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While comets were historically thought to be ill omens of war and famine, recent science has revealed that these celestial wonders actually contain amino acids, the building blocks of life on Earth. Justin Dowd explores the implications of this magnificent discovery.

When you picture a rocket, you might imagine a giant ship carrying lots of fuel, people and supplies. But what if the next wave of spacecraft were small enough to fit into our pockets? Dhonam Pemba details the future of microspacecraft, and how scientists at NASA are hoping to use micropropulsion to launch these tiny vessels outside of Earth's orbit.

Ticks can attack moose in droves, draining their blood and possibly killing them.

A nice collection of video links about the three types of symbiosis -- mutualism, parasitism and commensalism.

Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species.

The definition of symbiosis is controversial among scientists. Some believe symbiosis should only refer to persistent mutualisms, while others believe it should apply to all types of persistent biological interactions (i.e. mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic).

In this video we show how you can simply visualize all three.

Creature Eats and Becomes Fish Tongue. One of the more bizarre animals roaming around our oceans, this parasitic crustacean not only eats the tongues of fish but also then replaces it. It's chilling to think about, but surprising the fish endures and often resumes a somewhat normal life. Come learn a bit about the Tongue-Eating Louse.

Gross science: This parasite crawls into a fish's mouth and replaces its tongue. Enough said.

Note: In this video, we refer to the parasites as "protoandritic." The real word is "protandric." We take accuracy very seriously and we apologize for the error. Thank you to the viewer who pointed this out.

The first six weeks of Scott Kelly's marathon year aboard the International Space Station (ISS) haven't been easy. There was the reacclimation to zero-gravity, the failure of a Russian cargo ship carrying needed supplies, the cancellation of singer Sarah Brightman's planned visit-to say nothing of the constant, minute-by-minute work schedule that is the stuff of any day aboard the station.

Kelly and astronaut Terry Virts discussed those things and more in one of at least four video chats TIME will conduct with the ISS during our exclusive Year in Space coverage.

On March 28, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly began a historic year in Space. Time follows Kelly and his twin brother, Mark, as they work the test the boundaries of long-term space travel.

One such method is the pad abort test; it's a failsafe the Dragon will use on the launch pad in case the area becomes unexpectedly dangerous. Let's say a booster falls off before liftoff, spewing fire everywhere. SpaceX can initiate the pad abort, which will carry the capsule and its crew to safety. Eight SuperDraco engines embedded in the walls of the Dragon fire up and rocket the vehicle away from the dangerous launch pad.
The May 6 test demonstrated how the pad abort test would work, jettisoning the Dragon off of a launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida. No humans were on board for the ride, but SpaceX just released a video of the procedure, from the point of view of the spacecraft itself. Take a look below, and learn about the different phases of the test here.

Kelly and astronaut Terry Virts discussed those things and more in one of at least four video chats TIME will conduct with the ISS during our exclusive Year in Space coverage. Phoning the station is not easy. It takes days of planning and at least an hour of sound checks before the uplink is made, and then long delays as questions and answers are relayed back and forth. It makes ordinary conversation a challenge.

Still, even in the 14 minutes the connection lasted-during which the station passed over Canada, the Great Lakes, Minneapolis, Denver, and Southern California-Kelly and Virts were surprisingly open, sharing their feelings about both the camaraderie and the sublime loneliness of being where they are. Kelly especially must be mindful of those feelings as he faces 10 more months of circling the Earth, while his family and friends and everything he knows lie 250 miles below him.

Today, Bill Nye launched a Kickstarter campaign to help gather funds for the project. While the May 20 test of the LightSail prototype is good to go, the CubeSat won't be sailing on this trip. The test is merely to see if the sail can deploy. The Planetary Society sill needs money for their primary mission in fall 2016, when they will launch the CubeSat high enough into space for some sun sailing.

A video talking about the need for the Doomsday seed vault. Also documents the process used to collect the seeds and store the seeds.

Video from Discovery on why Pangea happened.

Another month, another carbon dioxide record. This time the record extends beyond the rocky slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, home to the most storied carbon dioxide record, and includes 39 other sites around the globe to paint a troubling picture of a greenhouse gas rise with no signs of slowing down.

This video goes over the structures and functions of flowers and how they produce fruit.

Photosynthesis Animation for Kids
This introductory, animated video explains the process of photosynthesis by which plants take in sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce their foodand Oxygen. Suitable for learners/kids new to the concept.

Photosynthesis is an essential part of the exchange between humans and plants. Amanda Ooten walks us through the process of photosynthesis, also discussing the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber -- and how the air we breathe is related to the food we ingest.

Photosynthesis is an essential part of the exchange between humans and plants. Amanda Ooten walks us through the process of photosynthesis, also discussing the relationship between photosynthesis and carbohydrates, starch, and fiber -- and how the air we breathe is related to the food we ingest.

When you picture the lowest levels of the food chain, you might imagine herbivores happily munching on lush, living green plants. But this idyllic image leaves out a huge (and slightly less appetizing) source of nourishment: dead stuff. John C. Moore details the "brown food chain," explaining how such unlikely delicacies as pond scum and animal poop contribute enormous amounts of energy to our ecosystems