Science Spotlight: Discover the research changing our understanding of the world

Fifty years after a fossil skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis was unearthed in Ethiopia, we know so much more about how this iconic species lived and died.

Emerging evidence suggests that plate tectonics, or the recycling of Earth's crust, may have begun much earlier than previously thought — and may be a big reason that our planet harbors life.

The Heiltsuk of British Columbia are using a mix of traditional principles and modern implementation to protect salmon and bears in their territory.

A complex picture of how Neanderthals died out, and the role that modern humans played in their disappearance, is emerging.

Climate change will fundamentally challenge the world's urban centers. Three cities — San Diego, Milan and Jakarta — offer lessons for how to adapt to a warming planet.

Scientists are getting very close to bringing a few iconic species, like woolly mammoths and dodos, back from extinction. That may not be a good thing.

Microbiologists are on a quest to unravel a rare phenomenon involved in antibiotic resistance and how it may change our understanding of infections.

Doctors are pulling out new techniques and drugs in an effort to cure devastating brain infections.

The question of what defines a species has vexed scientists across the ages, particularly in conservation, where decisions require a firm understanding of biodiversity.

Astronomers have been scouring the outer solar system for signs of a hypothetical ninth planet for almost a decade, without success. However, we may finally be on the cusp of finding it, experts say.