Science News: Recent scientific discoveries and expert analysis

A first-of a-kind space weather "tabletop" exercise has revealed major weaknesses in America's preparedness for major solar storms.

Researchers have discovered an ancient moth-like sea predator in a treasure trove of museum fossils in Canada. The half-a-billion-year-old creature, Mosura fentoni, reveals that Cambrian arthropods were more diverse than previously thought.

A baby known as KJ is the first person in the world to receive a customized CRISPR therapy designed to fix a specific mutation.

A new gene editor takes advantage of CRISPR-associated proteins to insert whole genes into the genome, scientists report.

Is the Star Manual of Master Shi the oldest known astronomical catalog? Experts are divided.

A large-scale genome study shows that Indigenous peoples in the Americas split off several times, resulting in loss of important genetic diversity.

The sun has released several powerful M- and X-class solar flares over the past few days, resulting in radio blackouts around the world.

A new physics paper takes a step toward creating a long-sought "theory of everything" by uniting gravity with the quantum world. However, the new theory remains far from being proven observationally.

Amber deposits in Japan show unique deformations that suggest trees were swept out to sea during a tsunami about 115 million years ago, giving paleontologists a new way to identify past tsunamis.

Scientists say that hiding secret messages using AI chatbots could lead to a world of iron-clad encryption.

A combination of X-ray from NASA's Chandra observatory and radio data indicates that a galactic "fracture" was likely caused by a special neutron star called a pulsar.

Scientists looked at Jupiter's massive auroras using the James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes — and found a mystery they can't fully explain.

Astrophysicists have proposed a new theoretical maximum lifespan for the universe, which suggests that dead stars are decaying much faster than previously thought. The estimate of stellar remnant decay is based on Stephen Hawking's famous black hole radiation theory.

Researchers shed light on the "dark matter" of the gut, revealing a species of fungus that could potentially help counter fatty liver disease. The research is in its early days, though.

A massive stone carving featuring an Assyrian ruler and several deities has been found in Iraq.

The genomes of long-living, big-brained mammal species reveal that they carry more copies of immunity genes. Experts speculate that these genes may affect longevity.

NASA's Perseverance rover recently captured a photo of green auroras shining in the Martian sky for the first time. The alien light show, previously assumed to be impossible, could be visible to future astronauts.

New fossilized tracks made by an ancient reptile indicate that these animals evolved tens of millions of years sooner than scientists first thought.

"Mono," caused by Epstein-Barr virus, raises the risk of multiple sclerosis, but it's unclear why. A study pinpoints a genetic variant that might help explain.

The wrinkled, raisin-like patterns you get on your fingers after a long bath form the same patterns every time, new research suggests.