Latest News

An Etruscan funerary urn showing the abduction of Helen by Paris, the mythical event said to have caused the of the Trojan War.

Scientists solve the mystery of the Etruscans' origins

By Ben Turner

How the Etruscans came to have a non-Indo-European language without being migrants from elsewhere remains a mystery.

This 23-second looped animation of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, created with data from the Hubble Space Telescope, represents approximately 10 Earth hours (or one Jovian day) of activity.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is not only shrinking. Its winds are also speeding up.

By Elizabeth Howell

A decade of Jovian storm-chasing paid off for the Hubble Space Telescope.

Ice calving from the fracture zone of a glacier crashes into the ocean in Greenland. Melting of such glacial ice is leading to the warping of Earth's crust.

Vanishing ice is warping Earth's crust

By Stephanie Pappas

The melting of Earth's polar ice is warping the planet's crust. Here's how that's linked to climate change.

the faces of two twin babies sitting across from each other against a blank background

Did you share the womb with a 'vanishing twin'? The answer may be written in your DNA.

By Nicoletta Lanese

Identical twins' DNA bears a unique "epigenetic signature," a new study finds.

Copper-color rings around a man's irises helped doctors diagnose his genetic disease. The rings, shown above, are known as Kayser–Fleischer rings and are a sign of Wilson's disease. Image on the right shows a slit-lamp examination of the man's eye in which copper deposits can be seen in a part of the eye known as the Descemet’s membrane.

Why did this man have copper-colored rings in his eyes?

By Rachael Rettner

The rings were a clue to the man's rare disease.

The bloated carcass of a dead humpback whale washed up on a Staten Island shore on Sept. 17.

Dead humpback whale that beached in New York had human-caused injuries

By Mindy Weisberger

A whale that was found belly-up on a New York beach likely died of injuries caused by interactions with people.

Planet Earth

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A map of surface soil wetness in March 2021, with blue areas representing high moisture, and dark red areas representing exceptional drought.

Drought in the US Southwest is worst in recorded history

By Brandon Specktor

The Southwestern United States is experiencing the worst drought in the region's history, a new NOAA report finds.

The Well of Barhout, also known as the 'Well of Hell', in the al-Mahra province in Yemen on June 6, 2021.

Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen's infamous 'Well of Hell' in world-first descent

By Harry Baker

Cave explorers from Oman have become the first people to fully explore the infamous 'Well of Hell' sinkhole in Yemen.

  1. Many local people believe the enormous pit is a prison for genies and a gateway to the underworld.
    1
    Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen's infamous 'Well of Hell' in world-first descent
  2. 2
    Scientists pinpoint age of molten 'Einstein ring'
  3. 3
    'Russian doll' set of stomach-bursting parasites released inside butterfly on remote Finnish island
  4. 4
    Koala-hunting eagle terrorized Australia 25 million years ago
  5. 5
    Auroras expected tonight in New York, Washington and Wisconsin as solar storm barrels toward Earth
  1. Alien spaceships in warped space.
    1
    Could Invisible Aliens Really Exist Among Us?
  2. 2
    Cavers discover snakes and waterfalls inside Yemen's infamous 'Well of Hell' in world-first descent
  3. 3
    'Russian doll' set of stomach-bursting parasites released inside butterfly on remote Finnish island
  4. 4
    Auroras expected tonight in New York, Washington and Wisconsin as solar storm barrels toward Earth
  5. 5
    Last meal of ancient human sacrifice victim 'Tollund Man' revealed in exquisite detail

Space and Physics

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This 23-second looped animation of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, created with data from the Hubble Space Telescope, represents approximately 10 Earth hours (or one Jovian day) of activity.

Jupiter's Great Red Spot is not only shrinking. Its winds are also speeding up.

By Elizabeth Howell

A decade of Jovian storm-chasing paid off for the Hubble Space Telescope.

An aurora spotted from the International Space Station.

Auroras expected tonight in New York, Washington and Wisconsin as solar storm barrels toward Earth

By Brandon Specktor

A moderate solar storm is headed for Earth on September 27, 2021, with auroras predicted to light up the sky much further south than usual.

History

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An Etruscan funerary urn showing the abduction of Helen by Paris, the mythical event said to have caused the of the Trojan War.

Scientists solve the mystery of the Etruscans' origins

By Ben Turner

How the Etruscans came to have a non-Indo-European language without being migrants from elsewhere remains a mystery.

