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DUNKLIN COUNTY, Mo. — As mid-day darkness covered the landscape Monday and the visible part of the sun was reduced to a sliver — immediately before and after eclipse totality swept across parts of the region — some viewers noticed a dazzling spectacle on the ground, in addition to the one overhead.

BURFORDVILLE, Mo. — Eclipses raise a lot of questions. In the early days of scientific discovery, they helped us answer them, too. Scientists used eclipses to study our solar system.

It’s almost time for the 2024 solar eclipse! The path of totality will miss much of the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan Area, but for those who can’t travel far from it, you’ll still be in for quite a spectacle.

Claire Masteller has won a prestigious National Science Foundation award for a study that will look at the erosive power of ocean waves on rocky coastlines.

Jupiter’s moon Europa has fascinated scientists and the public alike ever since Voyager 1 and 2 found the first hints of a global subsurface ocean in 1979. Subsequent studies by other spacecraft confirmed the discovery. They also found that the ocean is salty like oceans on Earth, and potentially habitable, at least for microorganisms. But now, a team of U.S. scientists is throwing some cold water on the prospects for life in Europa’s ocean. They said on March 12, 2024, that there might not be enough volcanic activity on the seafloor to sustain active biology. Is Europa geologically – and otherwise – dead inside?

Ice stream activity triggers sudden displacement of Ross Ice Shelf

Assistant Professor Rita Parai and graduate student Judy Zhang got a glimpse of Earth’s history by tracking infinitesimal levels of noble gases in volcanic rocks.

The NASA award will allow the assistant professor to track interactions between permafrost and wildfires in a warming Arctic, work that could shed new light on climate change.

The Microanalysis Society has awarded the Macres Award for the Best Instrumentation/Software Paper to the paper Paul Carpenter presented at the Microscopy and Microanalysis 2023 meeting.

A common mineral in red soils tends to lock away trace metals over time, according to WashU research

Associate Professor Paul Byrne elected to 2024 EC50

Elizabeth Swords’ first year in the Pathfinder Fellows Ampersand Program had her camping under the stars, exploring the built environment of St. Louis, and building a family with her cohort.

Professor Michael Wysession discusses climate and weather patterns with St. Louis Public Radio

NASA is preparing to send humans back to the Moon with the Artemis missions in the next few years as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars Architecture with the long-term goal of landing humans on the Red Planet sometime in the 2030s or 2040s. But what about sending humans to other worlds of the Solar System? And, why not Venus? It’s closer to Earth than Mars by several tens of millions of kilometers, and despite its extremely harsh surface conditions, previous studies have suggested that life could exist in its clouds. In contrast, we have yet to find any signs of life anywhere on the Red Planet or in its thin atmosphere. So, should we send humans to Venus?

After a seven year journey to asteroid Bennu and back, OSIRIS-REx brought samples back to earth, dropping them through the atmosphere on September 24.

Michael Wysession, PhD, professor of geophysics in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, is closely monitoring the approach to Earth possibly reaching climate tipping points by 2028 and the catastrophes that he said can happen, unless measures are taken.

For some Christmas tree growers, Christmas will not be as cheerful or profitable a holiday. Droughts and an oppressive heat dome have damaged fir and spruce trees, especially in the southern U.S., and that impact could continue for years to come.

David Fike use deposits from the seafloor to reconstruct timelines of past ecological and environmental change.

Amid uncertainty over space agencies’ plans for future Venus exploration, enthusiasm for a private-sector mission grows

Recently, NASA has selected the Geology team that will develop the surface science plan for the Artemis III mission. The latter, will return humanity to the surface of the Moon after more than 50 years. To be precise, the next man and the next woman will land near the lunar South Pole between 2025 and 2026. Professor Bradley Jolliff is part of the team of geologists selected by NASA.

A team of scientists has produced the first complete and comprehensive global topographic map of Saturn’s active icy moon Enceladus, revealing that it is even more distorted than previously thought. In an article published in the journal Icarus, USRA’s Paul M. Schenk of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and William B. McKinnon of Washington University in St. Louis show that this small ocean world is being deformed by internal processes well outside the areas of active venting at the South Pole.

