Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Science Snippets

Want some fun facts and interesting snippets of science? Then you came to the right place. Use an RSS reader, browser extension, or software to get updates when new Science Snippets are posted.

Subscribe (RSS feed)
Filter Total Items: 246
Waterbirds at Risk in the Chesapeake Bay

Waterbirds at Risk in the Chesapeake Bay

Scientists investigate the impacts of shoreline armoring

Read Article
Making your Mark on a Map: Volunteer map editors contribute more than 300,000 map points

Making your Mark on a Map: Volunteer map editors contribute more than 300,000 map points

The USGS citizen science project, The National Map Corps, has reached another major milestone.

Read Article
Polar Bears Film Their Own Sea Ice World

Polar Bears Film Their Own Sea Ice World

In June of 2014, the USGS released the first-ever polar bear point-of-view footage, offering a never-seen-before perspective from the top Arctic...

Read Article
Understanding the Mineral Resources of the Midcontinent Rift

Understanding the Mineral Resources of the Midcontinent Rift

The first great geologic expeditions of the United States set off in the mid-1800s, equipped with mules, rifles, and early scientific instruments...

Read Article
Alaska Earthquake Rattles Florida’s Groundwater Plumbing

Alaska Earthquake Rattles Florida’s Groundwater Plumbing

At 12:32 am Alaska time on January 23, 2018, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake shook Alaska residents out of their beds and set off fears of a tsunami all...

Read Article
EarthWord–Zoonotic

EarthWord–Zoonotic

Sharing isn’t always polite, judging by this EarthWord. 

Read Article
Satellite Imagery Aids Rescue Efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

Satellite Imagery Aids Rescue Efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

Free and rapid imagery was provided through the USGS Hazard Data Distribution System.

Read Article
Best Student Geological Map Competition Winners Announced

Best Student Geological Map Competition Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of the 5th Annual Best Student Geologic Map Competition, held at the Geological Society of America's recent Annual...

Read Article
EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

EarthWord–Gas Hydrate

No, this EarthWord isn’t how natural gas quenches its thirst-it just sounds like it...

Read Article
EarthWord–Discovery

EarthWord–Discovery

Eureka often accompanies this EarthWord.

Read Article
EarthWord–Thermal Maturity

EarthWord–Thermal Maturity

No, this EarthWord isn’t a trait of adult petroleum basins, but it is related to how old they are...

Read Article
Scientists Ground Truth What Influences Hurricanes

Scientists Ground Truth What Influences Hurricanes

Scientists looked back 10 to 13 thousand years to gain real-world insight into the environmental factors that influence hurricanes near Florida and...

Read Article