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Geology

New Research

Some People’s Brains Can Sense Earth’s Magnetic Field—but No, It Doesn’t Mean We Have Magnetoreception ‘Superpowers’

A new experiment reveals signs our brains may respond to changes in Earth’s magnetic field, but it’s unclear whether it impacts behavior

Cool Finds

NASA Releases Opportunity Rover’s Final Panorama Photograph

The little Mars explorer was hit by a duststorm in June, 2018 and never recovered, but it did send back 354 images from on its final days

Cool Finds

The City of Chicago Is Sinking. Here’s Why

Ice sheets that receded 10,000 years ago are responsible for the Windy City dropping at least four inches over the last century

A mural titled "The Origin of Life on Earth" at NASA Ames Research Center. The mural depicts the formation of our planet and the conditions that led to the evolution of life.

Earth’s Rock Record Could Reveal the Motions of Other Planets

Studying the layers of Earth’s crust, scientists have created a “Geological Orrery” to measure planetary motions dating back hundreds of millions of years

New Research

Mars May Have Had a Planet-Wide System of Underground Lakes

A study of 24 craters shows they experienced the simultaneous rise and fall of groundwater, suggesting they were interconnected at one time

Cool Finds

Using Landmine Detectors, Meteorite Hunt Turns Up 36 Space Rocks in Antarctica

The scientists had a hunch that more meteorites were hidden a foot below the ice—they were right

The bluestone quarry at Carn Goedog.

New Research

Secrets of Stonehenge Found in Quarries 180 Miles Away

Archaeologists believe the builders popped out “ready-made” bluestones at a quarry in Wales and dragged them overland to Salisbury

During the early Triassic epoch, Washington, D.C. was situated in a massive supercontinent called Pangea

This Map Lets You Plug in Your Address to See How It’s Changed Over the Past 750 Million Years

The interactive tool enables users to home in on a specific location and visualize how it has evolved between the Cryogenian period and the present

A sculpture of Louise Arner Boyd alongside the subject herself. This bust is part of the Marin History Museum collection in Novata, California.

The Double Life of a California Socialite Who Became a Leading Arctic Explorer

In the early 20th century, Louise Arner Boyd lived as a philanthropist in the United States and a hero on the high seas

The Grand Canyon became a National Park in 1919.

How the Grand Canyon Transformed From a ‘Valueless’ Place to a National Park

Before the advent of geology as a science, the canyon was avoided. Now the popular park is celebrating its centennial year

Trending Today

Magnetic North Is Cruising Toward Siberia, Puzzling Scientists

It has drifted so far that scientists made an emergency revision to the World Magnetic Model

‘Frost Quakes’ May Have Caused Mysterious Booms in Chicago

The event happens when sudden temperature drops cause underground water to freeze and expand

Apollo 14 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. assembles equipment on the lunar surface on February 6, 1971.

Earth’s Oldest Known Rock May Have Been Found on the Moon

Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut in space, collected the rock sample during Apollo 14

The artist's concept depicts a comet-like tail of a possible disintegrating super Mercury-size planet candidate as it transits its parent star named KIC 12557548. At an orbital distance of only twice the diameter of its star, the surface temperature of the potential planet is estimated to be a sweltering 3,300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Disintegrating Planets Could Be the Key to Discovering What Worlds Are Made Of

Exoplanets that have been ripped apart by their host stars could provide an opportunity to measure the minerals of the galaxy

Trending Today

Images Show Landslide Likely Caused Indonesian Tsunami

Radar images appear to show the southwestern flank of the Anak Krakaktau volcano sheared off into the sea

Cars getting too close to the Fimmvörðuháls volcano in Iceland.

New Research

Tourists Are Getting Too Close to Volcanoes

Visitors to Iceland’s volcanoes are ignoring the rules, many to get the perfect selfie

Pine Island Glacier

New Research

Past Global Flood Shows Antarctica’s Ice Is More Fragile Than We Thought

Data indicates the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapsed after a small rise in temperature, meaning sea level could rise faster than predicted

Volcanic Lightning Could Help Geologists Monitor Eruptions

New study suggests spikes in lightning activity mark key changes during early stages of eruptions

Cool Finds

Newly Discovered Cave Could Be Among Canada’s Largest

The “Sarlacc Pit,” as its been informally dubbed, was discovered last spring during a caribou survey in British Columbia’s Wells Gray Provincial Park

An artists concept of the Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft collecting a sample from the asteroid Bennu.

Asteroid Sample-Return Mission Arrives to Collect Primordial Rocks of the Solar System

As the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrives at its target asteroid Bennu, scientists on the ground prepare for a new bounty of planetary samples

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