The asteroid Bennu was sampled by NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex mission, which returned to Earth last month. Researchers have already begun studying the samples, and say they contain key ingredients of life.

The National Science Foundation shares a news release about Bronwen Konecky's latest paper in "Nature"

NOVA's "Ancient Earth: Birth of the Sky" features Washington University Assistant Professor Rita Parai.

In this episode of Dead Planets Society, our hosts Chelsea Whyte and Leah Crane attempt to turn back time on Venus, helping it live up to its habitable planet potential. Planetary scientist Paul Byrne at Washington University in St. Louis joins them once again in this uncharacteristically benevolent mission to fix Venus.

Departmental name change reflects a growing emphasis on environmental science.

Occasional flashes light up Venus’ shroud of clouds. Previous analyses have hinted that the bursts of light could be lightning in the hellish world’s atmosphere. But a new study suggests most of the flashes may be nothing more than the brief yet brilliant blazes of meteors.

Professor Paul Byrne talks to Inverse about the ethics of soccer on the moon

SciTechDaily discusses Assistant Professor Bronwen Konecky's new study on the Pacific Walker ciruclation

Professor Michael Wysession talks Climate Change with HEC media

Through its strategic vision, “Here and Next,” Washington University in St. Louis has committed to mobilize research, education and patient care to establish WashU, and St. Louis, as a global hub for transformative solutions to our deepest societal challenges.

Professor Bob Criss talks with Ladue News about hydrogeology and the Flood of 1993

WashU is a leading partner in NASA research, from the first Moon missions to future journeys probing the distant reaches of the cosmos.

Bradley Jolliff, Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences and Director of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, has been selected as part of the geology team that will develop the surface science plan for the first crewed landing on the moon in over fifty years.

An international team of scientists — including climate scientist Bronwen Konecky in Arts & Sciences — found that volcanic eruptions can cause the Pacific Walker Circulation to temporarily weaken, inducing El Niño-like conditions. Human activity is affecting this system, according to the authors of the new study published in Nature.

This fall, 10 new researchers and instructors join six natural science departments and programs in Arts & Sciences. Welcome to our incoming faculty!

The Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) has named William B. McKinnon, a professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, the winner of its 2023 Kuiper Prize for outstanding contributions to planetary science.

Professor Michael Wysession highlights key drivers shaping this year's climate change challenges.

Podcast- Dead Planets Society Episode 1: Kill the Sun

Professor Emeritus Bob Criss talks debris in River Des Peres with St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Ray Arvidson’s latest accolade marks a long career in planetary exploration.

Roger Michaelides, an assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, is co-investigator of a new NOAA-funded project that aims to improve the warning systems for flash floods that often threaten areas recently denuded by fire.

Alian Wang simulated lightning in a lab to explore how the phenomenon could affect the atmosphere of Venus.

Story from KPLR 11 about research in EPS/Clair Masteller’s laboratory at WashU

Ursula W. Goodenough a, professor emerita of biology, and William B. McKinnon, a professor of earth and planetary sciences, both in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences

New research by Philip Skemer harnesses the power of a WashU-built device to study the minerals in earthquake-causing faults.

Bill McKinnon elected to National Academy of Sciences

Taylor Geospatial Institute grant will support project to measure neighborhood-by-neighborhood variations in St. Louis-area climate.

Bill McKinnon talks to Scientific American about NASA mission to Uranus

Paul Byrne and Rebecca Hahn map 85,000 volcanoes on Venus

Roger Michaelides uses satellites to study permafrost.

Bob Criss discusses flooding with St. Louis Post Dispatch

Smithsonian quotes Paul Byrne

Paul Byrne discusses Venus with National Geographic

The conference gave Arts & Sciences students access to real-world climate problems and the experts working to tackle them.

Fox 2 News quotes Professor Michael Wysession on global warming.

Article from The Source discussing new research published by Alian Wang

Eos article discussing a study co-authored by Jeff Catalano and Greg Ledingham

Michael Wysession is interviewed about renewable energy and batteries.

