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Rebecca Boyle

The Science Behind Why No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

A physicist's obsession with unusual snow crystals has led him to pursue a grand unified theory of how they form.

The Mystifying Case of the Missing Planets

There's a puzzling lack of planets slightly bigger than Earth, which is making astronomers rethink how planets form in the first place.

Exploding Stars May Have Killed Off Prehistoric Predators

Subatomic particles streaming through the atmosphere could have fatally irradiated ancient megafauna like the megalodon monster shark.

Dark Matter Hunters Are Looking Inside Rocks for New Clues

Dark matter may occasionally interact with minerals in the earth, leaving traces that physicists hope to decipher.

How Are Planets Made? With Very Little Stuff, It Seems

Exoplanets are far more massive than the material they're made of. New evidence suggests our planet-building theories are incomplete.

3.5 Billion-Year-Old Fossils Shift Ideas About Earth’s Start

A series of fossil finds suggests that life on Earth started earlier than anyone thought, calling into question a widely held theory of the solar system’s beginnings.

The Key to Better Sleep in Space? Some Nice, Colorful Light

Scientists think they can game circadian rhythms more naturally–and effectively–with new light bulbs.

Plasma Lighting Invades Hollywood, Thanks to Nikola Tesla
