Science
The discovery of a system with seven “Earth-like” exoplanets
By Bryan Dyne, 24 February 2017
The discovery of the new planetary system was based on collaboration towards a common goal whose driving force was the pursuit of knowledge, not the amassing of personal wealth.
Federal employees resist administration attempts to impose media gags
By Bryan Dyne, 3 February 2017
Scientists at various government agencies are concerned that any mention of climate science will be silenced.
Nuclear winter—the long-suppressed reality of nuclear war
An interview with scientist and anti-nuclear activist Steven Starr
By Bryan Dyne, 19 January 2017
The World Socialist Web Site recently interviewed Steven Starr, an expert on the dangers of nuclear war.
Some significant scientific developments of 2016
By Joe Mount, 4 January 2017
Scientific advances during the past year shed light on a variety of topics, from the nature of space and time to the increasingly dire state of Earth’s environment.
Great Barrier Reef suffering worst-ever coral bleaching
By Bryan Dyne, 30 December 2016
Global warming has caused the worst destruction of corals ever recorded on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
Planet Earth II: David Attenborough narrates the dramas of life a second time
By Bryan Dyne, 16 December 2016
The BBC documentary explores how life has evolved and adapted across islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands and cities.
New dinosaur discovery in Myanmar includes feathers
By Matthew MacEgan, 13 December 2016
Researchers recently discovered a dinosaur tail encased within a chunk of amber where its bones, muscle, ligaments, skin, and feathers remain intact.
Record-low sea ice as Arctic temperatures soar
By Daniel de Vries, 22 November 2016
Never since satellite monitoring began in the late 1970s has such little ice covered the polar seas this time of year.
Vertebrate species populations in dramatic decline
By Philip Guelpa, 1 November 2016
A study by the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London projects that by 2020 vertebrate species populations will have dropped by two thirds since 1970.
ExoMars mission has both success and failure
By Bryan Dyne, 21 October 2016
The Trace Gas Orbiter successfully entered orbit but data indicates that the Schiaparelli probe crash-landed.
Rosetta spacecraft completes mission with crash landing into comet
By Bryan Dyne, 14 October 2016
The past two years of data from Rosetta have provided an unprecedented understanding of comets and the formation of our Solar System.
Nobel Prize in physics awarded for discoveries about condensed states of matter
By Bryan Dyne, 8 October 2016
The combination of the mathematics of topology and condensed matter physics is expected to lead directly to new types of materials and electronics.
New fossil discovery may date origin of life on Earth earlier than previously known
By Philip Guelpa, 27 September 2016
The discovery of what appear to be stromatolites dating to 3.7 billion years ago in southwestern Greenland suggests that life first evolved in the first 500 million years after Earth’s formation.
Warming of Earth proceeding at unprecedented pace
By Bryan Dyne, 3 September 2016
Temperature records from ice cores and sediments show that the current rate of global warming is faster than at any point in the past millennium.
Potentially Earth-like planet found in habitable zone of nearest star
By Don Barrett, 27 August 2016
The main differences between Earth and the newly discovered Proxima b are the very different physical characteristics of their respective parents’ stars.
Astronomers reveal most detailed map of galaxy distribution
By Joe Mount, 15 August 2016
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey has enabled scientists to make the most precise measurements yet of dark energy and the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe.
The anti-scientific character of “race” as a concept
By Philip Guelpa, 3 August 2016
A recent article in Science correctly demands the expulsion of race as a category from the study of human genetics.
One year since the New Horizons flyby of Pluto
By Bryan Dyne, 15 July 2016
During the past year, the NASA spacecraft has sent back images showing canyons, plains, mountains and evidence for liquid water on Pluto.
Juno spacecraft enters orbit around Jupiter
By Bryan Dyne, 5 July 2016
Juno’s mission will reveal the interior structure of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and answer significant questions about its formation.
Further steps in finding an Earth-like planet outside the solar system
By Bryan Dyne, 29 June 2016
The prospects of finding another planet similar to our own are steadily increasing.
