Stephanie Pappas

The ability of a gene to keep functioning despite mutations shows a surprising link to fundamental math.

A new type of chemistry performed at very cold temperatures on very small particles enables quick, precise reactions.

Black hair? Green eyes? More than 160 genes determine your coloration, and their interactions are incredibly complicated.

A type of immune cell that travels from the gut to the eyeballs may help to explain why some people with glaucoma continue to lose their vision after treatment.

Over 10,000 earthquakes have hit the Noto Peninsula over the last three years. They are believed to be emanating from an long-dead volcano, with fluids pushing through the collapsed system.

When a nuclear bomb goes off, the blast is only the beginning.

Researchers analyzing ancient deposits in Australia found evidence that Earth's layers started to get mixed up — a fingerprint of plate tectonics — about 1.3 billion years after the planet formed.

Much of the moon's surface is 200 million years older than previously estimated, a new analysis suggests.

Scientists detected a peculiar blob of heat-emitting material buried on the far side of the moon. The most likely culprit is a rock that is very rare outside of Earth.

Though Earth's innermost core is solid, new research suggests that it hosts a lot of variation.

Scientists have found a white dwarf that is cooling and crystallizing into a giant diamond.

Brilliant new signals from a far-off galaxy confirm that the system is anchored by a pair of black holes locked in a daring dance.

Compounds from 1.6 billion years ago reveal a microbial transition that set the stage for much of today's life on Earth.

The permafrost inside the Batagay crater is the second-oldest ever found on Earth and scientists are using it to reconstruct the planet's ancient climate.

A new search for extraterrestrial life has scientists looking inward — toward the center of our galaxy.

The risk of a kilometer-scale asteroid hitting Earth in the next millennium is really low. Phew.

The discovery of a gene variant that protects against an early, insidious form of Alzheimer's could lead to new treatments for the disease.

An apparent meteorite crashed into a bedroom in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, on Monday (May 8). A scientific analysis confirmed its extraterrestrial origin.

Strange sea creatures called ctenophores have a fused nerve net where scientists expected to see synapses. Did they evolve their nervous system separately from other animals?

A new version of the human reference genome incorporates genetic data from 47 individuals from around the globe, deepening scientists' view into how genes work.

A reanalysis of Voyager data suggests that four of Uranus moons may have oceans tucked between their cores and icy crusts.

Advanced alien civilizations could probably already tell that there's intelligent life on Earth, thanks to our cell phone towers.

A phallus-shaped iceberg hovered off the coast of Dildo, Newfoundland in Conception Bay before collapsing.

An increase in a certain kind of high-frequency wave in dying brains might be associated with last-minute conscious experiences, but scientists don't know for sure.