Europe's Herschel space telescope has delivered spectacular vistas of cold gas clouds lying near the plane of the Milky Way, revealing intense, unexpected activity. The dark, cool region is dotted with stellar factories, like pearls on a cosmic string.

Tiny organisms that covered the planet more than 250 million years ago appear to be a species of ancient fungus that thrived in dead wood, according to new research published October 1 in the journal Geology.

Climate change wreaked havoc on the Earth’s first rainforests but they quickly bounced back, scientists reveal.

The latest technology in optics and lasers will be on display at the Optical Society's (OSA) Annual Meeting, Frontiers in Optics (FiO), which takes place Oct. 11-15 at the Fairmont San Jose Hotel and the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose, Calif.

The toxin, called euglenophycin, has a molecular structure similar to that of solenopsin, an alkaloid from fire ant venom known to inhibit tumor development.

The findings may lead to a better understanding of historical continental movement, which relates to changes in climate.

Researchers have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural defense system and have also found a method to possibly neutralize that enzyme, which may someday lead to a cure.

Using a mathematical model to predict population trends based on ancient coin hoards, historians have concluded that the population of ancient Rome was smaller than sometimes suggested.

Quantum mechanics could help build ultra-high-resolution electron microscopes.

A new study that reports precise ages for glacial moraines in southern Peru links climate swings in the tropics to those of Europe and North America during the Little Ice Age approximately 150 to 350 years ago.