All articles from Pete Spotts
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Four planets in 'habitable zones' spotted within spitting distance of Earth
Astronomers say they used a new statistical technique to find four possible super-Earths orbiting in the habitable zone of two stars within 22 light-years of Earth, Gliese 667C and tau Ceti.
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How reliable are drought predictions? Study finds flaw in popular tool.
Researchers say the Palmer Drought Severity Index, devised for monitoring short-term trends, has been misused for longer term analyses and is thrown off by higher temperatures from global warming.
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Focus
Surging storms: Can the US adapt in time to avert coastal damage?Damage from severe storms such as Sandy is likely to escalate by the end of the century as the population grows and people continue to build along the Eastern Seaboard.
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What sets newly found super Earth apart? It's simple as night and day. (+video)
Scientists say they have found a planet seven times more massive than Earth orbiting in a star's habitable zone 42 light-years away. It could have seas, and perhaps just as important, it could have an Earth-like climate because it has a day-night cycle.
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When did humans get smart? Maybe a lot earlier than some thought.
A find in South Africa suggests that humans had mastered the skill of producing small stone blades – and could pass on the know-how – as early as 71,000 years ago.
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Tracking hurricane Sandy: As storm 'zigs,' it's also changing dramatically
Hurricane Sandy has lurched westward as it heads toward landfall late Monday. It's also swapping energy sources as it becomes extratropical. The process sometimes gives storms a boost of power.
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Hurricane Sandy is already setting records (+video)
Hurricane Sandy already has surpassed hurricane Lili in 1996 as the second largest Atlantic storm in 24 years of storm-size recordkeeping. The size of the storm and its path are intensifying deep concerns about coastal flooding from storm surge.
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Progress Watch
Can we protect 10 percent of the oceans? Momentum is growing.An international goal is to set aside 10 percent of coastal and marine waters as protected areas by 2020. Although much work remains to reach the goal, areas are being added at an accelerated pace.
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Water on the moon? Maybe a lot more than we thought ... thanks to the sun.
A new study finds 'an unanticipated, abundant reservoir' of water on the moon, molecules formed on the surfaces of oxygen-bearing rocks bombarded by protons from the solar wind.
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NASA rover Curiosity finds a rock not seen before on Mars (+video)
Using a laser and X-rays, the NASA rover Curiosity identified a rock named Jake as a form of basalt, similar to volcanic rocks found in ocean-island settings on Earth.
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Dragon capsule reaches space station, chocolate ripple ice cream intact
SpaceX's Dragon capsule delivered cargo including a little ice cream to the International Space Station Wednesday, confirming that a new era for NASA has finally been realized.
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Nobel Prize for Physics rewards 'groundbreaking' quantum experiments
Frenchman Serge Haroche and American David Wineland, who share the 2012 Nobel Prize for Physics, worked independently to develop a way to watch quantum behavior of particles.
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SpaceX set to launch with cargo for International Space Station
The first commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station is set to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center Sunday evening. From the space station crew's standpoint, some of the most precious cargo could well be ice cream.
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Why a clean Mars rover is a happy Mars rover (+video)
The Mars rover Curiosity is putting its dramatic explorations on hold, for tests and essential cleaning: After all, if it's going to accurately analyze Martian soil, it must shed its Earthly residue.
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Going for the record: Can anything stop 2012 from being warmest ever?
For super-warm 2012 to end up as an average year in the lower 48 states would require an astonishing, and record-breaking, cold snap over the final four months. That's not in the forecast.
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Mars rock hound: Rover Curiosity prepares to head for unique formation
The Mars rover Curiosity is about to head for Glenelg, a unique confluence of rock formations. It's only a quarter-mile away, but the trip could take weeks as the chemistry lab on wheels examines the terrain.
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Facebook gets results? 2010 vote experiment worked, scientists say.
More than 61 million Facebook users unknowingly participated in the study, which sought to measure the ability of online social networks to catalyze actions in the real world.
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Did Mars have ancient oceans? Maybe not, new study says. (+video)
Clay deposits on Mars have been seen as evidence that the planet once had a warm, wet climate. But a new study suggests the clay could have volcanic origins.
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Arctic sea ice falls to record low. Global warming?
The decline in sea ice coincides with warming at the top of the world that has been occurring twice as fast there as it has for the northern hemisphere as a whole as the global climate warms.
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Rover Curiosity update: after month on Mars, a pause to stretch (+video)
Engineers operating the Mars rover Curiosity will put its robotic arm through a set of movements to allow them to tailor its motions to less gravity than it experienced on Earth. Then it's off to explore.
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