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Do you think any penguins looked up from Snow Hill Island on the Antarctic Peninsula to catch the total solar eclipse?

Rare total solar eclipse over Antarctica dazzles ... the penguins

By Jeanna Bryner

Did any of the southern continent's waddling birds look up to catch the sky show?

A jackalope?

Are jackalopes real?

By Tara Santora

Can rabbits grow horns, as the legendary jackalope does?

The FASERu experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider.

Scientists spot elusive 'ghost particles' for the first time inside the Large Hadron Collider

By Ben Turner

The breakthrough will allow scientists to research long sought-after high energy neutrinos.

An artist's drawing of a distant asteroid approaching Earth.

'Potentially hazardous' asteroid worth nearly $5 billion will enter Earth’s orbit next week, NASA says

By Ben Turner

The mineral-rich asteroid has an estimated worth of $4.71 billion.

Dark matter is as mysterious as it is ubiquitous.

Dark matter may spawn more of itself from ordinary matter, like a cosmic ice-9

By Joanna Thompson

A new mechanism for dark matter creation could explain the current six-to-one ratio of dark matter to matter.

In the story told in the Gospels Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee near Bethsaida.

Is this really the biblical city where Jesus walked on water?

By Owen Jarus

The biblical city where the Gospels tell of Jesus performing some of his most famous miracles is now a source of debate among archaeologists.

Planet Earth

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How It Works covers

Christmas sale: Read a free issue of How It Works magazine, plus save up to 57% on a subscription!

By Jeanna Bryner

Our sister publication, How It Works, is the action-packed magazine that’s bursting with the answers to your curious questions.

A gold nugget

Gold: The rich element

By James S. Horton

Reference Gold is a versatile and unique metal, here's how it forms and used today.

Reference
  1. The pyramids of Egypt.
    1
    Why did ancient Egyptian pharaohs stop building pyramids?
  2. 2
    This 130 million-year-old ichthyosaur was a 'hypercarnivore' with knife-like teeth
  3. 3
    Pac-Man-shaped blobs become world's first self-replicating biological robots
  4. 4
    Fossils of 400-million-year-old 'Excalibur worm' discovered in Australia
  5. 5
    Omicron variant may have evolved in rats, one theory says
  1. This artist’s illustration shows a dim, cold brown dwarf in space. Brown dwarfs form like stars, but do not have enough mass to ignite nuclear fusion in their cores – the process that causes stars to burn. As a result they share some physical characteristics with massive planets, like Jupiter.
    1
    Mysterious object called 'The Accident' has been careening through the Milky Way for 10 billion years
  2. 2
    Facial reconstruction shows powerful Bronze Age woman's serene expression and huge earrings
  3. 3
    Omicron variant may have evolved in rats, one theory says
  4. 4
    Real-life Moby Dick spotted off the coast of Jamaica
  5. 5
    Silver plate showing topless Scythian goddess unearthed in Russia

Space and Physics

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A close-up of three SpaceX Raptor engines clustered together for the company's Starship SN8 prototype.

Starship engine 'crisis' poses possible bankruptcy risk for SpaceX, Elon Musk says: report

By Mike Wall

Elon Musk thinks that problems with SpaceX's Raptor engine production pose potentially dire consequences for the company, according to media reports.

An illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on track for Dec. 22 launch

By Elizabeth Howell

The generational observatory is nearly ready for space after years of delays.

History

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Here, the Roman Forum at sunrise, revealing (from left to right): the Temple of Vespasian and Titus, the church of Santi Luca e Martina, Septimius Severus Arch and the ruins of the Temple of Saturn.

Ancient Rome: From city to empire in 600 years

By Owen Jarus

Rome built an empire that stretched from northern England to the Middle East. Here's a look at the history and facts about ancient Rome.

The USS Shaw explodes during the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941.

