NASA has released a book called Earth. Earth is available free in its ebook formats, which include mobi (for Kindle readers), epub and PDF versions. A hardcover version is available for $53 from the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Read more... February 28, 2019

New Horizons revealed the best image yet of Ultima Thule on Thursday, 1-29-19. The new image shows small pits on the surface of the Kuiper Belt object. The latest image also shows a bright collar-like ring that separates Ultima Thule's lobes. Ultima Thule has been dubbed the space snowman on social media due to its shape. Read more... January 25, 2019

ESO's very large telescope (VLT) has added a new adaptive optics mode called laser tomography. The new technology offers much sharper images through the MUSE instrument. Read more... October 19, 2018

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences have discovered new species of beautiful neon-colored fish. The fish have been named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Read more... October 18, 2018

Boston Dynamics is making it harder for humans to get away from its Atlas robot. The robotics developer released a video named "Parkour Atlas" that shows off the impressive dexterity of its Atlas robot. Read more... October 17, 2018

The MobiLimb is a robotic finger that can be added to a smartphone or a tablet. The robotic limb system contains actuators, sensors, electronics and a controller. It connects to a device using the micro USB port. Read more... October 11, 2018

A new study by researchers from the University of Exeter and Kunming Institute of Botany has revealed a few camouflaged plants in south-west China that resemble rocks. The plants match the color and shapes of the nearby rocks and soil. Read more... June 6, 2018

Researchers developed a mathematical model to determine how alien civilizations might cope with climate change. The research was led by astrophysicist Adam Frank, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester. The researchers looked at the problem of civilized planets facing climate change from an astrobiological perspective. Read more... June 5, 2018

Some of the Easter Island statues have enormous red stone hats known as pukao. The Pukao are cylinders made of red scoria. They can weigh up to 12 metric tons. Researchers from Binghamton University in New York say the ancient people of Easter Island used a parbuckling technique involving ramps and rope to get the hats on top of the statues. Read more... June 4, 2018

Brackish water is water that has a salinity that lies somewhere between fresh water and salt water. The definition of brackish from Merriam-Webster is "somewhat salty." Read more... May 31, 2018

A company named Clear Flight Solutions developed a robot that resembles and flies like a falcon. The Robird uses flapping wing flight for propulsion and has a flight speed that is similar to real birds of prey. Read more... May 31, 2018

Researchers from Samara Polytech (Samara State Technical University) have announced an experimental semi-autonomous aeronautic marine device. The project manager, graduate student Alexander Mochalkin has named the device Glaideron. Read more... May 30, 2018

Researchers from Indiana University have found increasing numbers of deer ticks in Southern India. Deer ticks are a known vector for Lyme disease. The photograph above shows a mouse with another species of tick on its head. The study's findings coincide with a recent CDC report that found transmission of diseases from ticks, mosquitoes and fleas has tripled since 2004 in the U.S. Read more... May 25, 2018

Researchers from ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) in Taiwan have built a scrabble playing robot. ITRI's robotic developers integrated AI, 3D vision recognition, and eye-hand coordination technologies to build the robot. The robot also learns from experience. ITRI was a CES 2018 Innovation Awards honoree for the intelligent vision system it developed that helps the scrabble bot play. Read more... March 12, 2018

Scientists have discovered that an ancient reptile had a detachable tail. The escape technique is still today in some modern lizard species. The reptile species, named Captorhinus, lived 289 million years ago. The discovery is the oldest known use of the breakaway tail escape behavior. Read more... March 8, 2018

Deep-sea dumbo octopuses are named for their resemblance to Disney's Dumbo character. They have big eyes and round fins that resemble elephant ears. They are rarely seen because they inhabit deep hard-to-access portions of the ocean floor. Scientists on the U.S. research vessel Ronald H. Brown discovered a dumbo octopus egg attached to a coral branch and brought it on board to watch it hatch. Read more... February 20, 2018

Boston Dynamics is making its robotic dogs smarter and increasingly more capable. The company equipped its SpotMini robot with an arm that extends from its head. The arm has a grasping claw attached to it. Read more... February 13, 2018

A new thumb-sized millipede species was recently discovered on the forest floor of Southwest Virginia's Cumberland Mountains. It has more color combinations than any other millipede ever discovered. It is also covered in cyanide. Read more... January 27, 2018

The amazing looking Halitrephes maasi jelly resembles an exploding firework. The jellyfish was found by the ROV Hercules which is operated by the E/V Nautilus, a 64-meter research vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust. The Halitrephes maasi was recorded at 1225 meters deep in the Revillagigedo Archipelago off Baja California, Mexico. Read more... January 18, 2018

Vibrant feathers are not a feature solely associated with modern birds. Scientists found the fossil of a duck-sized species of dinosaur that lived 161 million years ago. It had iridescent feathers like a hummingbird. The rainbow colored feathers were located on its head and neck. Researchers say the colors would have shifted and shimmered in the light. Read more... January 15, 2018