Freedivers in Spain notified the authorities after finding a handful of gold coins dating to the fall of the Western Roman Empire

Amateur freedivers find gold treasure dating to the fall of the Roman Empire

By Laura Geggel

Amateur freedivers found a giant stash of gold coins dating to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Health

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Are dehumidifiers good for asthma? Young girl using inhaler

Are dehumidifiers good for asthma?

By Meg Walters

REFERENCE There's nothing worse than struggling for breath. So, is a dehumidifier good for asthma, or is it just another urban myth?

REFERENCE
How should you sleep during pregnancy? Image shows pregnant woman sleeping on her side

How should you sleep during pregnancy?

By Patricia Carswell

REFERENCE How should you sleep during pregnancy? Here’s the low-down on keeping your nights healthy and safe.

REFERENCE
Do HEPA filters remove viruses? Image of person with mask looking out of window

Do HEPA filters remove viruses?

By Dr. Christopher Oseh

REFERENCE Do HEPA filters remove viruses and what's the science behind it?

REFERENCE

Animals

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A periodical cicada from Brood XIII, which emerged in 2007, sits on a fence at a forest preserve in Willow Springs, Illinois.

Cicadas: Facts about the loud, seasonal insects

By Mindy Weisberger

Cicadas are winged insects that are known for their cyclical lifespans and loud choral songs.

illustration shows a close up of the newly identified eagle Archaehierax sylvestris next to a lake, with an eagle of the same species flying in the background

Koala-hunting eagle terrorized Australia 25 million years ago

By Nicoletta Lanese

A newly-identified eagle fossil is the oldest ever found in Australia.

Short-faced bears were North America's largest predatory mammal.

What were the largest predators in North America?

By Joanna Thompson

Here are the largest predators ever to have lived in North America.

Strange News

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A hammerhead shark that is preserved in alcohol in the East Wing of the Natural History Museum in Berlin, Germany.

Why is alcohol used to preserve things?

By Donavyn Coffey

Here's how alcohol can help preserve DNA, tissue samples and even entire organisms.

Pi is an irrational number, meaning it has an infinite number of decimal points.

Pi calculated to a record-breaking 62.8 trillion digits

By Harry Baker

Researchers are set to break the world record for the most precise value of pi, after using an advanced computer to calculate the famous constant to 62.8 trillion decimal places.

Two aircraft pilots reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada in July 2021.

Two planes report 'bright green UFO' swooping through the clouds over Canada

By Brandon Specktor

Two aircrafts flying over Canada reported a "bright green UFO" that disappeared into the clouds on July 30.

Culture

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The first "Fountain of Tolerance," in the Italian village of Fontecchio, offers the opportunity to become a human-alien hybrid, via the ingestion of meteorite-infused water.

Art project creates 'human-alien hybrids' with meteorite-infused water

By Mike Wall

The water flowing from a medieval fountain in the Italian village of Fontecchio bubbles with extraterrestrial effervescence.

Man paints a design on a wall outside.

Are left-handed people smarter?

By Randyn Bartholomew

Here's a look at the research about whether left-handed people are smarter than righties.

Reproduction of Ötzi the Iceman an in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy

Ötzi the Iceman: The famous frozen mummy

By Tom Garlinghouse

Ötzi the Iceman, a 5,300-year-old man whose mummified remains were dug out of an Italian glacier in the Alps, has fascinated the public since his discovery in 1991.

Tech

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An artist's illustration of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites in orbit. The company has won a U.S. military contract for missile-warning satellites.

SpaceX Starlink satellites responsible for over half of close encounters in orbit, scientist says

By Tereza Pultarova

SpaceX's Starlink satellites are involved in about 1,600 close encounters between two spacecraft in low Earth orbit every week, according to available data. That’s about 50% of all such incidents.

Damien Jemison, photographer at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), captured this image of the NIF laser beam lines entering a part of the target chamber. Jemison needed five exposures to capture the range of light in the dimly lit spot. He also converted the resulting image to monotone, saying "The end result is my artistic view of how I feel when standing face-to-face with the highest-energy laser in the world."

Fusion experiment breaks record, blasts out 10 quadrillion watts of power

By Tom Metcalfe

Crowds converge at Kabul's international airport Monday (Aug. 16) after the Taliban took over the Afghan city.

Crowds of desperate people at Afghanistan airport visible in satellite photos

By Elizabeth Howell