November 2016

Ancient Rocks Hold Evidence for Life Before Oxygen

This is a microscopic image of 2.5 billion-year-old sulfur-oxidizing bacterium. Somewhere between Earth's creation …

Nitrogen in Ancient Rocks a Sign of Early Life

Scientists in Greenland excavating rocks that may hold 3.8-billion-year-old evidence of life. Credit: Laure Gauthiez …

Scientists have found the largest exposed fault on Earth

Pulau Banta island in the Banta Sea. Credit: Jialiang Gao/Wikimedia Geologists have for the first time seen and document…

What's up with Madagascar?

The Somali Plate Why are there volcanoes on an island that isn't near any tectonic boundaries? Madagascar, the big…

Ancient Seaweed Fossils Some of the Oldest of Multicellular Life

Chinggiskhaania bifurcata is the scientific name of one of the new kinds of multicellular algae recently found preserved …

Scientists Reveal the Likely Cause of Rare Southeast US Earthquakes

Researchers believe the quakes could be caused by pieces of the Earth's mantle breaking off and sinking into the plane…

Walking Whale’ Fossil Discovered In Peru’s Ocucaje Desert

Paleontologists in Peru have unearthed the fossil of a 40 million-year-old “walking whale.” Found in the Ocucaje Desert in s…

Mexico's Popocatepetl spews ash miles into the air

Popocatépetl volcano (archive photo) By CEDRIC DE ALICOQUE Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano surprised observers wit…

Subduction Zone Geometry: Mega-earthquake Risk Indicator

Subduction zone geometry: Mega-earthquake risk indicator Mega-earthquakes (with a magnitude greater than 8.5) mainly …

The World's Rarest Minerals Are Finally Cataloged

Nevadaite is one of the world’s rarest minerals. It is formed from the elements vanadium and copper under very specific a…

New Study Finds Water Deeper in Earth Than Scientists Previously Believed

Ringwoodite is thought to form between 410km and 660km beneath the Earth's surface Targeting mysteries of deep Ear…

Life in Earth's soils may be older than believed

Karijini National Park, Australia. The ancient soils from Australia's Pilbara region (west of Karijini National Park) …

The World’s Most Complex Crystal Never Repeats

A Ho-Mg-Zn icosahedral quasicrystal formed as a pentagonal dodecahedron, the dual of the icosahedron. Unlike the similar …

Asteroid Impacts Could Create Habitats for Life

Artist's reconstruction of Chicxulub crater soon after impact, 66 million years ago. DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE S…

Small earthquakes could help warn of the next big quake in Australia

Earthquake activity in our region since 1973, showing small clusters of seismically active regions near Perth, Adelaide …