Earth’s magnetosphere protects us from charged particles constantly emitted by the Sun, but intense conditions can breach it through a process called magnetic reconnection. Now, researchers from Japan propose a novel method using soft X-ray imaging to remotely measure the reconnection rate, a key parameter in magnetic reconnection. This study showcases a powerful tool for forecasting hazardous space weather events, paving the way to safer near-Earth space applications and exploration.

Kyoto, Japan --  During the midday Friday prayer hours on 28 March 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck central Myanmar along the Sagaing Fault. With an epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, it was the most powerful earthquake to strike Myanmar in more than a century and the second deadliest in its modern history.

The cause was a strike-slip fault, in which two masses of earth "slip" past each other horizontally along a vertical fault plane. To an observer, it would look like the ground were split in two along a defined line, with both sides being wrenched past each other in opposite directions.

Previous seismological studies have inferred pulse-like rupture behavior and curved slip paths from the analysis of seismic data. However, because the recording instruments were at a considerable distance from the fault itself, these findings were indirect.

A new study from the University of Missouri sheds light on how exceptional fossil preservation at Mazon Creek captured the diversity of life across land, delta and sea.

A pesky fish may be the culprit behind bleached tropical coral off the coast of the Florida Keys, according to research from the University of Georgia.

Submarine canyons are among the most spectacular and fascinating geological formations to be found on our ocean floors, but at an international level scientists have yet to uncover many of their secrets, especially of those located in remote regions of the Earth like the North and South Poles. Now, an article published in the journal Marine Geology has brought together the most detailed catalogue to date of Antarctic submarine canyons, identifying a total of 332 canyon networks that in some cases reach depths of over 4,000 metres.

Four EU projects – AD4GD, B-Cubed, FAIRiCUBE and USAGE –  have explored and documented the requirements for successfully building the GDDS and have published a joint policy brief, presenting a set of recommendations on data harmonisation, semantic interoperability, metadata management, data exchange and governance.

Chinese researchers have recently challenged the long-held belief that "all life depends on sunlight." In a study published in Science Advances, the researchers identified how microbes in deep subsurface areas can derive energy from chemical reactions driven by crustal faulting, offering critical insights into life deep below Earth's surface.