A new study explores questions of consent and coercion in citizen science.

R. Crowell
Rachel Crowell is a freelance math and science writer based in Iowa who has written for Eos, Scientific American, the American Mathematical Society, Science News for Students, The Open Notebook, and other publications. Crowell, who is a former AAAS Mass Media Fellow, holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
Golden State Blazes Contributed to Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
A new case study investigates causes and effects of California’s 2017 wildfire season.
“Glass Pearls” in Clamshells Point to Ancient Meteor Impact
Research suggests that the spherical structures, smaller than grains of sand, may be microtektites, but additional investigations are needed to verify their identity.
Researchers Reproduce Processes Behind Astrophysical Shocks
Studying shock precursors in a laboratory setting enables researchers to take a different look at the precursors’ properties and the physics behind them.
Tropical Corals Are Migrating Away from Warming Waters
In the first global assessment of its kind, researchers discovered that coral recruitment is declining globally and throughout the tropics while increasing in the subtropics.
This Bridge Monitors the Environment and Harnesses Tidal Energy
The “smart” Memorial Bridge spanning the Piscataqua is outfitted with a tidal turbine and more than 40 sensors.
A Nearly 100-Year-Old Physics Model Replicates Modern Arctic Ice Melt
The model was previously used to describe the behavior of ferromagnets in the presence of external magnetic fields.
How Ice Cores Are Helping to Track Preindustrial Ozone
Research helps allay concerns about discrepancies between atmospheric chemistry models and historical direct measurements.
The “Yellowball” Catalog and the Citizen Science That Helped Define It
The online community of the Milky Way Project citizen scientists helped scientists identify compact star-forming regions now known as yellowballs.
How Satellite Data Improve Earthquake Monitoring
Case studies from around the world illustrate the power of geodetic data in earthquake monitoring.