They live thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface. They eat hydrogen and exhale methane. And they may shape our world more profoundly than we can imagine.

The discovery of a rare mineral (reidite) at the Woodleigh meteorite impact structure in Western Australia was published this week by Curtin University honours student Morgan Cox and colleagues. Reidite – and other minerals – are sometimes formed when meteorites crash into Earth. This takes a particular set of circumstances. Only six prior discoveries of reidite had ever been reported.

The deep red gems have long been found marred with internal markings. Researchers propose a new explanation involving fungal microorganisms who have found a nice place to live. By Veronique Greenwood.

“It’s a bit like Monty Python.”

The official history of Earth has a new chapter - and we are in it. Geologists have classified the last 4,200 years as being a distinct age in the story of our planet. They are calling it the Meghalayan Age, the onset of which was marked by a mega-drought that crushed a number of civilisations worldwide. The International Chronostratigraphic Chart, the famous diagram depicting the timeline for Earth's history (seen on many classroom walls) will be updated.

A team of international scientists led by researchers from Australia found the oldest color in Earth’s geological record. The ancient pigment found in rocks beneath the Sahara desert could be ten times older than the T-rex.

A wildly incorrect 1923 study on Stonehenge led to all kinds of wrong ideas about the monument's history.

Although scientists dispute its legend, the minuscule Carcross Desert in Canada is a world wonder by any measure.

Mexico's win over Germany rocked Mexico City. But not literally.

Earth’s ice is melting at a rapid clip today. But some scientists think that during several ancient episodes, the planet plunged into a deep freeze known as “Snowball Earth,” when ice sheets grew to cover almost the entire planet. However, the number of these episodes, their extent, and just how fast Earth turned into an ice cube have long been a mystery. Now, analysis of a newly discovered rock sequence in Ethiopia supports a Snowball Earth event some 717 million years ago and suggests it took place in mere thousands of years—the geologic equivalent of a cold snap.

Physics Girl

The last week is just a short part of Kilauea’s destruction.

The Big Island’s most active volcano is forcing thousands to flee, though officials say only a small area is affected.

Priests survived because they were taller than their animal sacrifices

Hundreds of earthquakes have rocked the famous supervolcano in the past few days, but this seismic activity is regular in the region.

A remote spruce planted on a Southern Ocean island holds a defining record of humans, scientists argue.

Is this real? Only a select few have ever laid eyes on this sea arch, tucked away in Nunavut,Canada.

A tsunami warning is in effect for coastal British Columbia and parts of Alaska after an earthquake of magnitude 8.2 struck 256 kilometres southeast of Chiniak, Alaska, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

We may covet gemstones for their beauty, but their real value lies in what they tell scientists about the extreme forces at work deep underground.