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Volcanic ash from the Ejyafjallajokull eruption floats in the stratosphere.

Harvard Geoengineers Want To Fake a Volcanic Eruption

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U.S. Faces Worst Drought Since 1956

Drought grips 55% of the US mainland causing a shortfall in crop production, with very low chances of it ending any time soon

The left vehicle shows the twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers, the center machine is the Sojourner rover, and the car-sized Curiosity is on the right.

NASA (and XBox Gamers) Prepare for Terrifyingly Hard Mars Landing

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The Messy History of Tacos

There’s so much more to the humble taco than meets the hungry North American consumer’s eye - or palate

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Sugar Placebo Pills Can Make You Feel Worse

Lurking in the shadows around any discussion of the placebo effect is its nefarious and lesser-known twin, the nocebo effect

3 Ways Emergency Preparedness Is Like Wedding Planning

Last week, the CDC released its Wedding Day Survival Plan, a document which reads like a natural disaster preparedness checklist

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These Adorable Lemurs Are On the Verge of Extinction

Lemurs are the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet

A mother’s DNA contains enough information to sequence a fetal genome.

Fetal Genome Sequenced Without Help From Daddy

Researchers now need only a blood sample from a pregnant mother to construct a fetus’ entire genome

Americans Are Really Bad At Living Green But Aren’t Too Upset About It

Americans are “confident that individual actions can help the environment,” while simultaneously, “trailing the rest of the world in sustainable behavior.”

$2 Million in Ivory Seized From Manhattan Jewelers

Two New York City jewelers, caught with $2 million worth of illegal ivory, plead guilty to charges of commercializing wildlife

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Super-Strong Solar Flare Bringing Northern Lights South

Clean Energy Can Come From Dirt

Forget wind, solar and even seaweed. Renewable energy is getting down and dirty…with dirt!

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Should We Kill Man-Eating Alligators?

Should we hunt down and kill man-eaters?

A Farm in New South Whales, Australia

Climate Skepticism Could Wipe Out Whole Towns in Australia

Stubborn climate skeptic hold-outs now face more than just the rest of the world’s scorn: Their towns might not be on the map in a few years

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People Wear Pants Because Cavalry Won Wars

Hubble telescope image from July 7, 2012 showing Pluto’s moon P5

Astronomers Find Pluto’s Fifth Moon

Blame Your Chicken Dinner for That Persistant Urinary Tract Infection

E. coli, the most common cause of urinary tract infections, has been growing resistant to antibiotics, and chickens may be to blame

For Coal Miners, Back to Black Lungs

In Sports, Winning Streaks Are Just Flukes

Winning streaks are engrained into our sports psyches, but are they actually a legitimate phenomoenon?

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Teach Yourself to Be Synesthetic: Hear Colors, See Sounds

A new study suggests that people may be able to teach themselves to have synesthetic experiences

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