Axios quotes Professor Paul Byrne, speaking about odd objects in the solar system

Newsweek quotes Professor Paul Byrne's Twitter

Geomorphologist Claire Masteller leverages multiple data sources, geospatial data analysis, and machine learning techniques to paint a holistic picture of Earth’s changing landscapes. By sharing her expertise with local communities, she’s contributing to environmental justice efforts in the St. Louis metro area.

HEC Spotlight piece on Ray Arvidson

Professor Emeritus Robert Criss talks to Washington Post about the unpredictable nature of the Mississippi

Paul Byrne talks balloon technology for studying Venus

On Sept. 20, David A. Fike was installed as the Myron & Sonya Glassberg / Albert & Blanche Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor. Sonya “Sunny” Weinberg Glassberg established the endowed professorship in 2011 to support faculty who are leaders in the study and promotion of renewable energy and sustainability.

Fox 2 interviews Claire Masteller about extreme weather and climate effects on landscapes in our region

Michael Wysession revisits his predictions from the Biden's plan for the climate and clean energy

Video interview with Raymond Arvidson from HEC Media

In a public lecture on Sept. 7, Raymond E. Arvidson, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, will share highlights and reflections – and rover driving lessons – gleaned from a half century of investigating the red planet.

Brad Joliff discusses moon exploration.

Arts & Sciences researchers recently won awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and others.

Paul Byrne talks to Slate about our solar system's coldest planet.

Eos Science News discusses a recent publication by Rita Parai

Paul Byrne talks to Science News about balloon technology.

Claire Masteller talks to St. Louis Post-Dispatch about floodwaters and river erosion.

Michael Wysession talks to PBS News Hour about recent storms in St. Louis.

Claire Masteller talks to St.Louis Post Dispatch about implications of recent large storms.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch discusses a flood warning system that features an algorithm created by Bob Criss.

Claire Masteller won a $313,872 grant from the National Science Foundation for collaborative research that will help scientists distinguish between climate-driven change and the natural variability of river channels.

After 48 years in Arts & Sciences, Ray Arvidson is retiring this year.

Apollo Astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, who gathered 73001 from the ancient Valley of Taurus-Littrow, couldn't have known NASA would store the sample for the lengthy span of 10 presidential administrations inside a specialized lab at NASA's Johnson Space Center. But the space agency waited until the technology to sleuth out the tube's untainted contents had progressed.

People say good things come to those who wait. NASA thinks 50 years is the right amount of time as it begins tapping into one of the last unopened, Apollo-era lunar samples to learn more about the Moon and prepare for a return to its surface.

With the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, climate scientist Bronwen Konecky is piloting a new program to attract and support underrepresented students in the geosciences and prepare them for further studies and careers in the field.

Since 2020, six faculty members in Arts & Sciences have won prestigious NSF CAREER Awards. The NSF’s CAREER Award program supports junior faculty who model the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research.

Michael Krawczynski has been promoted to associate professor (with tenure) of Earth and planetary sciences effective July 1, 2022.

Scientists from Washington University in St. Louis are helping to recover gases from a container of lunar soil that astronauts collected and sealed under vacuum on the surface of the Moon in 1972. The effort is part of NASA’s Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) initiative.

The icefields that stretch for hundreds of miles atop the Andes mountain range in Chile and Argentina are melting at some of the fastest rates on the planet. The ground that was beneath this ice is also shifting and rising as these glaciers disappear. The icefields that stretch for hundreds of miles atop the Andes mountain range in Chile and Argentina are melting at some of the fastest rates on the planet. The ground that was beneath this ice is also shifting and rising as these glaciers disappear.

Last month, Arts & Sciences researchers won awards and honors from the National Science Foundation, St. Louis Astronomical Society, and Dana Foundation.

Rita Parai, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, won a $720,899 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for her project “Heavy Noble Gases in the Azores Archipelago.”

This is the first video in the 2022 MLA Lecture Series and features Doug Wiens, Robert S. Brookings Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Science.

A study led by geophysicist Anne M. Hofmeister in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis proposes that imbalanced forces and torques in the Earth-moon-sun system drive circulation of the whole mantle.

