Space science
How Are Exoplanets Detected?
Astronomers detect exoplanets through transits, stellar wobble, direct imaging, microlensing, astrometry and timing signals, then use follow-up observations to rule out…
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40,619 published items in this category and its subcategories.
Space science
When Is the Geminid Meteor Shower?
The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most reliable annual showers and is associated with 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid or 'rock comet' rather than a typical icy comet. N…
Space science
What Are Meteor Showers and What Causes Them?
Meteor showers happen when Earth passes through streams of small particles left along the orbits of comets or, in some cases, asteroid-like bodies. The particles enter t…
Biology
How Are Viral Vectors Used in Gene Therapy?
Viral vectors use modified viruses as delivery vehicles for genetic material. Viruses evolved efficient ways to enter cells, and gene-therapy developers can remove or di…
Biology
What Is Gene Therapy and How Does It Work?
Gene therapy changes genetic material or gene expression in a patient's cells to treat disease. The term covers several strategies, including adding a functional gene, s…
Biology
What Is Prime Editing?
Prime editing is a gene-editing method designed to write a broader range of small DNA changes without requiring a conventional double-strand break or a separate donor DN…
Biology
What Is Base Editing?
Base editing is a gene-editing approach designed to change one DNA base into another without creating a full double-strand break at the target site. It combines a progra…
Discover science
How Does a Nuclear Reactor Work?
A nuclear reactor controls a self-sustaining fission chain reaction so that heat can be removed safely and used for a practical purpose such as generating electricity, p…
Discover science
What Is Nuclear Waste and How Is It Managed?
Nuclear waste is radioactive material that requires controlled handling because its radioactivity or other hazardous properties persist after use. The term covers severa…
Discover science
What Is Nuclear Energy and How Does Nuclear Power Work?
Nuclear power generates heat from fission, the splitting of heavy atomic nuclei such as uranium. A power plant uses that heat to make steam and drive a turbine-generator…
Oceanography
How Does a Coral Reef Ecosystem Work?
A coral reef ecosystem is a network of corals, algae, fishes, invertebrates, microbes and physical processes that recycle energy and nutrients in nutrient-poor tropical…
Oceanography
Why Are Coral Reefs Important?
Coral reefs matter because their physical structure and biological productivity support diverse marine communities and provide services to people. Their value is ecologi…
Oceanography
What Is Coral Bleaching?
Coral bleaching happens when stressed corals lose or expel much of the symbiotic algae living in their tissues. Because those algae provide color and a major share of th…
Oceanography
What Are Hydrothermal Vents?
Hydrothermal vents are places on the seafloor where seawater circulates through hot, chemically reactive ocean crust and returns to the ocean carrying dissolved minerals…
Oceanography
What Is the Deep Sea?
The deep sea is the vast ocean environment below the sunlit surface layers, commonly including waters deeper than about 200 meters. It is cold, dark, under high pressure…