Space
Gravitational Waves from Black Hole Megamergers Are Weaker Than Predicted
A search for low-frequency “hums” from supermassive black holes comes up empty
Stories by Shannon Hall
Environment
A River Once Ran through the Sahara [Graphic]
In full flow it would rank 11th among the largest rivers today
Climate
Earth Is Tipping Because of Climate Change
Melting ice and shifting rain patterns are causing the north and south poles to drift
Space
Martian Mile-High Mounds Mystery: The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind
Mountains thrusting from Red Planet crater floors were probably dug by billion-year breezes
Space
Mysterious Gravitational Tug on Saturn May Help Find Planet Nine
Astronomers are homing in on the whereabouts of a hidden giant planet in our solar system, and could discover the unseen beast in roughly a year
The Sciences
Yellowstone's Supervolcano Gets a Lid
The giant volcano lurking under the state of Wyoming might not have originated from a rising plume of hot rock, as previously thought
Space
Exoplanet Census Suggests Earth Is Special after All
A new tally proposes that roughly 700 quintillion terrestrial exoplanets are likely to exist across the observable universe—most vastly different from Earth
Sustainability
Mercury Splatters the Central U.S.
Rainfall in the Rocky Mountains shows a surprisingly high amount of mercury, worrying scientists about what’s to come
Space
Comets May Not Explain "Alien Megastructure" Star's Strange Flickering after All
Scientists are still searching for what's behind the perceived dimming of Tabby's Star
The Sciences
The World's Grandest Canyon May Be Hidden beneath Antarctica
Newly discovered giant rifts and lakes mean that ice sheets could become surprisingly unstable as climate changes
Mind
Investment Bankers Severely Dissociate Their Sense of Self from Their Work
The behavior is so extreme, researchers have coined a new term for it
Space
Our Solar System Is Overflowing with Liquid Water [Graphic]
The confirmed oceans alone add up to 50 times the amount of water on Earth
Sustainability
A Turning Point in Combating Climate Change May Be Here
Investigations against oil and coal companies raise optimism for a cleaner future
Space
Hawaii's Telescope Controversy Is the Latest in a Long History of Land-Ownership Battles
The current standoff between Native Hawaiian protesters and proponents of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) can take some lessons from similar disputes in the past
The Sciences
Archaeologists Survey Seaplanes Sunk During Pearl Harbor Attack
Better equipment, visibility allow University of Hawaii researchers to map and photograph planes lost during the December 7, 1941 bombing
Environment
Geologists Confirm Mantle Plumes Generate Volcanic Hotspots
Scans reveal 28 mantle plumes rising from Earth’s core—the first direct evidence that these columns of heat create hotspots
Space
Astronomers Indirectly Spot Neutrinos Released Just 1 Second after the Birth of the Universe
The cosmic neutrino background could provide more details about the universe as it once was
Space
5 Reasons to Thank Your Lucky Constants This Thanksgiving
As you dig into those mashed potatoes, be grateful the universe’s physical constants are so precise that a slight variation in any one would render that drumstick—and even your existence—impossible...
Space
The Case of the Disappearing Quasars
A dozen quasars in the early universe appear to have shut down in just a few years, baffling astronomers
Tech
Little Fusion, Deep Learning and Other World Changing Ideas [Video]
Video talks (and one audio interview) with the scientists behind four transformative innovations
