This Weird Little Fungus May Be The Oldest Fossilized Land Creature Ever Found

Health | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday March 3, 2016

Once upon a time, our fishy ancestors wriggled their way out of the water and took their first squishy steps on land, heralding a new age for life on Earth.

520 Million-Year-Old Fossilised Nervous System Is The Most Detailed Of Its Kind

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday March 3, 2016

Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis wasn't exactly a beautiful animal: The crustacean-like Cambrian creature had a long, segmented body and an unholy number of legs that it used to scuttle across the ocean floor.

Map of Milky Way's Star-Forming Gases Lend a Stunning View of the Galaxy

Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday February 25, 2016

The map - which was combined with previously collected data - is the result of the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL).

Map Of The Milky Way's Star-Forming Gases Creates A Stunning New View Of The Galaxy

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday February 25, 2016

A new map of the Milky Way covers our galaxy's densest regions of star formation, giving us an unprecedented look at the distribution of cold, dense gas from which stars are born.

A Polar Bear Killed And Ate One Of Its Own Kind On Video. Is Climate Change To Blame?

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Wednesday February 24, 2016

Polar bears have shown remarkable resilience in the face of a warming climate. Researchers have seen them grow more opportunistic in their hunting and eating habits, suggesting that the species may adapt to the limited availability of traditional prey by finding other sources of food. But sometimes that adaptability has troubling consequences.

NASA Needs 14 New Astronauts. A Record-Breaking 18,300 Folks Applied.

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Monday February 22, 2016

In 2014, Harvard's acceptance rate was 5.9 percent. NASA's latest round of astronaut candidate applications is going to be just a little tougher: With a record-breaking 18,300-plus applications and just 14 spots, applicants have less than a .08 percent chance of getting picked for training.

This Strange Little Sea Snail Uses Water Wings To 'Fly'

Offbeat | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Sunday February 21, 2016

This aptly-named Arctic "sea butterfly" (Limacina helicina) is the subject of a new study in the Journal of Experimental Biology. It turns out that its way of swimming doesn't just look like flying - the mysterious creature really does use the same biomechanics as animals that fly through the air.

Gravitational Waves Detection Proves Albert Einstein's Century-Old Theory

Joel Achenbach and Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Friday February 12, 2016

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detected gravitational waves from the violent merging of two black holes in deep space.

Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves From Violent Black-Hole Merger

World News | Joel Achenbach, Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday February 11, 2016

Scientists announced Thursday that, after decades of effort, they have succeeded in detecting gravitational waves from the violent merging of two black holes in deep space. The detection was hailed as a triumph for a controversial, exquisitely crafted, billion-dollar physics experiment and as confirmation of a key prediction of Albert Einstein's Ge...

Study: Maybe We Can't Find Aliens Because They've All Died Already

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Tuesday February 9, 2016

The hunt for extraterrestrial life is one of humanity's most exciting endeavors. The pieces are all falling into place: We're finding more and more planets outside of our own solar system, and soon the James Webb Telescope will give us unprecedented looks at these distant worlds.

Meet The Welsh Dinosaur Scientists Have Dubbed The 'Dragon Robber'

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Friday January 22, 2016

When you're a newly discovered species, a snazzy name can take you pretty far. Case in point: Dracoraptor hanigani, aka the dragon robber.

New Evidence Suggests A Ninth Planet Lurking At The Edge Of The Solar System

World News | Joel Achenbach, Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday January 21, 2016

Astronomers at the California Institute of Technology announced Wednesday that they have found new evidence of a giant icy planet lurking in the darkness of our solar system far beyond the orbit of Pluto. They are calling it "Planet Nine."

This Suspected Supernova Is 570 Billion Times As Bright As Our Sun

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Friday January 15, 2016

A small, bright object that first flared up in June could be the brightest, most powerful supernova ever spotted by astronomers. If it is indeed a supernova, the object ASASSN-15lh pushes the upper limits of what scientists thought exploding stars were capable of. And if it's not a supercharged supernova, it may be something even more mysterious.

Photos Of 'Grieving' Kangaroo Actually Show Necrophilia (And Possibly A Killing)

Offbeat | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Friday January 15, 2016

On Wednesday, The Daily Mail reported that photographer Evan Switzer had captured a moment of poignant grief in the animal kingdom out in Queensland, Australia: "I saw the male pick up the female, he looked like he was just trying to get her up and see what was wrong with her," Switzer reportedly said. "He would lift her up and she wouldn't stand s...

Astronomy's Snowballing Sexual Harassment Scandal Picks Up Even More Cases

World News | Rachel Feltman, The Washington Post | Thursday January 14, 2016

Sexual harassment is everywhere - especially in the sciences. But astronomers are pushing back against the systemic problems in their field. On Tuesday, two new cases of sexual harassment in the academic world of astronomy came to light, making for three high-profile outings in as many months.