Smudges on images could be clouds that form at dawn and dusk, scientists report, and measurements of high reflectivity of Pluto’s “heart” add new evidence of a geologically young surface.
JoAnna Wendel
JoAnna Wendel is a freelance science writer and cartoonist. She covers topics ranging from the geology of faraway moons to the behavior of animals in our oceans. She served as a staff writer for Eos from 2014 to 2018, then worked in communications in NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division. JoAnna is now freelancing full time as a writer and artist.
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Map Reveals Hot Spots for Arctic Greenhouse Gas Emissions
By bringing together data on permafrost stability, soils, and other Arctic conditions, scientists have plotted where permafrost is vulnerable to collapse, which could release long-stored carbon.
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Rock-Chomping Bees Burrow into Sandstone
A previously unknown species of rock-excavating bees, discovered 40 years ago but not reported in the scientific literature, finally gets the spotlight.
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Scientists Solve Charon's Red Mystery
Why are Charon's poles dusted with reddish material?
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Scientists Get First Glimpse of Solar Wind as It Forms
Using computer-processed images from Sun-watching satellites, scientists observed solar wind emerging from the Sun's corona.
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Delayed Launch Approved for Next Mars Mission
NASA has set a new 2018 launch date for a spacecraft to probe the Red Planet's interior, after instrument failure hobbled preparations for the mission.
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New Findings Suggest Dwarf Planet Ceres Is Geologically Active
Cryovolcanoes, landslides, and water ice all point to current activity, researchers found.
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Subterranean Caverns Hold Clues to Past Droughts
Cave formations offer highly resolved paleoclimate data that scientists plan to use to reconstruct California's ancient patterns of drought.
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Closest Ever Terrestrial Exoplanet Found, Habitability Debated
Researchers are excited about a new, potentially habitable exoplanet orbiting our closest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri.
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Urban Micrometeorites No Longer a Myth
After sifting through urban debris for 6 years, one scientist unearthed cosmic dust—confirming a long-held myth about urban micrometeorites.