Back in 2005, when a massive 35-mile-long rift broke open in the Ethiopia desert some geologists controversially claimed that a new ocean was forming as two parts of the African continent pulled…

If you're a child of the 1970s you remember peak oil - it was a book that claimed by 1992 we were going to reach maximum capacity and then it would gradually become more scarce.   If you're a…

Dating can be a difficult task, a daunting challenge for men and women the world over. It becomes especially difficult when what you're trying to date is extremely ancient. I'm not talking about…

Should you use sand for stream restoration?    Common wisdom said no, because it disrupts salmon spawning, researchers have successfully built and maintained a scale model of a living…

Committees and organizations usually start for the right reasons but over time they need to become self-perpetuating. The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has managed to milk entire…

Some scientists believe that Mars is red due to rocks being rusted by water that once flooded the planet. That is not the case, say recent laboratory studies which show that red dust may be formed by…

An international team of scientists has not only verified the existence of a mountain range that is suspected to have caused the massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet to form, but also has created a…

This story caught my eye.  "China currently accounts for 93 percent of production of so-called rare earth elements — and more than 99 percent of the output for two of these elements, dysprosium…

As I start my 5th semester here at Auburn University, I will again be teaching introductory labs. I would not say I have a passion for teaching, but it is my deepest desire for the students I teach…

A team of scientists from Oregon State University has created the first global three-dimensional map of electrical conductivity in the Earth's mantle and their model suggests that that enhanced…