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Image description via the Plantetary Science Institute: "Loire Vallis (white line) is an outlet canyon that formed from the overflow of a lake in Parana Basin (outlined in white). Black lines indicate other valleys formed by processes other than lake overflows. Background is colored MOLA-derived topography over a THEMIS image mosaic. Image is approximately 650 kilometers across."

The Martian Landscape Was Shaped by Massive, Climate Change–Fueled Floods

When the Red Planet's lakes burst their banks, the disaster carved the undulating canyons and valleys we still see today

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David W.C. MacMillan for their independent work that revolutionized the construction of molecules.

Innovation for Good

Scientists Behind 'Ingenious' Molecule-Building Tool Win Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Researchers Benjamin List and David MacMillan independently discovered cheaper, greener ways to create new molecules

Lucy measures more than 46 feet wide, and about 24 feet tall and is equipped with solar arrays on its main body that allow it to power up its instruments. Each camera will enable Lucy to study the surface of the asteroids, detect traces of water or minerals, and count craters or rings.  

NASA's Lucy Probe Asteroid Mission Will Study Fossil-Like Origins of Our Solar System

The spacecraft launches on October 16 and is expected to reach its target by 2027

Workers collect oil from the water's surface at Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, California. 

Major Spill Washes Crude Oil Onto Southern California Beaches

At least 126,000 gallons of oil have gushed out of a leak in an underwater oil pipeline about three miles offshore

The Nobel Committee in Physics was awarded to Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann, and Giorgio Parisi earlier today.

Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to Scientists Who Warned the World of Climate Change

Their groundbreaking research answered fundamental questions about our universe and Earth’s complex climate

The Nobel committee announced the winners of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian, earlier today.

Scientists Studied Spicy Chili Peppers and Cool Menthol for Their Nobel Prize–Winning Research on Heat and Touch

Their independent discoveries answer fundamental questions about how we sense our environment and could lead to breakthrough pain relief treatments

A public art installation commemorating Americans killed by Covid-19 on the National Mall featuring more than 650,000 small plastic flags, some with personal messages to those they’ve lost.

More Than 700,000 Americans Have Now Died of Covid-19

There have been over 100,000 deaths since mid-June despite widespread vaccine availability

Spotted lanternflies naturally leap away from predators when threatened. Holding a water bottle near one will usually prompt the bug to flee, so it launches itself directly into the trap. 

How to Easily Catch Spotted Lanternflies Using a Water Bottle

Unchecked by natural predators, the invasive insect species is rapidly expanding across the United States

In researching the formation of these multicellular organisms, Ratcliff used a strain of snowflake yeast with budding “daughters” that tend to cling to their parents, allowing the creation of small clumps of connected yeast cells.

Evolving Yeast Shows How Complex Life May Have Arisen

Over two years, clumps of single-celled yeast grew into a multicellular structure that could explain how living organisms developed on early Earth

Kīlauea has an elevation of 4,009 feet and a magma system that reaches 37 miles below the ground. The volcano is the youngest and most active on the Hawaiian Islands.  

Kīlauea Spews Magma and Golden Strings of Volcanic Glass on Hawaii's Big Island

Most recently, the volcano had a series of small eruptions that began in December 2020 and lasted five months straight

Artist conception of the controversially named James Webb Space Telescope, which will be launched in just a few months.

NASA Won't Rename New Space Telescope Despite Anti-LGBTQ Controversy

The agency says the James Webb Space Telescope will retain its name regardless of concerns from astronomers, the public and NASA employees

Early humans may have eaten late-stage fertilized eggs, known as balut, or raised the chicks for feathers and meat.    

Thousands of Years Before Humans Raised Chickens, They Tried to Domesticate the World's Deadliest Bird

Fossilized eggs found in rock shelters suggest cassowaries were cohabitating with our ancestors

Some conservationists have held out hope for species like the ivory-billed woodpecker, which was last spotted in 1944.

Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and 22 Other Species Declared Extinct

Many organisms included in the latest declaration were feared to be lost long before the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was first passed

Inspired by the fluttering seeds, researchers designed a tiny, winged microchip that is powerful enough to monitor environmental contamination, biohazards, and airborne disease. Here it is shown next to a lady bug for scale.  

Innovation for Good

This Flying, Chemical-Detecting Microchip Is Smaller Than a Grain of Sand

Inspired by helicopter seeds, the device could soon be used to monitor the environment

A new study reveals life expectancy in many counties fell by more than 6 months from 2019 to 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Western Europe, Covid-19 Caused the Biggest Drop in Life Expectancy Since World War II

The study authors say the pandemic may have an even greater impact on life spans in less developed countries that were not included in the research

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure instrument, or SEIS, is a highly sensitive seismometer that detects marsquakes on the Red Planet. 

NASA Lander Records the Largest 'Marsquakes' Ever Detected

As it passes 1,000 days on the surface of the Red Planet, the InSight lander recorded three large bouts of tectonic activity in the past month

Babies may be exposed to microplastics from putting toys in their mouths or from plastic baby bottles, sippy cups, and pacifiers that might shed pieces of PET.

Baby Poo Has Ten Times More Microplastics Than Adult Feces

The small pilot study included fecal samples from ten adults and six infants in New York state

In captivity under human care, a polar bear's life expectancy is about 23 years, per AP. Polar bears rarely live past 30 years old in the wild, with most adult bears dying before they reach 25.

North America's Oldest Polar Bear Living in Captivity Dies at 36 Years Old

Snow Lilly, who died at age 36, resided at the Milwaukee County Zoo for almost 16 years after arriving there in 2005

Some experts suspect that the lava's heat at a scorching 1,800 degrees could trigger landslides or explosions and release toxic gases when it reaches the ocean and collides with the ocean water.    

La Palma Island Volcanic Eruption Sends Lava Flowing to Residential Buildings

The eruption engulfed 410 acres of land and destroyed about 350 homes

Fishers gather rope and nets on a fishing boat in Gaza in May 2021. 

New Research

With Ropes and Nets, Fishing Fleets Contribute Significantly to Microplastic Pollution

Synthetic ropes release 'substantial amount' of plastic particles into the sea during each use, according to new research

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