Joe Palca

Scientists say they've found what appears to be a briny lake near the south pole on Mars. It's possible that some kind of microbial life once lived in the lake.

A tiny accelerator could be useful in medicine as well as basic science. Instead of speeding up beams of electrons through giant tunnels, the aim here is to build accelerators on semiconductor chips.

Astronomers have found 12 more moons orbiting the planet Jupiter. These moons are all small — just 5 kilometers or less across — and one of them behaves very strangely.

Ghostly particles called neutrinos can travel nearly unimpeded across the universe. For the first time, physicists have been able to pinpoint the origin of a powerful neutrino.

The rover has shut itself down because the solar panels aren't getting enough sunlight to charge the batteries. If the storm persists, the rover mission may be over, ending a 14-year run.

Scientists can't say whether there is, or ever was, life on the Red Planet. But two Martian rock samples contained organic molecules — which contain carbon, the chemical element central to life.

Physicists' understanding of the nature of the universe has taken a blow. An experiment with neutrinos has produced a result that breaks the rules scientists think govern the subatomic world.

Engineers in California are working on a new test that could offer a fast, cheap way to see if people are infected with the parasite.

Researchers have evidence supporting the existence of plumes of water shooting up from the interior of Jupiter's icy moon Europa.

The NASA mission is set to launch Saturday morning. The InSight spacecraft will land in the Elysium Planitia to listen for "Marsquakes" and learn more about what Mars is made of.

Lung surfactant coats tiny air sacs in the lung. Without it, every breath is a struggle, like blowing up millions of little balloons. With surfactant, breathing is as easy as blowing soap bubbles.

The heat shield, made of material that is as light as balsa wood but can withstand temperatures of nearly 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, broke during testing earlier this month.

A California tech firm believes that artificial intelligence can help communities prepare for, and respond to, quakes.

Random numbers are essential for secure cyber communications. But making truly random numbers is harder than it seems. Now scientists have devised a way to make the most random random numbers ever.

The new plane will test technologies to reduce the loud boom planes make when they break the sound barrier.

NASA is building a new space-based laser communication that will allow live, high-definition video from Mars and beyond — something that's not possible with standard radio equipment.

Hawking was a theoretical physicist who changed how scientists think about gravity. He also wrote the best-selling book A Brief History of Time and lent his machine-aided voice to TV shows. He was 76.

Engineers at Dartmouth College have developed a computer chip that can detect a single particle of light. Cameras with the chip would have visual abilities even a superhero would envy.

Operating a telescope in space is a challenge, but so is moving one on Earth. An inside look at how NASA's James Webb Space Telescope moved from Houston to Los Angeles.

Computers use artificial intelligence to do everything from drive cars to pick music we like. But what exactly is artificial intelligence? How does it work? What are its limits?