Recent developments in science: Particle physics, climate science, galactic astronomy
Evidence hints at existence of fourth neutrino
By our reporters, 24 June 2016
If the discovery is confirmed, the fourth type of neutrino would be a new fundamental particle, one not currently described by the standard theories of particle physics.
Were Neanderthals architects?
By Philip Guelpa, 14 June 2016
Architectural features dating from over 176,000 years ago, found deep in a French cave, may have been built by Neanderthals.
El Niño and the acceleration of global warming
By Matthew MacEgan, 1 June 2016
The abnormally warm ocean waters caused by El Niño induce much more extreme weather patterns than normal, including droughts, cyclones, and floods.
Study warns of potentially catastrophic impacts from Antarctic ice melt
By Daniel de Vries, 5 April 2016
New research estimates that unabated warming may double the rate of expected sea level rise to nearly 2 meters by century’s end.
Recent developments in science: oceanography, neuroscience, planetary astronomy
Scientists use gravity to map Earth’s ocean floor
By our reporters, 18 March 2016
Previously undiscovered features found include an underwater mountain range in the Gulf of Mexico, a major fault line in the South Atlantic Ocean, many smaller hill-like features on the ocean floor and thousands of previously unknown underwater mountains and volcanoes.
New technologies expand knowledge of early art in North America
By Matthew MacEgan, 29 February 2016
Early art produced more than 8,000 years ago has been identified in several states and provinces in Canada, the United States and Mexico by using new photographic technology.
Alternative approach to nuclear fusion energy at German lab takes important first step
By Gregory McAvoy, 24 February 2016
The scientists and engineers who designed and built the device are attempting to show that a new type of reactor design could provide a more attainable path to commercial fusion power.
The detection of gravitational waves: A scientific milestone
By Bryan Dyne, 13 February 2016
The discovery of gravitational waves is a vindication of science and the ability of human reason to tackle and overcome the most complex problems.
Astronomers detect gravitational waves predicted by Einstein
By Will Morrow, 12 February 2016
The LIGO Collaboration has published the first direct detection of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of space and time.
New research reveals effects of the Agricultural Revolution on human evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 15 January 2016
Several new studies highlight the dialectical interaction between the physical and genetic makeup of modern humans and the development of agriculture.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Three
By Bryan Dyne, 9 December 2015
This is the last part of a three-part series examining the history, science and implications of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Global warming compounds Atlantic cod fishing industry problems
By John Marion, 8 December 2015
Recent scientific studies point to the effects of global warming on Atlantic cod populations already reduced to historically low sizes by decades of overfishing.
100 years of General Relativity—Part Two
By Will Morrow, 8 December 2015
This is the second of a three-part series examining the history, science and lasting implications of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which remains, along with his special theory, one of the central pillars of modern physics.
100 years of General Relativity—Part One
By Don Barrett, 7 December 2015
This is the first of a three-part series examining the history, science and implications of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
New genetic data show “Back to Africa” migration in Neolithic times
By Philip Guelpa, 23 October 2015
Analysis of ancient DNA from Ethiopia provides evidence of a “reflux” of Eurasian peoples into Africa between 3,000 and 4,000 years ago, contributing significantly to the modern African genome.
Strong evidence for liquid water flows on present-day Mars
By Bryan Dyne, 29 September 2015
The dark streaks observed on Mars are most likely salt deposits left behind from liquid water flows across the Martian surface.
Remains of a new species of early human discovered in South African cave
By Philip Guelpa, 14 September 2015
The recovery of remains of at least 15 members of an early human species provides an unprecedented mosaic of characteristics in a single population.
Discovery of the most Earth-like planet to date
By Don Barrett, 25 July 2015
At a time of the momentous discovery of planets around other stars, no money can be found to examine them.
Pluto and Earth
By Patrick Martin, 17 July 2015
The flyby of Pluto by the spacecraft New Horizons—a scientific achievement of the first order—stands in contrast to the seemingly intractable social crises on our own planet.
New Horizons spacecraft completes Pluto flyby
By Bryan Dyne, 15 July 2015
The Pluto encounter is the first time that a spacecraft has ever visited the distant world.
EPA study whitewashes the effects of fracking
By Philip Guelpa, 13 July 2015
The US EPA reports finding that the incidence of drinking water contamination due to hydraulic fracturing is low, but evidence of the danger of fracking continues to mount.
