The Green Deep Below
The discovery of green sulfur bacteria living near hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean shocked scientists. The bacterium is the first photosynthetic organism that does not live off sunlight.
Birds of a Feather
Kevin McGraw's research on the color of birds lies at the crossroads of chemistry and evolution.
Tiny Tools That Glow
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) is a chemical that causes certain sea creatures to flow green. It is also a useful tool that helps scientists peer inside the workings of living cells.
Flying Rainbows
For more than a century, biochemists have known that parrots use an unusual set of pigments to produce their rainbow of plumage colors, but their biochemical identity has remained elusive. Now, Kevin McGraw has uncovered the chemistry behind the colors of parrots.
New Spin on DNA
Scientists have long wondered why DNA always twists in one direction. ASU chemist Sandra Pizzarello may have an answer.
Set in Stone
Massive carbon dioxide emissions from power plants are a huge contributor to global warming. What if we could capture all that CO2 and simply throw it away? ASU scientists are trying to do just that.
Light Transport
Medical researchers are looking at ways to use light as a method for transporting drugs through nano-scale tubes in the body.
With Every Breath You Take
ASU scientists are busy following the flow of air pollution in the Phoenix metro area.
Cooking Up Primal Stew
Volcanic vents known as "black smokers" on the sea floor may represent sites where primitive life first appeared on Earth, or on other planets. To better understand black smokers, ASU geologist John Holloway has built his own.
Nature's Smallest Shock
Molecular-scale electronics is the "next step" in electronic miniaturization, but it's not easy to accomplish. Devens Gust and Stuart Lindsay have developed a method to "solder" individual molecules to a molecular "circuit board."
Where Does All the Carbon Go?
Carbon in its many forms flows between the biosphere, the atmosphere and the oceans. This global flow is known as the carbon cycle.
Science is Fun
Michael McKelvy and David Wright are trying to spread the message that science is fun to young students across the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Tracking Rattlers
For ASU doctoral student Emily Taylor, studying Western diamondback rattlesnakes means she can interact with creatures she loves while learning how chemistry drives behavior.
In Search of Martian Oceans
The Nakhla Meteroite offers chemical information about past oceans on Mars.
Toxins as Tools
Allan Bieber uses the toxins from rattlesnake venom to study the human body.
Popeye Power for the Future
ASU scientists use an enzyme in spinach to create the world's first bionic photosynthetic energy system.
Making the Hard Stuff
ASU scientists have found a way to create boron suboxide, the world's third-hardest material.
Mimicking Nature's Engine
Scientists at ASU's Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis are one step closer to mimicking the way plants harvest and exploit the sun's energy.
Life's Left-handed Molecular Mystery
An honors class on chemical evolution and the origin of life led to research that might help to better explain how a molecular quirk developed in all life on Earth.
Undergraduate Pioneers
ASU tosses aside the cookbook approach to laboratory classes, thanks to a novel course in scanning probe microscopy.
Pressure Group
McMillan and members of the Materials Research Group labor at the leading edge of a new chemistry that uses immense amounts of pressure to compress materials and alter their molecular structure.
Pressure Tactics
Paul McMillan explains how high-pressure devices work.
The Earth Churns
Deep within our planet, halfway to its center in an area where Earth's core meets its mantle, lays a massive folded slab of rock that once was the ocean floor.
Churning at the Core
Deep below Earth's surface, scientists are beginning to find a far more dynamic and tumultuous region than previously thought.
Inside Earth's Bowels
At the surface of Earth, life on a geologic scale is calm and peaceful save the occasional earthquake caused by the rub and slip of Earth's tectonic plates. But below Earth's surface, scientists are beginning to find a far more dynamic and tumultuous region than previously thought.
Set in Stone
Massive carbon dioxide emissions from power plants are a huge contributor to global warming. What if we could capture all that CO2 and simply throw it away? ASU scientists are trying to do just that.
Cooking Up Primal Stew
Volcanic vents known as "black smokers" on the sea floor may represent sites where primitive life first appeared on Earth, or on other planets. To better understand black smokers, ASU geologist John Holloway has built his own.
Where Does All the Carbon Go?
Carbon in its many forms flows between the biosphere, the atmosphere and the oceans. This global flow is known as the carbon cycle.
To Make a Quake
Intermediate depth earthquakes are often considered low risk, but they can cause major damage. Simon Peacock is working to discover what causes these types of quakes.
Frozen Legacy
The University of Alaska honors Troy Péwé’s scientific effort and contributions.