Pearl Harbor: Surprise attack that launched US into World War II

By Michael E. Haskew

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii devastated U.S. naval power in the Pacific and precipitated America’s entry into World War II.

Health

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brown rat on shiny black floor

Omicron variant may have evolved in rats, one theory says

By Nicoletta Lanese

Some features of the omicron variant's genome hint that it may have evolved in rodents.

A sign indicating a COVID-19 testing center.

1st case of omicron variant in US confirmed in California

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

U.S. officials confirmed the first U.S. case of omicron in California.

Oral B electric toothbrush deals

Oral B electric toothbrush deals: Discounted toothbrushes in stock and available

By Sarah Finley

DEAL Top Oral B electric toothbrush deals for you to improve your oral care routine without breaking the bank.

DEAL

Animals

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A regular sperm whale swims near the ocean's surface.

Real-life Moby Dick spotted off the coast of Jamaica

By Harry Baker

Sailors aboard a gas tanker spotted and filmed a rare encounter with a white sperm whale near Jamaica.

The phantom jellyfish (Stygiomedusa gigantea) is one of the ocean's most elusive animals.

Giant 'phantom jellyfish' that eats with mouth-arms spotted off California coast

By Ben Turner

The rare creature has only been spotted roughly 100 times since its discovery in 1899.

The 'Excalibur worm and 'Shuriken' worm (seen here) had overlapping systems of armored plates that made them the most knightly detritivores on the block.

Fossils of 400-million-year-old 'Excalibur worm' discovered in Australia

By Brandon Specktor

Researchers discovered the fossils of two previously unknown armored marine worms named Excalibur and Shuriken.

Strange News

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Photograph of submariners standing on top of the Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut in the water at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Washington, May 7, 2018.

Nuclear-powered US submarine collided with a hidden underwater mountain, Navy reveals

By Harry Baker

An investigation into a recent collision involving a nuclear-powered U.S. submarine has revealed it hit an unmapped seamount in the South China Sea.

The SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array (ATA) searches our galaxy for radio signals from potential intelligent alien life.

Why extraterrestrial intelligence is more likely to be artificial than biological

By Martin Rees

Lord Martin Rees argues that if humans do find intelligent alien life, it will be artificial not biological.

What would happen if light traveled much more slowly?

What would happen if the speed of light was much lower?

By Ashley P. Taylor

Here's what would happen if the speed of light were orders of magnitude slower.

Culture

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Fascism leaders, May 9, 1938: German dictator Adolf Hitler and Italian dictator Benito Mussolini standing in the back of a car, on display as they drive through Rome.

What is fascism?

By Mindy Weisberger

Reference Fascism is a political ideology usually characterized by authoritarianism and nationalism. However, many scholars say the concept is difficult to define.

Reference
Waving a transgender flag during a gay pride march.

What does transgender mean?

By Alina Bradford, Timothy Williamson

Reference The term transgender describes people whose gender identity differs from the sex to which they were assigned at birth.

Reference
Buddhism is a big part of some Eastern cultures. Here, three buddhist monks walking to Angkor Wat temple.

What is culture?

By Kim Ann Zimmermann, Stephanie Pappas

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Tech

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person in faraday cage

What is a Faraday cage?

By Jonathan O'Callaghan

Reference Faraday cages are protective enclosures that prevent electromagnetic radiation from entering.

Reference
As Pac-man-shaped Xenobot “parents” move around their environment, they collect loose stem cells in their “mouths” that, over time, aggregate to create “offspring” Xenobots that develop to look just like their creators.

Pac-Man-shaped blobs become world's first self-replicating biological robots

By Stephanie Pappas

Biological robots made from frog cells can self-replicate like no other organism, by moving around raw materials to build more of themselves.

Here's a look at the best binoculars deals.

Binoculars deals: Magnificent savings on Celestron, Nikon, Bushnell and more

By Jeanna Bryner

These amazing binoculars deals will have you stargazing and sightseeing for less.