Engineering
Watch Out for These Science Events in 2020
A Mars invasion, a climate meeting and human–animal hybrids are set to shape the research agenda
Stories by Nature
Computing
Artificial Intelligence Nails Predictions of Earthquake Aftershocks
A neural-network analysis outperforms the method scientists typically use to work out where these tremors will strike
Environment
Corals in a Hurricane: Deep Reefs under Threat
More than 30 meters below the surface of the ocean lies the "twilight zone." The coral reefs that grow here are complex ecosystems, but they may be under threat from extreme weather events...
Physics
Life of a Legend
Science mourns the death of physicist and icon of science Stephen Hawking
Space
India Gears Up for Second Moon Mission
The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, lander and rover will track how lunar dust might scupper settlement
Physics
Quantum Machine Goes in Search of the Higgs Boson
D-Wave system shows quantum computers can learn to detect particle signatures in mountains of data, but doesn’t outpace conventional methods — yet
Space
Jupiter's Stormy Winds Churn Deep into the Planet
Juno probe discovers surprising activity in the giant planet’s interior
Medicine
Sleeping Sickness Can Now be Cured with Pills
Researchers are seeking approval from regulators for this quicker, easier treatment
Conservation
The Ambitious Effort to Document California's Changing Deserts
Ecologists catalogue bird and mammal populations as warming transforms Death Valley
Natural Disasters
Risk of Human-Triggered Earthquakes Laid Out in Biggest-Ever Database
Geologists track hundreds of quakes caused by people and the projects that set them off
Biotech
Chinese Scientists Fix Genetic Disorder in Cloned Human Embryos
The intricate work hints at a cure for a blood disease
Physics
European Detector Spots Its First Gravitational Wave
Black hole merger pinpointed with record accuracy by the LIGO and Virgo observatories
Policy & Ethics
What Germany’s Election Results Mean for Science
New coalition could face battles over gene editing and climate regulations
Evolution
Fossilized Poo Reveals Vegetarian Dinosaurs Had a Taste for Crabs
Ancient crustaceans in dino dung from Utah illuminate herbivores’ broad diet
Physics
Pair of Deadly Mexico Quakes Puzzles Scientists
Latest big tremor could be linked to major earthquake earlier this month
Climate
Limiting Global Warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius May Still Be Possible
Analysis suggests researchers may have underestimated how much carbon humanity can emit, although critics disagree
Policy & Ethics
U.K. Gender-Equality Program Spreads across the World
U.S. plans to try a version covering race and disability; other countries have already embraced the voluntary rating system
EARTH
Global Fingerprints of Sea Level Rise Revealed by Satellites
Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes
Evolution
Wallaby Milk Acts as a Placenta for Babies
Gene-expression analysis suggests that marsupial placentas take two different forms
Medical & Biotech
Geneticists Pan Paper That Claims to Predict a Person's Face from DNA
Reviewers and a co-author of a paper by genomics entrepreneur Craig Venter claim that it misrepresents the risks of public access to genome data
