The SciencesDecember 2, 2010
Bacteria Use Arsenic as Basic Building Block in a Pinch
A bacterium has been discovered that can substitute arsenic for phosphorus in fundamental life chemistry. Christopher Intagliata reports
Extraterrestrial Life
EvolutionDecember 2, 2010
Poison Nil: Mono Lake Bacterium Exhibits Exotic Arsenic-Driven Biological Activity
A microbe in California's arsenic-rich lake can use the element, usually a poison, as a building block for DNA and other biomolecules
The Young American Scientists Issue—Read Now
December 1, 2010
It's Even More Full of Stars
The discovery that elliptical galaxies have many more red dwarf stars than the Milky Way means that the universe might have three times as many total stars as previously thought. Cynthia Graber reports
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2010
Astronomers Get First Peek at Atmosphere of a "Super-Earth" Exoplanet
New constraints on a relatively small extrasolar world are beginning to reveal what the planet is made of--and whether it looks anything like our own
Space & PhysicsDecember 1, 2010
Black Plants and Twilight Zones: New Evidence Prompts Rethinking of Extraterrestrial Life
Discoveries of distant planets are challenging theorists to think deeply about extraterrestrial life
Space & PhysicsNovember 29, 2010
How One Astronomer Became the Unofficial Exoplanet Record-Keeper
A Q&A with astronomer Jean Schneider, maintainer of the online The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia
The SciencesNovember 18, 2010
Don't leave it to the experts: Why scientists have a few people to thank!
Space & PhysicsNovember 11, 2010
NASA's Successor to Hubble Is $1.4 Billion Over Budget and 1 Year-Plus Behind Schedule, Inquiry Finds
Even in the best-case scenario, the future of the James Webb Space Telescope now looks worse than before
EvolutionNovember 9, 2010
Some like it hot: What is needed to kickstart life?
If heat is needed to kickstart life, water may be the only crucible, argues Philip Ball.
Space & PhysicsNovember 4, 2010
Architects Vie to Design the City of the Future--On the Moon [Slide Show]
The Moon Capital competition brought out new visions of lunar living, circa 2069
October 29, 2010
Search Unearths Plethora of Earth-Mass Planets
Analysis of 166 stars found almost a quarter--much more than expected--had small, rocky planets, which should force a change in thinking on the overall frequency of such bodies. Adam Hinterthuer reports
Space & PhysicsOctober 14, 2010
European astronomers unable to confirm rival team's potentially habitable planet