Latest articles by Stephanie Pappas
China reveals secrets of 1st sample taken from the far side of the moon — and it contains a volcanic surprise
Active volcanoes were erupting on the far side of the moon 2.8 billion years ago, the first lunar samples returned from the far side reveal. 1
Weird mystery waves that baffle scientists may be 'everywhere' inside Earth's mantle
Structures that scatter seismic waves deep in Earth's mantle seem to be everywhere researchers look.
Scientists drill longest-ever piece of Earth's mantle from underwater mountain near 'Lost City'
Scientists just pulled the longest hunk of Earth's mantle from beneath the ocean.
Earth's plate tectonics fired up hundreds of millions of years earlier than we thought, ancient crystals reveal
New research hints that plate tectonics began earlier than 4 billion years ago — not long after Earth had formed.
Boiling rocks from Earth's crust tore an ocean into Mongolia 410 million years ago
An ocean that opened up in what is now Mongolia 410 million years ago was created by a hot upwelling of rock known as a mantle plume.
Aurora-like STEVE phenomenon has a 'secret twin' that appears only before dawn, study finds
An atmospheric phenomenon known as STEVE has a secret twin that appears before the break of dawn and flows in the opposite direction, new research finds.
'We are approaching the tipping point': Marker for the collapse of key Atlantic current discovered
A vital Atlantic current that includes the Gulf Stream and keeps our climate in check may be giving off a warning sign of collapse.
The sun may be smaller than we thought
New calculations suggest the sun is a few fractions of a percent smaller than previously estimated, and that could change how we study it.
Distorted crystals use 'pseudogravity' to bend light like black holes do
Researchers have used a special crystal to bend the trajectory of light like a black hole would, a phenomenon known as 'pseudogravity.'
Scientists discover ghost of ancient mega-plate that disappeared 20 million years ago
A long-lost tectonic plate dubbed 'Pontus' that was a quarter of the size of the Pacific Ocean was discovered by chance by scientists studying ancient rocks in Borneo.
China discovers never-before-seen ore containing a highly valuable rare earth element
A new ore, dubbed niobobaotite, was discovered in Inner Mongolia's Bayan Obo deposit.
World's 1st mountaintop impact crater discovered in northeastern China
A two-peaked mountain in northeastern China is the site of the world's first confirmed mountaintop crater.
Fountains of diamonds erupt from Earth's center as supercontinents break up
Researchers have discovered a pattern where diamonds spew from deep beneath Earth's surface in huge, explosive volcanic eruptions.
'Quantum superchemistry' observed for the 1st time ever
A new type of chemistry performed at very cold temperatures on very small particles enables quick, precise reactions.
Swirls of liquid iron may be trapped inside Earth's 'solid' core
Though Earth's innermost core is solid, new research suggests that it hosts a lot of variation.
This collapsed star is turning into an gigantic diamond before our eyes
Scientists have found a white dwarf that is cooling and crystallizing into a giant diamond.
Repeated signals from the center of the Milky Way could be aliens saying hello, new study claims
A new search for extraterrestrial life has scientists looking inward — toward the center of our galaxy.
Skyscraper-size asteroid will get closer to Earth than the moon on March 25
Asteroid 2023 DZ2 will zip between Earth and the moon's orbit on March 25 and may be visible with the right telescope.
Bright new comet discovered zooming toward the sun could outshine the stars next year
The newly discovered comet C/2023 A3 is making a close approach around the sun for the first time in 80,000 years, and might be as bright as a star in fall 2024.
NASA rover snaps photos of ancient 'waves' carved into Mars mountainside
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has photographed clear signs of ripples locked into a Martian rock, a sign of an ancient lake on the Red Planet's surface.
'Pristine' meteorite contaminated with table salt upon crash landing on Earth
The Winchcombe meteorite was collected mere hours after it fell, but researchers have found that it was already contaminated with earthly minerals, including common table salt.
Scientists created a weird new type of ice that is almost exactly as dense as water
Researchers have created a never-before-seen form of ice with a disorganized structure and a density almost exactly that of liquid water.
Rare, 'rule-breaking' quasicrystal found in chunk of 'fossilized' lightning
A type of crystal that breaks the rules of ordinary crystallography has been found in a tube of melted sand from Nebraska.
