Articles by Nicoletta Lanese, Live Science Staff Writer

Nicoletta Lanese is a staff writer for Live Science covering health and medicine, along with an assortment of biology, animal, environment and climate stories. She holds degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her work has appeared in The Scientist Magazine, Science News, The San Jose Mercury News and Mongabay, among other outlets.

Articles by: Nicoletta Lanese

A Triceratops prorsus munches on plants while two small mammals sit in the underbrush. Nearby, a softshell turtle climbs up on a log, unaware that its ecosystem will shelter it from the impending doom of a major asteroid impact.

Mammals were already poised to take over the world before the dino-killing asteroid struck

By Nicoletta Lanese published 19 December 22

Ancient mammals were better adapted than nonavian dinosaurs to survive the Chicxulub asteroid impact.

black, mineral-filled water shown spewing out of a hydrothermal vent that a robot is collecting samples from

Massive expanse of towering hydrothermal vents discovered deep in the Pacific

By Nicoletta Lanese published 14 August 22

Scientists found a huge field of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise.

Is there really a huge ozone hole over the tropics? One study says yes, but experts disagree with the findings.

Claims of new 'tropical ozone hole' raise controversy

By Nicoletta Lanese published 17 July 22

Scientists debate claims of an ozone hole over the tropics.

In January, one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in modern history took place in the Pacific.

Record-breaking Tonga volcano generated the fastest atmospheric waves ever seen

By Nicoletta Lanese published 6 July 22

The massive eruption from the underwater Tonga volcano earlier this year generated a blast so powerful, it sent the fastest pressure waves ever observed in our atmosphere rippling around the globe.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Scientists uncover the largest crater on Earth under 100,000 years old

By Nicoletta Lanese published 2 March 22

A crescent-shaped crater in Northeast China holds the record as the largest impact crater on Earth that formed in the last 100,000 years.

This video clip shows the height of the volcanic plume generated by the underwater volcano known as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai.

Tonga underwater volcano eruption shattered two records

By Nicoletta Lanese published 27 February 22

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted last month.

These bits of rock and dust were gathered from the C-type asteroid Ryugu by the spacecraft Hayabusa2.

Bits of asteroid Ryugu are among 'most primordial' materials ever examined

By Nicoletta Lanese published 20 December 21

Two new studies reveal surprising features of the asteroid Ryugu.

conceptual image of earth from space with only ocean visible

Earth's 1st continents arose hundreds of millions of years earlier than thought

By Nicoletta Lanese published 11 November 21

A new study hints at when and how Earth's first continents appeared.

illustration of an earth-like planet orbited by a moon with a star in the background

NASA needs a new telescope, ASAP, to find Earth's twin

By Nicoletta Lanese published 8 November 21

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine say that finding Earth-like worlds should be a priority.

La Cumbre Vieja, a volcano in La Palma, shooting lava fountains into the air

La Palma volcano spews lava hundreds of feet in the air, but don't expect a 'mega-tsunami'

By Nicoletta Lanese published 21 September 21

Thousands of tremors shook the island in the week before the eruption occurred.

A satellite view of then-Tropical Storm Ida in the Atlantic Ocean as seen on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021.

Storm Ida could slam into Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane

By Nicoletta Lanese last updated 28 August 21

Tropical storm Ida is gaining strength as it barrels through the Caribbean Sea and is expected to be a "dangerous major hurricane" when it slams into the northern Gulf Coast on Sunday (Aug. 29).

An illustration depicts Titan's dense yellowish atmosphere above a river of methane on the moon surface

Moon-in-a-jar recreates the hazy atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon

By Nicoletta Lanese published 27 August 21

A new experiment recreated Titan in small glass cylinders.

Timelapse shows the Pine Island Glacier flowing towards the sea as chunks of its ice shelf break off into the water

Dramatic images capture rapid slide of Antarctic glacier

By Nicoletta Lanese published 27 June 21

Scientists studied the acceleration using high-res radar images, captured by satellites.

Fragment of asteroid 2018 LA recovered in Central Kalahari Game Reserve in central Botswana.

Meteorite that landed in Botswana tracked to its birthplace in the asteroid belt

By Nicoletta Lanese published 28 April 21

The space rock fragments originally came from Vesta, scientists concluded.

Satellite image of the continental U.S. with a red circle drawn near the Florida coast, indicating the location of a fireball that crossed the sky off the east coast

Fireball meteor burns up over South Florida

By Nicoletta Lanese published 13 April 21

The meteor was spotted at about 10 p.m. local time on April 12.

An artist's rendering of a massive airburst barreling into Antarctica - looks like a big plume of fire crashing into the ice

Fiery 'airburst' of superheated gas slammed into Antarctica 430,000 years ago

By Nicoletta Lanese published 3 April 21

Scientists found evidence of the impact on a mountaintop.

The Earth's moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-sized object, called Theia, slammed into the early Earth 4.5 billion years ago, blasting out material that later coalesced in to a large satellite as depicted in this artist's illustration. A new analysis of lunar rocks adds new support to this Giant Impact Hypothesis.

A remnant of a protoplanet may be hiding inside Earth

By Nicoletta Lanese published 30 March 21

A protoplanet called Theia crashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago.

The left image shows the Houston area in the middle of the night on Feb. 7, before a potent arctic weather system hit the state. The right image shows the power outages still occuring on Feb. 16.

Disastrous Houston blackouts captured from space

By Nicoletta Lanese published 20 February 21

More than one million people lost power in the Houston area.

This image, taken from the International Space Station, shows Earth's glowing, colorful aurora alongside lights coming from the cities on our planet's surface down below. When electrically-charged particles from the sun interact with gases in Earth's ionosphere, they create visual displays called auroras.

What is the ionosphere? (And who is Steve?)

By Nicoletta Lanese published 8 February 21

A concentration of plasma in the Earth's atmosphere, called the ionosphere, interacts with solar winds, ultraviolet radiation and radio waves.

New radar image of the Apollo 15 landing site, located with respect to prominent lunar features

Apollo 15 landing site is strikingly clear in image captured from Earth

By Nicoletta Lanese published 6 February 21

Scientists used powerful radar signals to capture the image.

Photo of antarctic mountains near a body of water

Martian mineral, rare on Earth, found locked in Antarctic ice

By Nicoletta Lanese published 1 February 21

The mineral likely formed from dust trapped in the ice.

The coastline of the Bykovsky Peninsula in the central Laptev Sea, Siberia

'Zombie' greenhouse gas lurks in permafrost beneath the Arctic Ocean

By Nicoletta Lanese published 1 January 21

Experts say we need to improve our patchy knowledge of subsea permafrost.

On Nov. 18, 2020, a bright green meteor streaked across the night sky near CSIRO’s research vessel Investigator, which is currently stationed in the Tasman Sea, off the southern coast of Tasmania, Australia.

Fireballs, spaceships and … iguanas? 7 strange things that fell from the sky in 2020

By Nicoletta Lanese published 29 December 20

Here's a list of 7 intriguing objects — and a few reptiles — that made headlines for falling from the sky.

An image taken from the International Space Station of a crewed Soyuz capsule launching to visit the facility on Sept. 25, 2019.

10 Things That Blasted Through Space in 2019

By Nicoletta Lanese published 24 December 19

… and sometimes crashed to Earth.

Why Does Tesla's Cybertruck Look Like It Belongs In A Low-Res Video Game?

By Nicoletta Lanese published 24 November 19

Elon Musk unveiled his new Cybertruck, and boy does it look … unique.

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