[Tuesday, April 4, 2006] If a large asteroid such as the recently identified 2004 VD17 - about 500 m in diameter with a mass of nearly 1000 million tonnes - collides with the Earth it could spell disaster for much of our planet.

[Wednesday, April 5, 2006] The recent discovery above the Arctic Circle of remarkably well preserved fossils from a new species of ancient fish provides a key marker in the evolutionary transition of fish to limbed animals.

[Thursday, April 6, 2006] New computer simulations of Mercury's formation show the fate of material blasted out into space when a large proto-planet collided with a giant asteroid 4.5 billion years ago.

[Thursday, April 6, 2006] ANU astronomers have discovered a nearby solar twin which may shed light on the search for planets that are similar to Earth and that may even support life.

[Thursday, April 6, 2006] The record shows slow, steady cooling in the eastern equatorial Pacific, a finding that challenges the notion that the Ice Ages alone sparked a global cooling trend. Results are published in Science.

[Friday, April 7, 2006] "We are very pleased to announce that the 7th CONTINENT will be joining us for this years Yuri's Night for the 3rd time! "

[Wednesday, April 12, 2006] NASA has signed an agreement with other U.S. and international agencies to launch the Ocean Surface Topography Mission in 2008.

[Wednesday, April 12, 2006] A globe-spanning constellation of six satellites expected to improve weather forecasts, monitor climate change, and enhance space weather research will head into orbit on April 14.

[Thursday, April 13, 2006] To investigate the acceptable CG limits for future designs, the NASA EVA Physiology EPSP working in conjunction with the Crew and Thermal Systems engineers have developed a reconfigurable CG backpack that can be worn by divers on "sea walks".

[Thursday, April 13, 2006] A globe-spanning constellation of six weather and climate research satellites based on a novel application of NASA-developed technology is set to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base Friday, April 14, at 5:10 p.m. PDT aboard a Minotaur rocket.

[Thursday, April 13, 2006] New measurements of lunar rocks returned by the Apollo missions have revealed that a number of the rocks show signs of melting suggesting that the moon - and its nearby neighbor Earth - were bombarded by a series of large meteorites at that time.

[Thursday, April 13, 2006] Scientists have found that worms dwelling at deep-sea hydrothermal vents opt for temperatures of 45-55 degrees C (113-131 degrees F) when given a choice of conditions, giving them the highest thermal preference of any animal studied to date.

[Sunday, April 16, 2006] Zoe Vida approaches winters in Antarctica with a very "Buddha" attitude: reminding herself to let go of the ego and become immersed in the experience of the long austral night.

[Wednesday, April 19, 2006] Scientists have wondered whether a deadly astronomical event called a gamma ray burst could happen in a galaxy like ours, but astronomers at Ohio State University and their colleagues have determined that such an event would be nearly impossible.

[Thursday, April 20, 2006] British scientists have discovered rivers the size of the Thames in London flowing hundreds of miles under the Antarctica ice shelf by examining small changes in elevation, observed by ESA's ERS-2 satellite.

[Thursday, April 20, 2006] When Earth Day arrives on April 22, it will be just one more day that NASA science data archive centers are making available enormous quantities of important satellite data products that reveal many important facets of the Earth.

[Saturday, April 22, 2006] The Regional Workshop is being co-sponsored by the Government of Syria and the European Space Agency (ESA), and is being hosted by the General Organization for Remote Sensing.

[Saturday, April 22, 2006] The importance of GMES for European citizens was highlighted today at a press conference in Graz, Austria, marking the end of the symposium 'A Market for GMES in Europe and its regions - the Graz Dialogue'.

[Saturday, April 22, 2006] When we turn to the origin of life, our attention focuses on liquid water - the one ingredient that seems to be required for all life on Earth. Therefore, the prime question for astrobiologist is when the Earth first supported a liquid water ocean.

[Sunday, April 23, 2006] Plans to drill deep beneath the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, to investigate subglacial lakes where ancient life is thought to exist, may have to be reviewed following a discovery by a British team.

[Monday, April 24, 2006] More than 18,000 citizen-scientists in 96 countries submitted 4,591 observations of the darkness of their local night skies during the 10-day GLOBE at Night event last month.

[Wednesday, April 26, 2006] The MarsGRACE Mission aims at translating the success of GRACE mission from Earth to the purpose of mapping mass flux on Mars.

[Friday, April 28, 2006] Two NASA satellites were launched Friday from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on missions to reveal the secrets of clouds and aerosols, tiny particles suspended in the air.

[Sunday, April 30, 2006] In an unusual step, European scientists participating in the ESA CryoSat validation experiment on the Greenland ice sheet will soon be joined by six students from the Climate Change College.