Assistant professors Rita Parai and Kun Wang use advanced geochemical methods to explore the evolution of planetary bodies from the formation of the planet to the present day.

Researchers in Arts & Sciences recently received awards from the National Institutes of Health, NASA, and the National Science Foundation.

Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis are using state-of-the-art geospatial technologies to study bedrock river erosion at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, located about two hours southwest of the Danforth Campus.

Strange, newly theorized "eggshell planets" may possess super-thin outer layers with ultra-smooth surfaces unlike those seen on any world to date, a new study led by Paul Byrne reports.

Dean Hu’s initiative infuses new talent and novel approaches across disciplines. In addition to seven hires who arrived earlier this year, 12 scholars plan to join Arts & Sciences in 2022 as part of the initiative.

Doug Wiens comments on a recent earthquake in southern Missouri, and why St. Louis residents might have been able to feel it.

Strange ‘eggshell planets’ are among the rich variety of exoplanets possible, according to a study from Washington University in St. Louis. These rocky worlds have an ultra-thin outer brittle layer and little to no topography. Such worlds are unlikely to have plate tectonics, raising questions as to their habitability.

The 2-billion-year-old rocks fill a key gap, according to Brad Jolliff.

Scientists share analysis of first fresh samples from the moon in more than 40 years

In the second half-hour on Donnybrook Next Up, the panel is joined by Washington University in St. Louis Professor Emeritus, Dr. Robert Criss.

Paul Byrne discusses a flurry of upcoming missions that may uncover whether the harsh world was once an Earth-like oasis that could have harbored life.

A new study from Kun Wang suggests that the Red Planet, which is half the diameter of Earth, might be too small to hold on to substantial amounts of water in the long term.

According to new research from Kun Wang, Mars was doomed from the start. Its small size—about half the diameter of Earth and less than one-ninth the mass—simply never produced the gravitational muscle to allow the planet to hold onto either its air or its water.

In this Q&A, Byrne describes exploring alien worlds, Earth’s surprisingly cool next-door neighbor (no, not Mars), and how Twitter can be a productive platform for science.

AGU’s newest journal, Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists, is a collection of memoirs, essays, and insights that present personal perspectives on how different scientific fields have evolved.

Department of Energy grant supports research on elements essential for producing electric vehicles, cell phones, and computers.

This year, departments spanning the natural sciences and mathematics welcomed new faculty to their ranks.

This month, researchers in Arts & Sciences received awards from the NIH, NASA, and the NSF.

Flood expert Bob Criss, professor emeritus in Arts & Sciences, shifts focus to urban flash floods. Criss calls the upper River Des Peres "a flash flood monster," and says it's "the single worst stream in Missouri" that he's found.

Michael J. Krawczynski, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences, won an NSF CAREER Award for his project.

The remains of microscopic plankton blooms in near-shore ocean environments slowly sink to the seafloor, setting off processes that forever alter an important record of Earth’s history, according to research from geoscientists, including David Fike at Washington University in St. Louis.

Public Affairs' multimedia and news team earned a gold award in the “News and Research Video” category at CASE. Separately, the video was selected for the 2021 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, and it won an award in the “Outstanding Excellence: Research” category at the Nature Without Borders International Film Festival.

In 2019, NASA selected nine teams to study pieces of the Moon that have been carefully stored untouched for nearly 50 years.

Before beginning her new role as vice provost for educational initiatives, Dean Jennifer R. Smith reflects on past successes and future goals for enhancing the undergraduate experience at Washington University.

Phil Skemer has been promoted to full professor of Earth and planetary sciences effective July 1, 2021.

Two scientists from Washington University are reconstructing past climate and cultural shifts in the Peruvian Andes. Today, such high-altitude parts of the tropics are warming faster than the rest of the globe. What Bronwen Konecky and Sarah Baitzel discover could help predict how the people and animals in this delicate ecosystem might be affected in the future.

In this Q&A, Jill Pasteris, now professor emerita, revisits some of her favorite memories and milestones from her impressive 41-year career.