Scottish National Party’s Nicola Sturgeon in talks over fracking
By Steve James, 11 July 2015
Fracking is notorious for the threat it poses to ground water supplies, which can be contaminated with chemicals and by methane released from cracked wells.
New Horizons spacecraft prepares for Pluto flyby
By Bryan Dyne, 8 July 2015
Pluto, a world too small and distant to be seen in detail even with Earth’s best telescopes, is the farthest object explored by a space probe.
Atmospheric temperatures rise to record levels as glaciers disintegrate
By Matthew MacEgan, 3 July 2015
Two new reports show that global warming and climate change are becoming larger threats than ever before.
Study finds that one in six species are in danger of extinction due to climate change
By Philip Guelpa, 25 June 2015
A meta-analysis of 131 earlier studies predicts that widespread species extinctions will occur at an accelerating rate unless measures are taken to reduce global warming.
What we learned about Mercury from the Messenger spacecraft
By Bryan Dyne, 22 June 2015
Over the course of its lifetime, Messenger has sent back more than 275,000 images of the planet Mercury.
New discoveries illuminate early human physical and technological evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 26 May 2015
New archaeological and fossil discoveries push back the origins of both the genus Homo and the earliest stone tool technology.
Scientists reveal the history and analysis of Kennewick Man
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 May 2015
A new volume published by the Smithsonian Institution serves as the most comprehensive study of the most important human skeleton ever found in North America.
Fracking linked to earthquakes and increased levels of radon in homes
By Philip Guelpa, 4 May 2015
Despite industry denials, the process known as fracking, used to extract oil and natural gas, is responsible for serious health and environmental problems.
Twenty-five years of the Hubble Space Telescope
By Bryan Dyne, 24 April 2015
While it is a public relations boon for NASA, Hubble's true importance lies in its continued and vast contributions to astronomy.
CERN restarts Large Hadron Collider
By Bryan Dyne, 8 April 2015
As a result of two years of upgrades, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator will generate 30 petabytes of data per year in the search for a deeper understanding of nature.
New discoveries show that Mars may have once been habitable
By Bryan Dyne, 28 March 2015
Recent evidence of nitrogen in the soil and of an ancient Martian ocean increases the likelihood that Mars once housed life.
Oldest Homo fossil from Ethiopia links human genus to Australopithecus
By Thomas H. Douglass, 10 March 2015
The discovery of the jaw fossil is an exciting link between older hominins and our own ancestors who, only a few hundred thousand years later, would be manufacturing stone tools.
Dawn spacecraft enters orbit around Ceres
By Bryan Dyne, 7 March 2015
Dawn is the first spacecraft to successfully orbit two extraterrestrial bodies.
Planetary boundaries—a systems approach to the environmental crisis
By Bryan Dyne, 3 February 2015
Environmental degradation by a range of metrics, of which climate change is only one, has the potential for large-scale disruptions of both biological and social life.
Experimental data supports the interactive development of language and technology
By Philip Guelpa, 29 January 2015
An experimental archaeology study demonstrates the increased effectiveness of language as opposed to other teaching methods in transmitting manufacturing techniques for stone tools.
US agencies rank 2014 as Earth’s warmest recorded year
By Bryan Dyne, 22 January 2015
The weight of scientific evidence points to the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activity as the cause.
Oldest known example of abstract symbolic representation discovered in Indonesia
By Philip Guelpa, 9 January 2015
Newly identified markings on a freshwater mussel shell from a site in Indonesia indicate the existence of abstract symbolic thought in human ancestors half a million years ago.
Orion spacecraft makes first orbital flight
By Patrick Martin, 8 December 2014
The unmanned test flight is only the first step in plans to resume US manned space flight by the year 2021.
The Theory of Everything: Stephen Hawking’s life, or parts of it, on film
By Walter Gilberti, 2 December 2014
Stephen Hawking has over the years become a familiar personage to millions. A brilliant physicist and cosmologist, Hawking’s nearly life-long battle with disease has become the stuff of legend.