Born To Be Crust
Tracy Gregg studies lava flows on the ocean floor.
Making More Ocean Floor
Models of lava flows on the ocean floor by Tracy Gregg and Jon Fink are opening a new window on the unknown.
Predicting The Blast
Stanley Williams and graduate students develop reliable technology to forecast volcanic eruptions.
Today's Forecast, Increasing Sulphur Dioxide...
Stanley Williams knows that understanding the behavior of gases at a volcano could potentially lead to better eruption-forecasting techniques.
The Better to Eat You With
Brad Archer and John Babiarz use real shark teeth to recreate the giant jaws of a Carcharadon megalodon.
Fossil Fish & Dinosaur Eggs
John Babiarz, an amateur paleontologist, promotes paleontological education and research through ASU's Geology Museum.
Popping Math Anxiety
Math anxiety is a very real fear for millions of people. ASU's CRESMET program is helping to combat that terror--starting with math teachers themselves.
Word Games
ASU mathematics researchers are playing word games using the "six degrees of separation" method known for connecting actor Kevin Bacon with other celebrities.
What the Heck is an Algorithm?
An algorithm is a mathematical procedure used to solve a problem in a series of steps.
Traveling Salesman, Go Home!
The mathematics is called combinatorics. The problems are embedded within the properties and relationships between discrete structures such as maps and networks. Tom Trotter and Hal Kierstead love to solve them.
The Nodes and Links of Problem Solving
Tom Trotter and Hal Kierstead study graphs. To discrete mathematicians, a graph is a set of points, or “nodes,” and a set of edges, or “links,” between certain pairs of points.
The Art of Geometry
Robert Barnhill and Alyn Rockwood explain how geometry can model the human brain.
Nature's Smallest Shock
Molecular-scale electronics is the "next step" in electronic miniaturization, but it's not easy to accomplish. Devens Gust and Stuart Lindsay have developed a method to "solder" individual molecules to a molecular "circuit board."
Science is Fun
Michael McKelvy and David Wright are trying to spread the message that science is fun to young students across the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Catching Cosmic Ghosts
Neutrinos are like cosmic ghosts. Each and every second, billions of the elusive subatomic particles pass through the Earth and everything on the planet.
Cosmic Conundrum
The conflict between the age of the universe and the age of its oldest stars just got worse.
The Long Haul
ASU graduate students know the road to a doctorate in physics can be long and difficult.
The Hunting of the Quark
Ricardo Alarcon and Joseph Comfort look deep inside atoms to learn about quarks and gluons.
The Subatomic World
Ricardo Alarcon and Joseph Comfort to use particle accelerators to probe deep into the structure of the atomic nucleus.
Jupiter on my Mind
ASU's Ronald Greely reflects on the life and death of the Galileo spacecraft.
Planetary Explorer
Ron Greeley got his start in the emerging field of planetary geology in 1967. It was no more than a decade before he successfully proposed the Galileo mission to Jupiter.
Get Goggle-Eyed at Google Mars
Google Mars gives anyone with Internet access a chance to see the Red Planet like no one has seen it before.
A Harsh Mistress
ASU climatologists Randall Cerveny and Robert Balling have found that movements of the moon influence some of our most extreme weather, such as hurricanes and tornadoes.
Making Tracks on Mars
For decades, ASU planetary geologists and their colleagues had studied Mars from afar, or at least from close orbit. Things changed in 2003. Landing twin robot rovers safely on the Martian surface provided the first thrills. The scientists now have lots of cameras and instruments working on board satellites in orbit around the Red Planet, and more instruments riding around as part of exploration rovers on the surface. The information that those machines have sent back to Earth is astounding.
Water on Mars--From Imagination to Reality
The search for water on Mars is not new. Scientists have talked about the possibility of water--and life--on Mars for hundreds of years. Today we know, however, that any water on the Red Planet existed in the distant past.
Solving Supernova Stumpers
A group of astronomers has identified the type of star system that causes white dwarf supernovas. Their findings are helping us understand the nature of these strange explosions.
Rock Around the World
Kids are really interested in learning about Mars. Planetary geologist Phil Christensen can measure their fascination in pounds--pounds of rocks they send him to help figure out how Martian rocks compare to those of Earth.
The Dawn of Galaxies
Hubble Ultra Deep Field images are helping scientists identify what may turn out to be the earliest star-forming galaxies.