The ocean floor is vast and varied, making up more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. Scientists have long used information from sediments at the bottom of the ocean — layers of rock and microbial muck — to reconstruct the conditions in oceans of the past.

Kun Wang, assistant professor of Earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received a $506,053 grant from the NASA Emerging Worlds program.

Faculty Focus: Rita Parai

The ambitious hiring initiative will recruit interdisciplinary scholars with expertise in digital, spatial, and data sciences.

Geophysicist Michael Wysession breaks down Joe Biden’s 9-point energy plan, point-by-point, and provides his perspective on what is most doable.

The honor recognizes Wysession’s notable journalistic contributions to the public understanding of geology and energy resources.

The Chinese space agency announced Dec. 16 the return of a lunar probe bringing back the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years.

Dust-related electrochemistry can reshape Martian surface materials with physical and chemical changes observable after only hundreds of years. Similar electrical effects may be instrumental on Venus and Europa.

Washington University planetary scientist Bill McKinnon is one of 62 geoscientists who have been elected to the American Geophysical Union’s 2020 class of fellows.

Geochemist Jeff Catalano has been elected a fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America, one of only a handful of members to receive the honor this year.

In the fight against climate change, David Fike reports that he does, indeed, work collaboratively with farmers around the state. They share information with him about “changes they see in rain and crops, or in the spread of pests,” and in turn, he helps them “understand the context within which those changes are happening.” Fike says that this kind of dialogue creates a “shared understanding, as opposed to science talking down to the public.”

In this Q&A, Katharina Lodders and Nan Liu describe their award-winning work in planetary sciences and meteoritics.

Instructors in the Performing Arts Department have embraced new technology in their courses and championed the philosophy that constraints can foster greater creativity.

Video of Viking Resident Astronomer Ray Arvidson presenting "Exploring Mars & Searching for Signs of Early Life"

Anne Hofmeister was honored with the Association for Women Geoscientists' Professional Excellence Award in academia/research.

Katharina Lodders will receive the Meteoritical Society's 2021 Leonard Medal.

The medal recognizes career-long contributions to planetary science.

Ray Arvidson discusses Perseverance rover mission in The Guardian

In Nature, Ray Arvidson comments on upcoming missions from the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

Ray Arvidson comments on the newest Mars rover mission in Science magazine

Until now, the chemical processes caused by electrostatic discharge have been under-appreciated.

Michael Wysession has been named editor in chief of a new peer-reviewed journal from the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Encounter with Arrokoth at the outskirts of the solar system offers best evidence yet for how worlds coalesce from dust

The award recognizes exceptional contributions to geochemistry by scientists within 12 years of starting their PhD.

Claire Masteller joined the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences as an assistant professor in January 2020.

The farthest object in the solar system ever visited by a spacecraft is described in three new reports in Science.

Concerned scientists, including Bradley Jolliff, sign open letter to Congress

New research from Jeff Catalano and graduate student Kaushik Mitra on oxidation on Mars' surface

Starting in the early 2030s, the project could become our first purposeful step out of the solar system

Events and discoveries related to meteoritics, astronomy, cosmochemistry, and nuclear sciences are commemorated in 2019

One of only 22 nationwide to achieve this honor

Holzheid joins WashU as Visiting Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences and Visiting Scientist with the McDonnell Center

Cosmochemists at WashU study tektites to gain insights into the giant impact event that formed the Moon

"We will continue to see record-breaking temperatures as we go on into the future," said Michael Wysession.

“It’s not a case of been there, done that,” Brad Jolliff said. “There’s much left to do.”

Article by Jolliff and co-author Mark Robinson of ASU appears in July issue of Physics Today

Criss says flood probabilities greatly underestimated, which could have major implications for floodplain development.

Project title "Seeing through the fission: Multimodal analyses of actinides and noble gas isotopes in geological samples"

WashU's Fossett Laboratory for Virtual Planetary Exploration offers new ways of learning with virtual reality.

In the May 17 issue of the journal Science, NASA’s New Horizons mission team published the first comprehensive profile of the farthest world ever explored: the Kuiper belt object 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule.

