Planetary science

Revising Darwin’s sinking-island theoryNew study helps resolve a dispute over the origins of coral-reef formations.

Dust in the cloudsCirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic particles, study finds.

Finding a gecko in the crowdA combination of crowdsourcing and computer vision could identify individuals within endangered populations.

Mapping the early history of the moonIn 41st annual Killian Lecture, Maria Zuber describes looking deep into the moon’s interior to chart its early history.

Mercury may have harbored an ancient magma oceanMassive lava flows may have given rise to two distinct rock types on Mercury’s surface.

When the first stars blinked onThe very first stars may have turned on when the universe was 750 million years old.

GRAIL reveals a battered lunar historyTwin spacecraft create a highly detailed gravity map of the moon, finding an interior pulverized by early impacts.

Scientists discover water ice on MercuryIce and organic material may have been carried to the planet by passing comets.

Scientists find first evidence of dynamo generation on an asteroidA meteorite found in Antarctica holds evidence of a once-active dynamo on Vesta.

A far-off solar systemResearchers measure the orientation of a multiplanet system and find it very similar to our own solar system.

River networks on Titan point to a puzzling geologic historyFindings suggest the surface of Saturn’s largest moon may have undergone a recent transformation.

Researchers find evidence of ice content at the moon’s south poleScientists map Shackleton crater, whose unusually bright floor may hint at the presence of ice.

Zuber wins faculty’s Killian AwardPlanetary trailblazer recognized for ‘extraordinary skills and talent.’

What drove the lunar dynamo?Research supports theory that the moon’s molten core was likely sustained by an alternative power source.

Are you a Martian?We all could be, scientists say — and an MIT-developed instrument might someday provide the proof

Pluto is undergoing global warming, researchers find