatures of Dinosaur Poop Found in Cretaceous Coal Seams
Coal analysis suggests that plant-eating dinosaurs, by walking kilometers between their picnic areas and their toilets, distributed important nutrients widely and boosted ecosystem health.
Storms May Have Produced Most Mediterranean “Tsunami” Deposits
A new analysis reveals that nearly all of the region’s sedimentary evidence ascribed to tsunamis, which dates back 4,500 years, corresponds to periods of heightened storminess.
Satellite Quantifies Carbon Dioxide from Coal-Fired Power Plants
Using data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 satellite, researchers measured emissions of the greenhouse gas from individual coal plants in the United States, India, and South Africa.