Scientists from the New Horizons mission presented their latest findings about the small distant object visited by the NASA spacecraft at the start of the year. (NY Times article)

Scientists are getting closer to understanding how the distant object known as Ultima Thule came to be. (BBC news article)

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover team received a 2019 Aviation Week Laureates Award in Washington, DC, on March 14.

Ray Arvidson talks about rovers in the New York Times

Research by EPS professor Bronwen Konecky leverages signals contained in water molecules to decode the atmospheric processes that accompany changing tropical weather and climate patterns.

15-years on Mars and beating expectations: “It’s just a well-made American vehicle”

The missions continue...watch the video with updates. Professor Arvidson comments on how NASA/JPL is continuing to try and recover communications with the Opportunity Mars Rover.

For the past year and a half, Skemer has been incorporating HoloLens technology into his teaching. He and his team have also been working to create an app called GeoXplorer, which, when combined with a HoloLens headset, allows anyone to study geologic phenomena in 3D.

Next stop, Mars - Inside the fierce debate over the fate of NASA’s new rover — and a chance to make history. More in the Washington Post article...

Slow-motion collisions of tectonic plates under the ocean drag water into the deep Earth...

Arvidson's interview with HEC TV about the Mars Rover Opportunity, its silence due to the large dust storm, and prospects for the recovery and continued operations.

Scientists from cross disciplines at Washington University in St. Louis are investigating how the abundance of heavy metals in natural wetlands affects how much of these gasses are produced in aquatic systems.

Criss has championed the Mississippi, Missouri and Meramec rivers, among others, in more than 25 years of work in earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

But since the Martian landscape is too harsh to support most kinds of life, some scientists in St. Louis travel to remote places to study life that thrives in extreme environments.

The Earth has been through a lot of changes in its 4.5 billion year history, including a shift to start incorporating and retaining volatile compounds from the atmosphere in the mantle before spewing them out again through volcanic eruptions.

What ‘warm and wet’ planetary history means for prospects of life on Mars

The Graduate Student Senate and the OFSA Committee are proud to announce the recipients of the 2017-18 Outstanding Faculty & Staff Awards

When Opportunity’s 5000th day dawned in February, it was a meaningful milestone for the team, and it led to a personal first for the veteran robot field geologist that has chalked up so many firsts she’s set the standard for Mars rovers.

“To understand America at this time,” says R.D. James, a Missouri farmer and new Army assistant secretary overseeing its Corps of Engineers, “you have to understand the river.”

The Weidenbaum Award for Excellence was established in 2014 by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy

The award is named after Green, the late founder of the law center and a leading environmental litigator in Missouri for decades.

This summer, WashU received a new and very special instrument: a noble gas isotope ratio mass spectrometer.

A picaresque tour of infrastructure reveals a struggle for control all along America’s great river, full of questions about what it once was, doubts about what it will become and who will pay for any of.

Raymond E. Arvidson, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences will receive the Weidenbaum Center Award for Excellence Medal at a ceremony held during the Weidenbaum Center's Annual Dinner in April 2018. The Weidenbaum Award for Excellence was established in 2014 by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy founded in 1975 by Murray Weidenbaum. This award is given to honor individuals who have made major contributions to both scholarship and public service.

A ring has been found around Haumea, a world more than 2 billion kilometres beyond Pluto. The ring is the most distant ever seen in our solar system.

Robert E. Criss, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has received this year’s Lewis C. Green Environmental Service Award in recognition of his long-term commitment to raising awareness of increased flooding risks and the dangers of floodplain development and inaccurate flood studies.

This summer, WashU received a new and very special instrument: a noble gas isotope ratio mass spectrometer. Rita Parai, an assistant professor in earth and planetary sciences, was there to greet the machine and see it properly installed.

For the first of two programs on climate change, the wise and wonderful host of NPR’s Science Friday, Ira Flatow, will discuss with distinguished climate scientists Bronwen Konecky and Gavin Schmidt how studying past and present climate conditions can lead to the development of future strategies to protect the Earth.

William McKinnon, a planetary scientist in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and a co-investigator on the NASA science team of New Horizons cheered on the the occultation team for catching MU69’s fleeting shadow in precisely the right place at the right time on July 17.

