Planet Earth

A picture taken from orbit of the Gulf of Suez.

A gulf separating Africa and Asia is still pulling apart — 5 million years after scientists thought it had stopped

By Stephanie Pappas published

The Arabian and African tectonic plates failed to pull apart 28 million years ago at the Gulf of Suez, but the area hasn't stopped rifting.

Geology
Waves crashing into a cliff from top down.

Eruptions of ocean volcanoes may be the echoes of ancient continental breakups

By Stephanie Pappas published

Waves in Earth's mantle created by the rifting of continents may peel the planet's crust from below, feeding volcanoes in the middle of the ocean.

Volcanos
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Space

Record-breaking black hole collision finally explained

By Andrey Feldman published

In 2023, scientists detected the gravitational waves from a black hole collision that seemed impossible. New research finally explains how this "forbidden" black hole came to be, and what it can teach us about these extreme objects.

Black Holes
Photo of three Chinese astronauts before a launch

Three more Chinese astronauts are now stranded in space following successful rescue of their colleagues

By Harry Baker published

The Shenzhou-21 crew has been marooned on China's Tiangong space station after three of their colleagues were brought back to Earth in the wrong spacecraft. For now, the astronauts have no safe way of returning home.

39 Comments
Space Exploration
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archaeology

'Sophisticated' Bronze Age city unearthed in Kazakhstan 'transforms our understanding of steppe societies'

By Skyler Ware published

Archaeologists in Kazakhstan have discovered the "City of Seven Ravines," a vast Bronze Age "proto-city" with metalworking, dwellings and a large building.

Archaeology

'Perfectly preserved' Neanderthal skull bones suggest their noses didn't evolve to warm air

By Kristina Killgrove published

An analysis of the only intact Neanderthal inner nose bones known to exist reveals that our ancient cousins' enormous noses did not evolve to withstand harsh climates.

2 Comments
Human Evolution
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World of science

Health

Honeywell Designer Series air purifier standing in a corner of a sunlit room

Honeywell Designer Series HPA830 air purifier review: The power of simplicity

By Anna Gora published

Reviews This air purifier's air-cleaning performance gets top marks, but we think it lacks modern looks and fancy features.

Reviews

What causes the feeling of 'butterflies' in your stomach?

By Marilyn Perkins, Anna Gora last updated

Flutters, knots and other stomach sensations tied to nervousness are all examples of the gut-brain axis in action.

Health
A Live Science Black Friday Deals logo and a picture of a woman exercising in the park, looking at her smartwatch

Top 10 Black Friday smartwatch deals: From budget Amazfit trackers to premium Garmin watches

By Anna Gora last updated

Deals Top-rated smartwatches without breaking the bank.

Deals
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Animals

In this photo, the parasitic ant queen Lasius orientalis (left) infiltrates the nest of Lasius flavus and apporaches their queen (right).

'Nothing but a nightmare': Worker ants are tricked into murdering their mom by an imposter queen — who quickly takes the throne for herself

By Chris Simms published

A sneaky spray of chemicals makes ant workers turn on their own mother — the queen — so a parasitic invader can take over the colony herself.

Insects

How did metamorphosis evolve?

By Marilyn Perkins published

While it might seem like an all-or-nothing process, insect metamorphosis likely emerged through gradual evolutionary changes.

Insects

Mammoth RNA sequenced for the first time, marking a giant leap toward understanding prehistoric life

By Jeanne Timmons published

Scientists successfully sequence the RNA from woolly mammoths found in Siberia that lived up between 10,000 thousand and 50,000 years ago.

Mammoths
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Human Behavior

A hand holding a pencil over a crossword puzzle

Live Science crossword puzzle #20: Largest contiguous land empire in history — 3 down

By Harry Baker last updated

Science crossword Test your knowledge on all things science with our weekly, free crossword puzzle!

Science crossword

There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you

By Kit Yates published

Opinion How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility.

19 Comments
Opinion
scientist holding test tubes with illustration of money symbols and a sand timer on a blue background

Citation cartels, ghost writing and fake peer-review: Fraud is causing a crisis in science — here's what we need to do to stop it

By Kit Yates published

Opinion Thousands of scientific papers are retracted every year because of fraudulent activity, with both authors and journals gaming a system to gain academic acclaim through deceit, dishonesty and false representation.

7 Comments
Opinion
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Physics & Mathematics

For the first time, physicists peer inside the nucleus of a molecule using electrons as a probe

By Larissa G. Capella published

A novel experiment has revealed a phenomenon called the Bohr–Weisskopf effect in a pear-shaped nucleus in a molecule for the first time.

Particle Physics

Science history: Russian mathematician quietly publishes paper — and solves one of the most famous unsolved conjectures in mathematics — Nov. 11, 2002

By Tia Ghose published

Mathematician Grigori Perelman solved the Poincaré conjecture, and then rejected the $1 million prize that came with it.

39 Comments
Mathematics
Clocks stand in a row in front of autumn trees

Daylight saving time 2025: When does the time change, and why?

By Jeanna Bryner last updated

When does daylight saving time end in 2025? Here's a look at when the time changes this year, and why we change our clocks in the first place.

Physics & Mathematics
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Chemistry

Scientists invent way to use E. coli to create and dye rainbow-colored fabric in the lab

By Mason Wakley published

Scientists have used a novel method to create sustainable, rainbow-colored fibers using bacteria in the lab.

Chemistry
an animation of a spinning buckyball molecule

Science history: Chemists discover buckyballs — the most perfect molecules in existence — Nov. 14, 1985

By Tia Ghose published

Over a feverish 10-day period, scientists synthesized and described a new class of carbon molecules, called buckminster fullerenes, after the iconic 20th-century inventor.

Chemistry

Why does boiling water have bubbles, except in a microwave?

By Victoria Atkinson published

Bubbles are usually the first sign that water’s coming to the boil, but heating it in a microwave seems to skip this important step. Here’s what’s going on.

9 Comments
Chemistry
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Technology

Kimberley Lane, author of this article, can be seen using a camera and telephoto lens in a remote location

Best lenses for wildlife photography 2025 — crisp, detailed wildlife shots

By Kimberley Lane last updated

These are the best wildlife lenses you can buy in 2025

Technology
A Live Science Black Friday logo and a picture of Apple AirPods Pro 2 on a blue background

Our favorite AirPods are now a huge 42% off and at their lowest-ever price

By Anna Gora published

Deals Save $100 on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 wireless earbuds at Walmart — but hurry, this early Black Friday deal will not last long.

Deals
Humanoid robot with two drones driving on the pavement in front.

New 'Transformer' humanoid robot can launch a shapeshifting drone off its back — watch it in action

By Bobby Hellard published

Developed at Caltech, a new robot is a humanoid that can launch an M4 drone, switching between different modes of motion, with wheels that can become rotors.

Robotics
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