New telescope reveals first detailed image of a planetary system in formation
By Bryan Dyne and Don Barrett, 1 December 2014
An international telescope array entering operation has produced the first detailed image showing a planetary system in formation around a young star
The comet landing: A new milestone in space exploration
By Bryan Dyne, 15 November 2014
The landing of Philae is an important reminder that humanity is capable of great things—capabilities that are constrained not by the productive capacity of mankind, but by the organization of society.
Philae spacecraft lands successfully on comet
By Don Barrett and Bryan Dyne, 13 November 2014
With its touchdown on Wednesday, the Philae module became the first spacecraft to land on the surface of a comet.
Capitalism and the space program
By Don Barrett, 12 November 2014
Technical limitations cannot explain the failure of mankind to maintain a constant tempo of more and more ambitious explorations throughout the solar system and into interstellar space.
Climate report warns of “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts”
By Daniel de Vries, 7 November 2014
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest in a series of studies warning that time to act on climate is running out.
Prehistoric rock art in Indonesia dated to 40,000 years ago
By Matthew MacEgan, 7 November 2014
Archaeologists have used new dating techniques to determine the ages of cave rock art in Southeast Asia, demonstrating that such art was not limited to continental Europe.
The HANDY model of human and nature dynamics: A critical review
By Philip Guelpa, 1 November 2014
A recently published model of the dynamics of human society and its interaction with nature concedes the contradictions in class societies but obscures their significance.
Climate change behind recent extreme weather conditions
By Matthew MacEgan, 23 October 2014
Data compiled by 91 climate scientists suggests that human-induced climate change has increased the severity and likelihood of extreme weather events in 2013.
“Risky Business” study highlights the inability of capitalism to address the consequences of climate change
By Philip Guelpa, 20 October 2014
A recently published study documents the severe consequences of climate change in the United States through the end of the century, while demonstrating the inability of capitalism to offer any effective solutions.
Uncovering the Maritime Silk Road
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 October 2014
Archaeologists across the globe are beginning to tackle larger questions about the interconnectivity of societies across continents and oceans.
US and Indian probes successfully reach Mars orbit
By Patrick Martin, 25 September 2014
Mangalyaan is designed to showcase the growing technical abilities of the Indian Space Research Organization, especially following the failure of a Chinese mission to Mars in 2012.
Climate change and the capitalist system
By Patrick Martin, 20 September 2014
This statement will be distributed at a climate change demonstration this weekend in New York City.
WMO report: Greenhouse gas levels accelerating at record pace
By Daniel de Vries, 17 September 2014
Concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grew last year at the highest rate since 1984.
The beginning of modern physics
By Henry Allan and Bryan Dyne, 9 September 2014
David Whitehouse’s Renaissance Genius: Galileo Galilei and His Legacy to Modern Science, provides a human portrait of Galileo, his times and his role in the advancement and popularization of science.
Ground water is depleting in the Colorado River Basin
By Stuart Winter, 28 August 2014
A recent NASA satellite survey contains “shock” findings on water loss.
The use of archaeology in Jerusalem as a political weapon
By Matthew MacEgan, 14 August 2014
The actions taken by some Israeli archaeologists operating in East Jerusalem have been heavily criticized for using a selective view of history in order to marginalize local Palestinian communities and drive them from their homes.
A historic first in solar system exploration
Rosetta spacecraft becomes first manmade probe to orbit a comet
By Don Barrett, 8 August 2014
The European Space Agency probe reached its target comet after a journey of more than ten years.
Ten years at Saturn with the Cassini spacecraft
By Don Barrett, 4 July 2014
Over the past decade, Cassini has continuously returned data on Saturn's rings, numerous moons and the planet itself.
New studies reveal further details of Higgs particle
By Bryan Dyne, 26 June 2014
CERN physicists have directly measured the connection of the Higgs to the b-quark and the tau lepton.
Budget cuts threaten scientific and cultural projects at London’s Kew Gardens
By Dennis Moore, 11 June 2014
Due to years of budget cuts, Kew Gardens has a £5 million shortfall, leaving it ever more dependent on philanthropic and commercially generated funding.