Ray Arvidson, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, deputy principal investigator of the rover mission, explained the current situation and plan for the veteran Opportunity rover.

Ray Arvidson, Opportunity Deputy Principal Investigator of Washington University in St. Louis, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences, describes a geological puzzle rover is trying to solve.

David Fike, associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences, described what happened when pulses of atmospheric carbon dioxide and sulfate aerosols were intermixed at the end of the Ordovician geological period more than 440 million years ago.

Douglas Wiens was installed as the Robert S. Brookings Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at a ceremony held Feb. 21 in Holmes Lounge at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the second faculty member to hold this professorship, which was established in 2006.

Washington University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences is transforming education with the opening of the Virtual Geology Lab. Associate Professor Philip Skemer is building his own 3D holographic models that can be viewed with Microsoft HoloLens.

Dr. Ghassan Aleqabi and Dr. Michael Wysession, Seismologists in Washington University in St. Louis, investigates enemy attacks, terrorism and nuclear tests by seismic sleuthing.

Bradley Jolliff, a professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and the leader of the proposed MoonRise mission, commented on his team's proposal for a NASA mission to go back to the moon's unexplored far side.

What will it take to get humans to Mars? Science writer Andrew Fazekas sits down with two Mars experts, Jedidah Isler and Ray Arvidson, to talk about the challenges we face getting to and establishing a permanent settlement on the red planet.

Dr. Raymond Arvidson, a prominent Mars researcher, created the Pathfinder Program for incoming freshmen at Washington University. Every year, 18 freshmen become Pathfinders, embarking on adventures outside the classroom as they learn about environmental sustainability. Eventually, some Pathfinders play a significant role in Mars research.

William McKinnon, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and a co-author on two of four new Pluto studies published Dec. 1 in Nature, argues that beneath the heart-shaped region on Pluto known as Sputnik Planitia there lies an ocean laden with ammonia.

Dr. Bill McKinnon of Washington University suspected a liquid ocean beneath the surface of Pluto, published remarkable findings about Pluto that surpassed expectations about the dwarf planet and explained how a large section of Pluto’s nitrogen ice surface is renewed by a process called convection.

William McKinnon of Washington University has a long career as a planetary scientist that has been marked by a series of exciting discoveries and new explorations.

Doug Wiens, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and Weisen Shen, a postdoctoral research associate with Wiens, installed a seismometer to investigate the Midcontinent Rift and presented seismic images of the rift at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA) Sept. 25-28.

Kun Wang, assistant professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, reported isotopic differences between lunar and terrestrial rocks that provide the first experimental evidence that can discriminate between the two leading models for the moon’s origin.

Bruce Fegley and Katharina Lodders-Fegley, respectively professor and research professor in earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, published models of the chemistry of a steam atmosphere in equilibrium with a magma ocean at various temperatures and pressures, which provided some suggestions for planet hunters.

Washington University geologists mapped the huge, branching drainage system that underlies the plain that is called Fogelpole Cave, located just below the notch in the west side of Illinois, where Mississippian limestones are exposed at the surface.

Michael E. Wysession is a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. In his nomination for the Press award, his colleagues praised the far-reaching impact of his work on Earth and space sciences education from K-12 to university faculty training.

William McKinnon, professor of earth and planetary science in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, published a computer model that is able to make numerical mountains that look much like the jutting rock slabs on Io.

Randy Korotev, a lunar geochemist from Washington University in St. Louis, helped people distinguish between meteorites and "Meteorwrongs", chunks of rock and metal that masquerade as meteorites.

Erik Herzog shares some of his outreach efforts to support and encourage younger neuroscience researchers.

Brad Jolliff, earth and planetary science professor at Washington University in St. Louis, talks about lunar rocks and meteorites. The moon turns out to be a fascinating place, but probably won’t break up like in Seveneves.

At the end of December 2015, a huge storm named “Goliath” dumped 9-10 inches of rain in a belt across the central United States, centered just southwest of St. Louis, most of it in a three-day downpour. Robert Criss, PhD, professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, says there is more to the flood than the rain.