The small, dark, round spot in this solar close up is planet Mercury.

A great extinction is under way across most of the planet.

Equilibrium climate sensitivity — how sensitive the Earth's climate is to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide — may be underestimated in individual climate models, according to a team of climate scientists.

For the first time in the history of space exploration, scientists have measured the seasonal changes in the gases that fill the air directly above the surface of Gale Crater on Mars.

After raising their families in summer, males and females of some bird species spend their winter break apart.

Modified natural materials will be an essential component of a sustainable future, but first a detailed understanding of their properties is needed.

Human-induced climate change has origins far earlier than commonly assumed, according to a study published in the journal Science.

Collecting data is a critical part of doing research. But it can be a lengthy, challenging process, and in some cases — especially when dealing with severe weather or treacherous terrain — it can pose a danger to scientists.

A new study by the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that anticipated increases in urban land use in the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States will lead to loss of sensitive fish and invertebrate species from thousands of miles of small streams.

Eight years after an earthquake and tsunami transformed Fukushima into the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, plans are underway to turn the Japanese prefecture into a hub of renewable energy.