Sid Perkins
Science Magazine
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Past articles by Sid:
Machu Picchu was built over major fault zones. Now, researchers think they know why
Machu Picchu was built over major fault zones. Now, researchers think they know why By Sid PerkinsSep. 24, 2019 , 1:20 PM Archaeologists and architects alike have long wondered why 15th century Incans built the grand citadel of Machu Picchu where they did, high in the remote Andes atop a narrow ridge in what is now Peru. One simple answer, researchers now suggest, is that that’s where building… → Read More
In just 12 days, the world gets half of its annual rainfall
In coming decades, climate change will skew that statistic even further → Read More
This alga may be seeding the world’s skies with clouds
After some of these microbes die, their calcium shells make their way into sea air → Read More
The world’s oldest pterosaur may have had a pouch like a pelican
But the desert dweller wouldn’t have used it to eat fish → Read More
Pockets of water may lie deep below Earth’s surface
New evidence of water pockets has been found hundreds of kilometers deep inside our planet. Claus Lunau/Science Source Pockets of water may lie deep below Earth’s surface By Sid PerkinsMar. 8, 2018 , 2:00 PM Small pockets of water exist deep beneath Earth’s surface, according to an analysis of diamonds belched from hundreds of kilometers within our planet. The work, which also identifies a weird… → Read More
Early plants slowed mud from flowing into sea
Before land plants evolved, fine-grained materials simply washed out to sea → Read More
Bird poop brings 3.8 million metric tons of nitrogen out of the sea each year
Massive mountains of guano power nutrient “hot spots” → Read More
This duck-faced dinosaur took a rare plunge back into water
Long snout bones, flexible neck suggest an aquatic lifestyle → Read More
So much for the abominable snowman. Study finds that ‘yeti’ DNA belongs to bears
Eight out of nine samples purported to be remains of yetis (artist’s sketch, above) were actually those of bears, a new genetic analysis reveals. The Yeti, illustration from "Monsters and Mythic Beasts" 1975 (color litho), D'Achille, Gino (1935–2017)/Private Collection/Bridgeman Images So much for the abominable snowman. Study finds that ‘yeti’ DNA belongs to bears By Sid PerkinsNov. 28, 2017 ,… → Read More
How did these giant boulders get here?
Scientists have long wondered how giant boulders—like the multiton, automobile-size rocks that dot this shore in northwestern Ireland—got here. Were they carried by a tsunami triggered by an asteroid impact at sea? It turns out that large, nontsunami waves are enough to do the trick, according to a new study. Computer simulations suggest that breaking waves of the size that occasionally strike… → Read More
Volcanoes may have triggered riots in ancient Egypt
Eruptions reduced annual Nile floods, causing catastrophic crop failures and social upheaval → Read More
Astronomers spot first ring around a distant dwarf planet
Haumea is also larger, less dense, and reflects less light than previously thought → Read More
Cargo ships may be creating lightning at sea
Rates of lightning along some shipping lanes are almost double those nearby → Read More
This ancient dwarf dolphin may have slurped its food like a walrus
Extinct cetacean adds diversity to "toothed whales" → Read More
Water ice found near Mars’s equator could entice colonists and life-seekers
NASA’s Odyssey spacecraft has discovered subsurface ice on Mars at latitudes far lower than the planet’s polar caps. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU Water ice found near Mars’s equator could entice colonists and life-seekers By Sid PerkinsAug. 16, 2017 , 1:45 PM Scientists have discovered substantial deposits of water ice buried in shallow soils near Mars’s equator. The find could spur hopes for… → Read More
Why midsized animals are the fastest on Earth
A new study helps explain why midsized animals such as cheetahs are overall speed champs. Kenneth Geiger/National Geographic Creative Why midsized animals are the fastest on Earth By Sid PerkinsJul. 17, 2017 , 11:30 AM An elephant should run faster than a horse—at least in theory. That’s because big creatures have more of the type of muscle cells used for acceleration. Yet midsized animals are… → Read More
Jupiter’s skies are peppered with electron streams, ammonia plumes, and massive storms
Latest Juno flyby reveals the planet also has magnetic fields 50% stronger in some areas than thought → Read More
Demon-faced dinosaur named after Ghostbusters baddie
Zuul crurivastator was once Montana’s "destroyer of shins" → Read More
Wheel damage suggests Mars rover approaching mid-life crisis
Scientists spot wear and tear on Curiosity’s treads → Read More
Stunning close-up of Saturn’s moon, Pan, reveals a space empanada
Frozen ridge around Saturn’s moon Pan is collected from the planet’s rings → Read More