All Science
- Why is NASA sending a penny to Mars?
A US penny is on-board NASA's Curiosity rover that is scheduled to land on Mars in August. The 1909 penny commemorating the centennial of President Lincoln's birth will act as a calibration target to help scientists and the public to gauge the size of objects on Mars.
- Milky Way's enormous black hole gorges on asteroids
British astrophysicists think that asteroids are being devoured by the supernassive black hole at our galaxy's center, as evidenced by the daily X-ray flares detected by NASA's Chandra space telescope. Historical records indicate tha black hole may have even swallowed a planet.
- Study: Himalayan glaciers melting more slowly than thought, but seas are still rising
A study of satellite data has found that thermal expansion and ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica account for most of the planet's rising sea levels, with melting glaciers from the Himalayas contributing less than previously thought.
- How Lake Vostok could transform our understanding of life as we know it
Russian researchers in Antarctica say they have successfully drilled through more than two miles of ice to reach a vast lake that has been sealed off from light or air for at least 14 million years. If living organisms are found in the lake, it would greatly boost hopes of finding life on other worlds.
- Zebras may have stripes because horseflies hate them
Zebras are best known for their dramatic stripes, but why they evolved remains uncertain. One popular notion is that stripes make it difficult for predators to single out an individual zebra from the herd, but experimental evidence for this or other ideas has been lacking.
- Ancient Antarctic lake thought to harbor prehistoric life, Hitler clones
In its reporting on the efforts of a Russian drilling team to reach a subglacial lake in Antarctica, Russian state media has revived an old conjecture about a secret Nazi cloning facility on the southern continent.
- Earth's next supercontinent dubbed Amasia, when to expect it
Supercontinents are giant landmasses made up of more than one continental core. The best-known supercontinent, Pangaea, was once the world's only continent — it was on it that the dinosaurs arose — and was the progenitor of today's continents.
- NASA goes commercial in its quest for extra space taxis
NASA seeks alternative ways to send astronauts to the International Space Station. Recent problems with Russia's Soyuz vehicles has shown a need for more space taxis.
- Scientists drill past Antarctic ice to reach buried lake. What lies beneath?
Lake Vostok has been capped with Antarctic ice for at least 15 million years. Now scientists have drilled 13,000 feet to reach its surface. They'll soon learn what life forms have adapted to that cold, dark locale.
- NASA satellites reveal colossal ice melt, greenhouse gasses blamed
Until now, satellite measurements from only selected places were used to extrapolate the overall ice loss outside Greenland and Antarctica.
- Breathtaking Carina nebula photo provides window into star nursery
The Very Large Telescope spied the cosmic landscape of gas, dust and young stars in the majestic Carina nebula, which is located about 7,500 light-years away from Earth.
- Russian scientists bore into massive ancient lake, prompt contamination concerns
News of the scientific milestone was evidently on hold, as Russian headquarters waited on some measurements from Vostok Station, the tiny outpost in the middle of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
- Janice Voss, shuttle astronaut, remembered for NASA contributions
Janice Voss began her NASA career while still a student at Purdue University. Janice Voss was one of six women to fly at least five times on the space shuttle.
- Huge whale shark sold for $2,200 in Pakistan
Whale shark: A 7.7 ton whale shark was found off the coast of Pakistan. Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the sea.
- Russians reach mysterious lake 2.4 miles below Antarctic ice
Russian scientists confirmed they have drilled down to a 20-million year old freshwater lake far below the surface of Antarctica. Could this lake hold clues to life on other planets or moons?
- ESA Mars probe finds evidence of ancient Martian ocean
The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft detected sediments on Mars' northern plains that are reminiscent of an ocean floor, in a region that has also previously been identified as the site of ancient Martian shorelines, the researchers said.
- Paleontologists recreate mating call of 165-million-year-old bug
By analyzing the fossilized wings of a Jurassic katydid unearthed in China, paleontologists have reconstructed its sound, which is not unlike that of today's crickets.
- Red Bull-fueled daredevil plans record skydive from edge of space
Austrian extreme skydiver Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend in a helium balloon to about 23 miles up, and then jump. He will break the sound barrier during freefall.
- Could Russia leave US astronauts stranded in space?
A leaky Soyuz descent capsule means that astronauts aboard the International Space Station will have to wait another six weeks before returning home. And private resupply missions are not ready for prime time.
- NASA: Record number of astronaut applicants, but no spaceships
The space agency received more than 6,300 applications between Nov. 15 and Jan. 27 during the search for new astronauts – making it second-highest turnout ever and double the normal response, NASA officials said.