Latest articles by Stephanie Pappas
Almost half of California's faults — including San Andreas — are overdue for earthquakes
California's earthquakes are far more likely to be "overdue" compared with earthquakes in the rest of the world.
Alan Turing's seminal papers, almost destroyed by a shredder, head to auction
The trove of papers from pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing was discovered in a loft.
Hidden layer beneath Italy's Campi Flegrei caldera may explain why it's so restless
According to new research, the active volcano that sits west of Naples has a "tuff" layer about two miles beneath the surface that traps volcanic gases deep below the caldera's floor.
The history of cat domestication
Discover the history of our feline friends, and learn about the debate over whether cats are really "domesticated" at all.
Aliens: Facts about extraterrestrial life and how scientists are looking for it
Discover interesting facts about where alien life forms are likely to exist, and what they look like.
See the best Milky Way photos of the year
Mind-boggling beauty abounds in photographs from around the globe submitted to this year's Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest.
150,000-year history of Earth's magnetic field reveals clues about the climate when early humans were spreading out of Africa
The record sheds light on the climate early humans experienced when they were spreading out of Africa.
Gigantic 'mud waves' buried deep beneath the ocean floor reveal dramatic formation of Atlantic when Africa and South America finally split
Enormous "mud waves" buried under the Atlantic seabed formed 117 million years ago as the Atlantic Ocean opened up.
First-of-its-kind video captures the terrifying moment the ground tore apart during major Myanmar earthquake
A security camera near Thazi, Myanmar, captured the earth cracking during a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in March.
Yosemite's ultra-deep canyon may have been carved in part by a ghost volcano and river, provocative research suggests
A river that drained the slopes of a now-vanished volcano may have carved Yosemite Valley's depths during the last 10 million years.
People really can communicate with just their eyes, study finds
New research reveals how humans communicate through their gaze.
'The Big One' could rock the Pacific Northwest and fuel sea-level rise and massive flooding
The geology of the Cascadia subduction zone has largely staved off climate-related sea-level rise in the Pacific Northwest, but that could reverse in an instant.
Simple blood test could help reveal whether melanoma will come back
A new study finds that fragments of tumor DNA in a patient's bloodstream could show that they are at high risk of a melanoma recurrence.
Measles has long-term health consequences
Measles can erase the immune system's "memory" and cause a rare but fatal health condition. The MMR vaccine prevents these repercussions, evidence shows.
An ocean of magma formed early in Earth's history and it may still influence our planet today, study finds
Remnants of a liquid layer of magma near Earth's core, formed in the first few hundred million years of the planet's history, may still persist today as odd anomalies in the mantle.
Climate change: Facts about our warming planet
Discover important facts about what climate change is, what's causing it, and what we can do to stop it.
Study reveals 'flawed argument' in debate over when plate tectonics began
You don't need plate tectonics to get continental crust that looks modern, a new study finds.
Massive magma eruptions may have ripped Africa and South America apart
Huge outpourings of magma accompanied the split between South America and Africa 135 million years ago.
Jaw-dropping NASA image reveals a dying star at the heart of the Helix Nebula — and it may have just murdered a planet
A new view of the Helix Nebula reveals a dying white dwarf star at the nebula's center. This star's violent eating habits could be responsible for strange X-ray emissions in the region.
Cats: Facts about our feline friends
Discover interesting facts about cat intelligence, how they see the world, and why we keep them around.
Chickens sprouted dino-like feathers when scientists messed with the Sonic Hedgehog gene
Scientists uncovered a key genetic pathway in the origin of feathers, but they found that evolution is stubborn in turning back the clock.
Biological secrets of world's oldest woman, Maria Branyas Morera, revealed after death
A study of a woman who died in 2024 as the oldest person on Earth attempts to untangle the factors that enable some people to ward off disease in old age.