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
By Philip Guelpa, 31 May 2014
Human-induced climate change and environmental degradation threaten to cause a sixth mass extinction of life on Earth.
Study warns of “unstoppable” West Antarctic ice shelf melting
By Gabriel Black and Evan Blake, 14 May 2014
A study shows that the melting of the West Antarctic ice shelf will raise global sea levels substantially beyond the predictions of the UN.
Geopolitical tensions harm international research
By John Marion, 14 May 2014
Research on space, human health, energy, physics, and other subjects suffers as US imperialism promotes war with China and Russia.
US climate report points to human activity as primary cause of climate change
By Bryan Dyne, 13 May 2014
The report provides a comprehensive look at the shifts in the global climate over the past half-century.
US sequester cuts gut scientific research
By Anthony Bertolt, 1 May 2014
Billions of dollars in sequester cuts to the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation will result in untold delays in life-saving medical and biological research.
One million years of the human story in Britain
By Joan Smith, 26 April 2014
The Natural History Museum in London is holding an exhibition on the human occupation of Britain that runs until September 28, 2014.
Your Inner Fish … An engaging look at our vertebrate ancestry
By Walter Gilberti, 22 April 2014
The three-part series on the evolution of vertebrates concludes Wednesday night at 10pm EST on public television.
Earth-sized planet in a star’s habitable zone confirmed
By Bryan Dyne, 21 April 2014
This is the first exoplanet detected that potentially has liquid water on its surface.
Cosmos reboot falls short of the mark
By Bryan Dyne, 14 April 2014
The remake of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, has its moments, but does not go far enough either in its exposition of science or its criticism of anti-science.
Imprint of primordial gravitational waves detected
By C. Frederick Graves, 24 March 2014
The finding by astronomers working at the South Pole provides confirmation of a key aspect of the Big Bang theory, called the inflationary hypothesis.
New fossil discovery sheds light on the evolution of the human hand
By Philip Guelpa, 26 February 2014
The discovery of a fossilized hominin metacarpal bone in Kenya demonstrates that the evolution of a key adaptation of the hand, thought to be associated with sophisticated tool production, occurred much earlier than had previously been known.
The puzzle of the proton radius
By Will Morrow, 21 February 2014
For four years, physicists have sought to explain the emergence of two apparently irreconcilable measurements of the radius of the proton.
The genetic legacy of the Neanderthals
By Matthew MacEgan, 6 January 2014
Scientists have, for the first time, sequenced the entire genome of a Neanderthal hominin.
Nearly a billion ocean-dependent people at risk because of global warming
By Henry Allan and Bryan Dyne, 29 November 2013
A recent study published in PLOS Biology has analyzed the chemical changes in the Earth’s oceans caused by excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
Evolutionary links between the development of language and stone tool technology
By Philip Guelpa, 19 November 2013
The use of sophisticated imaging techniques demonstrates that regions of the brain used in language production and stone tool manufacture overlap, suggesting an evolutionary link in the development of cognition.
New study estimates billions of Earth-sized planets orbiting Sun-like stars in the Milky Way galaxy
By Bryan Dyne, 9 November 2013
Data from the Kepler spacecraft has established that Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars are common in the Universe.
New fossil skull find may revolutionize view of early human evolution
By Thomas Douglass, 22 October 2013
A newly reported skull from the site of Dmanisi in Georgia demonstrates wide variation in brain size and morphology within an early Homo erectus population, with implications for other fossil species and ancient population structure.
Peter Higgs and François Englert awarded 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics
By Bryan Dyne, 21 October 2013
The theoretical prediction and subsequent discovery of the Higgs boson has provided a greater insight into the origin of mass of subatomic particles.
New research sheds light on a key dietary change in early human evolution
By Philip Guelpa, 14 October 2013
Multiple studies of carbon isotopes in fossil hominin teeth from southern and eastern Africa document the change from woodland to grassland diet which marked a major step in the evolution of early humans.
NASA scientists announce historic leap in human exploration
Voyager 1 spacecraft enters interstellar space
By Kevin Reed, 4 October 2013
Voyager 1 has done science continuously for 36 years and spanning a journey of 19 billion kilometers.
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