Stories by Stephanie Pappas

Fish fossils from Western Australia preserve the oldest 3-D hearts, livers, stomachs and intestines in a jawed vertebrate

Nanotubes may provide a cunning answer to the mystery of how the virus that causes COVID infects neurons and produces long-lasting neurological symptoms

New research suggests there are 14 percent more tree species out there than previously believed

Why some tornadoes are able to travel so far and persist so long

The surprising find has never shown up in nature before and reveals secrets about the earth’s mantle

Tiny pockets of fluid inside imperfect diamonds show how Earth changed

The “slow slip” event preceded a devastating 1861 quake of at least magnitude 8.5 in Sumatra

After a record-setting year for hurricanes and wildfires, the insurance industry is grappling with the role of our climate emergency in estimating local disaster damages

Images from the Event Horizon Telescope reveal new details of how supermassive black holes produce huge jets of matter and energy

Sound waves from fin whales can help scientists probe Earth’s crust

The reptiles scale trees with a technique never before observed in any snake

The sheer scale of buildings, infrastructure and other anthropogenic objects underscores our impact on the planet

A new way of measuring the temperature of the seas could fill in gaps left by limited direct monitoring

Assigning a cause of death is never straightforward, but data on excess deaths suggest coronavirus death tolls are likely an underestimate

Every species of amphibian tested in a new study had the ability to fluoresce under blue or ultraviolet light

Its caldera’s dramatic, surprisingly slow collapse could point to other risks worldwide

Climate change is already rotting archaeological sites in the Arctic, and Norse Viking-era settlements are at high risk

Fish that are so small and shy that they escape attention may be the foundation of reefs’ outsize productivity

The discovery helps explain why pyroclastic flows can travel so far, so fast

The chytrid fungus has hit 500 species of amphibians, driving dozens to extinction in recent decades

Remote techniques can detect signs of active testing—but they don’t tell us everything

Tons of dumped nets and other fishing equipment are strangling animals and habitats

The hitch, likely only a temporary one, could be linked to certain volcanic features

Droughts, melting ice and rising seas linked to anthropogenic climate change are altering the planet’s motions