The Discovery Files

The famed Chicxulub meteor alone could not have caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs and their contemporaries, according to a Princeton University paleontologist and her collaborators. They found evidence that multiple meteor impacts, gigantic volcanic eruptions, and climate changes culminated in the end of the Cretaceous Period.

In the next few years, you might be able to plan those outdoor events with certainty of good weather. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research are testing an observing strategy that has the potential to completely transform the accuracy of short-term weather forecasts, offering more precise forecasts of rainfall.

Can you imagine living on a diet of radiated water? Researchers have found a community of bacteria, nearly two miles below Earth's surface, doing just that. This discovery fuels optimism that life exists in other deep subsurface environments... perhaps beneath the permafrost on Mars!

Researchers at University of California, San Diego have found the secret to the toucan beak's lightweight strength and hope it could inspire the design of ultra-light aircraft and vehicle components.

Researchers studying supplies of copper, zinc and other metals have determined that these finite resources, even if recycled, may not meet the future demands of the global population.

We may be taught not to judge a book by its cover, but when we see a new face, our brains decide whether a person is attractive and trustworthy within a tenth of a second, according to recent Princeton University research.

Could you fire up the family car on a gallon of sawdust? Or make a high-tech kayak out of leftover pine scrap? The answer may soon be yes, according to University of Maine scientists working to convert waste from the paper industry into ethanol for fuel and polymers for plastics.

Imagine a shift in the Earth so profound that it could force our entire planet to spin on its side after a few million years, tilting it so far that Alaska would sit at the equator. Princeton scientists have now provided the first compelling evidence that this kind of major shift may have happened in our world's distant past.

Duke University researchers have found evidence that babies have an abstract numerical sense even before they learn to talk. The study could shed light on how infants first grasp the concept of number.

More isn't always better. Just ask Madeleine, a joystick-controlled underwater robot built to study the way aquatic animals swim. Like them, she has four flippers. But scientists were surprised to learn that she moved faster and more efficiently when using only two.

HIAPER, the nation's most advanced research aircraft has taken flight on its first science mission, flying over treacherous whirlwinds, known as rotors, as they form above the California Sierra Nevada range. Rotors form on the lee side of high, steep mountains and have contributed to a number of aircraft accidents, but scientists know little about their structure and evolution. Now, the high-altitude, long-range capabilities of HIAPER make possible the study of the origin and evolution of rotors, potentially leading to safer flying.

The sun bathes the planet in energy free of charge, yet few systems can take advantage of that source for both heating and cooling. But engineers at Rensselaer Polytech are developing a green, thin film technology that adheres both solar cells and heat pumps onto surfaces, ultimately turning walls, windows--and maybe even soda bottles into climate control systems. Don't drink soda? Then, how about a mug that keeps tea or coffee hot?

A new University of Maryland study finds that echolocating bats use a strategy to track and catch erratically moving insects that is much like the system used by some guided missles to intercept evasive targets and is different from the way humans and some animals track moving objects. The researchers speculate that evolutionary pressure to catch flying insects as quickly as possible may have pushed the bat to adopt its fast food technique.

According to a study by Princeton University psychologists, the ease of pronouncing the name of a company and its stock ticker symbol has a bearing on how well that stock performs in the days just after its initial public offering. The study of initial public offerings on two major American stock exchanges shows that people are more likely to purchase newly offered stocks that have easily pronounced names and ticker symbols than those that do not.

It may be the strongest natural adhesive known to science. In fact, just a bit of it could suspend an elephant. It's the glue of one species of aquatic bacteria, and scientists and engineers are looking for a way to mass produce it.