How rock expands near soil surface in Southern Sierra Nevada
Weathering of subsurface rock in the Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California occurs due more to rocks expanding than from chemical decomposition.
Read moreOrigin of Life
Dust from a giant asteroid crash caused an ancient ice age
About 466 million years ago, long before the age of the dinosaurs, the Earth froze. The seas began to ice over at the Earth's poles, and new species evolved with the new temperatures. The cause of this ice age was a mystery, until now: a new study argues that the ice age was caused by global cooling, triggered by extra dust in the atmosphere from a giant asteroid collision in outer space.
Read moreResearchers mix RNA and DNA to study how life's process began billions of years ago
RNA World is a fascinating theory but it may not hold true. The problem is that the ingredients, such as enzymes, to make RNA World work just didn't exist on early Earth.
Read moreVictorian hog deer genetics revealed
Australian researchers looking for a genetic lifeline to endangered hog deer species endemic to Pakistan, northern India and mainland southeast Asia have found widespread hybridization of the species in Victoria.
Read moreNew species of giant salamander is world's biggest amphibian
Using DNA from museum specimens collected in the early 20th century, researchers identified two new species of giant salamander — one of which they suspect is the world's biggest amphibian.
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