The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as a celestial body that orbits the sun, is massive enough that gravity has forced it into a spherical shape, and has cleared away other objects ...

In early 2017, the two of us, along with a few others, refreshed the debate on the definition of planet in scientific nomenclature. The International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) historic definitional ...

Astronomers are proposing a new, more quantitative definition of what makes a planet. The new definition looks more directly at the object's mass — but it would still leave Pluto out of the running.

The Biden administration announced a number of initiatives to improve open science policies in 2023, including advancing efforts to make taxpayer-funded research publicly accessible. The White House ...

A year ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defined “fully vaccinated” against SARS-CoV-2 as having received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine or two serial doses of ...

Goldenrod can perceive other plants nearby without ever touching them, by sensing far-red light ratios reflected off leaves. When goldenrod is eaten by herbivores, it adapts its response based on ...

Asking a biologist to define 'life' is a bit like looking-up the word 'definition' in a dictionary — it's as if you're questioning their very existence. Biologists like myself don't agree on what life ...