Science & Technology

The lab made spiraling, curling, and X-shaped materials that alternately closed in or stood up on four legs. The morphing material may be useful for bioengineering, optical, pharmaceutical, and other applications. (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice) — Top StoryRice University
Heat makes material morph back and forth

A better understanding of intermediate-depth quakes could help scientists forecast where they will occur and the risk they pose to buildings and people. (Credit: Hitchster/Flickr)

Stanford University

Runaway heat drives earthquakes 90 miles deep

Scientists may have solved the mystery of what drives a type of earthquake that occurs deep within the Earth and accounts for one in four quakes worldwide. READ MORE…

"When and where the next eruption will occur is unknown," says Jozua van Otterloo. "Although statistics tell us it could be a long time before the next eruption, the main hazard is that when it does, we will only have a few days warning." (Credit: David Hewett/Flickr)

Monash University

In Australia, volcano’s past sounds alarm about next eruption

If Australia's Mount Gambier volcano were to erupt with the same force that it did 5,000 years ago, it could cause health risks and damage 60 miles away. READ MORE…

"It’s easy to understand how birds or fish might be similar oceans apart,” says Matthew Schrenk. "But it challenges the imagination to think of nearly identical microbes 16,000 kilometers apart from each other in the cracks of hard rock at extreme depths, pressures, and temperatures." (Credit: Michigan State)

Michigan State University

‘Nearly identical’ microbes lurk around the world

Even miles under the Earth's surface and halfway across the globe, scientists have found that the communities of microbes are often quite similar. READ MORE…

In direct competition, the home plants outperformed their visitors, which supports the notion that home populations are adapted to their local conditions, report researchers. (Credit: "scoreboard" via Shutterstock)

Michigan State University

How plants take advantage of being on home turf

The home team holds the advantage over visitors, even for plants—but just a handful of genetic adaptations can even the playing field. READ MORE…

Particular cultivars of ripe tomatoes and dry, sunny conditions work together to increase the chances that salmonella will spread. (Credit: photon_de/Flickr)

University of Florida

‘Perfect storm’ spreads salmonella in tomatoes

Tomato variety and weather can combine to offer the perfect conditions for salmonella to proliferate in harvested tomatoes, a new study shows. READ MORE…

"Previous studies have suggested that all the central peaks (on the moon) look very similar, and that was taken as evidence that everything’s the same across the basin," says Dan Moriarty. "We looked in a little more detail and found significant compositional differences between these central peaks." (Credit: Stijn Vogels/Flickr)

Brown University

Craters within crater hint at moon’s ‘diversity’

A comparison of the spectra of light reflected from the peaks of craters on the moon may yield clues to the composition of its lower crust and mantle. READ MORE…