Early humans were quarrying stone as far back as 220,000 years ago, revealing surprisingly advanced planning and resource use.

Scientists have uncovered the oldest direct evidence yet that Earth’s tectonic plates were on the move 3.5 billion years ago. By analyzing magnetic fingerprints in ancient rocks, they reconstructed ...

Stromatolites—and their close relatives, microbial mats—could be mistaken for what seems like a bunch of old dark rocks. But ...

Exactly when and how plate tectonics started, however, is a matter of debate. Now, in a study published March 19 in the ...

Asteroid impacts may have helped kick-start life on Earth by creating hot, chemical-rich environments ideal for early biology. These impact-generated hydrothermal systems could have lasted thousands ...

Meteor impacts may have helped spark life on Earth, creating hot, chemical-rich environments where the first living cells ...

Scientists have discovered a hidden partnership between ancient microbes that may explain how complex life first evolved on ...

The arid hills of Western Australia’s Pilbara region contain the earliest evidence yet of tectonic plates sliding across Earth’s surface. Tiny magnetic crystals locked in the bedrock recorded the ...

A major impact can eradicate entire ecosystems. It can melt rocks, send debris around the planet, and create a dent in the ...

A new analysis of meteorite isotopes challenges long-held ideas about Earth’s origins, suggesting our planet may have formed ...

This is roughly what the formation of the Earth in our solar system might have looked like. The birth of two planets (light brown dots) in a protoplanetary disc around the young star WISPIT 2 ...