Through Hubble's Eye
The orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and other marvels of science and technology provide spectacular images of the universe on a regular basis. Modern humans almost take these breathtaking images for granted. But it was not always that way. ASU astronomers Jeff Hester and Rogier Windhorst are part of the continuing story.
First Light, Twice Around
It was one of the biggest debacles in the history of science. The first images downloaded from the Hubble Space Telescope were flawed. Jeff Hester was one of the scientists who helped create a solution, and get usable data from the orbiting device.
Galaxy Formation in 18 Easy Pieces...and Counting
When scientists first heard that the Hubble Space Telescope was flawed, they were wary of using it. But Rogier Windhorst took the opportunity to jump to the front of the line.
Seeing Stars
When Dan Matlaga reads Moby Dick, he sees stars and planets, galaxies and moons in lines and paragraphs that have stumped litarary critics for years.
Redshift Blueshift
What does it mean when astronomers talk about redshift and blueshift?
Heart of the Star
Sumner Starrfield has his head above the clouds--not a bad place to be if you are a world-class astronomer. His specialty is novas, exploding stars that most people know only from science fiction.
The Extreme Files
Jack Farmer studies microbes in exotic locations to better understand the prehistoric Earth. The tiny bits might also provide clues about the existence of life on other worlds.
Invisible Mars
Phil Christensen studies the thermal "signatures" of Martian minerals to search for evidence of life on the Red Planet.
Immortalized in Stone
Two asteroids are named for ASU meteorite researchers.
Getting to Be the Mars Guy
As a kid, Phil Christensen never imagined he'd become one of the leading Mars scientists in the world. He just thought space exploration was cool.
Stoney's Story
Whether collecting rocks as a child, searching for oil with Exxon, teaching oceanography, or looking for extraterrestrial life, Jack Farmer has always maintained an interest in geology.
Meteorite Hunting on the Ice
Antarctica is home to the South Pole, penguins of many kinds, and lots and lots of ice. ASU geologist Laurie Leshin says that it also is the best place on Earth to find meteorites.
Stellar Stamps
Part of the Eagle Nebula, imaged by ASU astronomers, is one of five Hubble Space Telescope images appearing on U.S. postage stamps in honor of Edwin Hubble.
In Search of Martian Oceans
The Nakhla Meteroite offers chemical information about past oceans on Mars.
Eyes on the Sky
Astronomer Robert Fried has donated the Braeside Observatory in Flagstaff to Arizona State University.
Armada Bound for Mars
ASU scientists and their students are exploring Mars with spacecraft from orbit and landers on the surface.
Livin' La Vida Europa
Jack Farmer and Ronald Greeley, like a dozen other ASU scientists who belong to the Astrobiology Program, seek to determine if life exists beyond Earth.
Field Trip of Dreams
Sheri Klug introduces thousands of school children and their teachers to the wonders of science through an up-close look at space exploration.
ASU Mission Log
Find out how ASU is participating in nine projects to eplore Mars from space and on the surface.
Pinning the Comet's Tail
Hitching a ride on a comet may be like latching onto the tailpipe of a city bus. Susan Wyckoff led a study that indicates comet tails contain high concentrations of ionized carbon monoxide.
Probing and Poking Mars
Two high-tech instruments called microprobes will ride aboard the Mars Polar Lander, set to launch in January 1999. The probes will allow Marsha Presley to learn more about the planet's temperature.
Looking for Life Beyond the Earth
Arizona State University was one of five university partners selected for membership in NASA's new virtual Astrobiology Institute.
Searching for Martians
Mars Global Surveyor carries Arizona State University's thermal emission spectrometer. The TES is well-suited to identifying where ancient, wet environments once existed on Mars.
Pieces of Mars
Scientists have found microscopic bits of life buried miles beneath the surface of the Earth. Recent studies of Martian meteorites indicate that there may be life beneath the surface of Mars as well.
Cosmic Conundrum
The conflict between the age of the universe and the age of its oldest stars just got worse.
Building a Better Moon Buggy
ASU undergraduate students compete in a moon buggy race.
Galactic Blue Building Blocks
If the human eye were as sensitive as the Hubble Space Telescope the night sky would appear as blue as it does during the day.
Basement-Built Space Probes
ASU’s mechanical instrument shop builds parts for the Thermal Emission Spectrometer.
Life After Mars Observer
Philip Christensen describes the true costs behind the loss of the Mars Observer and the Thermal Emission Spectrometer it carried.
Mars-Arizona Connections, Past and Future
Arizona has been scientifically linked with Mars for over 100 years.