For over 165 years, scientists have puzzled over a strange fossil called Prototaxites. Even its appearance was unusual. It stood up to 26 feet tall, and resembled a towering tree with no leaves. These curious lifeforms appeared during the late Silurian period, around 400 million years ago. Found among early ferns and horsetails, they lacked branches
The phenomenon will culminate with a spectacular view from many parts of Iberia. This will be the first total solar eclipse visible from mainland Europe in over 27 years, providing a rare opportunity to witness the Moon completely obscuring the Sun. All are visible from Spanish soil and from small parts of northeastern Portugal. So,
Planets go through different life stages: They form, evolve and eventually meet an end. But the timelines for these processes differ widely between Earth-like planets and worlds that orbit less-powerful stars. So, how long do most planets last? First, it’s important to understand the life cycles of planets. You may like Sign up for our
The traditional understanding is that the center of our galaxy is dominated by a supermassive black hole. The “supermassive” part isn’t a mere superlative; your typical black hole that forms from the explosive death of a star weighs up to dozens of times than the Sun, while a supermassive one like the Milky Way’s Sagittarius
Neuroscience has never been richer in data. Laboratories now generate detailed recordings of neural activity, behavior and physiology across species at scales unimaginable a decade ago. In rodents, researchers can monitor thousands of neurons simultaneously across distributed circuits during behavior. In humans, they can record from deep brain structures during ambulatory, real-world behavior, integrated with
Today (Feb. 17), an annular solar eclipse will commence its journey across a remote region of Antarctica where it will be visible to more penguins than people. The partial solar eclipse portion of the event will be visible to observers in parts of southern Africa and the southern tip of South America. You can keep
A 2012 satellite image has revealed a striking atmospheric illusion unfolding above the Pacific Ocean. The image, taken by NASA’s Terra satellite, shows two luminous streaks running parallel to each other near Guadalupe Island, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) off Mexico’s western coast. At first glance, they resemble twin rainbows suspended over a sea of
In 2023, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission delivered samples of the 4.6-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu to Earth. Upon examining them, scientists discovered that the asteroid – which existed when the Solar System was in the earliest phase of its formation – contained amino acids, the fundamental building blocks of life as we know it. These acids are responsible
Scientists may have found the first evidence of underground tunnels lurking beneath the surface of Venus, carved by the planet’s ancient volcanic activity. A team of researchers from the University of Trento spotted what appears to be an underground lava tube on Venus, the first subsurface feature ever detected on the volcanic world. The findings,
It’s one of the most instantly recognizable scenes in cinematic history: Luke Skywalker gazes at a double sunset to the haunting melody of a mournful French horn. And while “Star Wars” may take place in a galaxy far, far away, planets orbiting binary stars actually do exist in the Milky Way. Yet mysteriously, there are