The Abstract
The Dude Whose Brain Turned to Glass
He was hanging out in an ancient Roman port town 2,000 years ago, when something struck him (a deadly volcanic eruption).
The Abstract
Scientists Discover Ancient Farms in the Deep Sea
The “farmers” are invertebrates and the “crops” are microbes and all of it is dead.
The Abstract
Antarctica's Only Insect
This week: A tale of creative cryopreservation, Transylvania's 16th-century weather reports, and dancing turtles.
The Abstract
What Happens if this Hazardous Asteroid Hits Earth?
A 1,600-foot-wide asteroid has a 0.037% chance of impacting Earth on September 24, 2182. What if we punch that unlucky ticket?
The Abstract
Who Made this Radioactive Saharan Dust Cloud?
Just how radioactive was that Saharan dust cloud that engulfed Europe in 2022?
News
The Moon Got Obliterated and Lost a Bunch of Craters
That’s my secret Captain…I’m always traumatized.
The Abstract
If Planet X Exists, It’s Running Out of Places to Hide
A tour of the outer solar system, from Pluto-Charon to Planet X, plus saber teeth and punky molluscs.
The Abstract
A 5,500-Year-Old Forest in Yellowstone Melted Out of the Ice
We begin 2025 with Amazonian garden cities, lost woods in the Rockies, battitude, and robot hoopers.
The Abstract
The Year in Abstracts: Obese Genomes and Banana Galaxies
We’re eating Suns and chillin’ in Moon caves for the last Abstract of 2024.
The Abstract
Disney Princesses Are at Risk of Rabies and Fatal Maulings
This week, the creature from the Pangean lagoon, casket shopping for Disney princesses, a horror show in ancient Somerset, and “Martifacts.”
The Abstract
The Data on Civilization-Ending Superflares
Don’t panic…yet. Also: A baby galaxy with a bedazzled name, tiny poops with big potential, and an ancient ritual compound in a secret cave chamber.