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Latest News

A black and white photo of Julia Childs with an array of fresh ingredients in the kitchen

Color-blind people may be less picky eaters. Here's why.

Isabel Gauthier published 14 September 24

Seeing the world with a restricted color palate seems to tone down an emotion-based resistance to new foods.

Angular roughshark: The pig-faced shark that grunts when captured

Lydia Smith published 14 September 24

An angular roughshark pulled from the water near Elba, an Italian island near Tuscany.

A capsule on the ground next to a Chinese flag

The moon might still have active volcanoes, China's Chang'e 5 sample-return probe reveals

Keith Cooper published 14 September 24

China's Chang'e 5 mission brought back evidence that the moon had erupting volcanoes just 120 million years ago.

A photograph of an outdoor Roman bath house

How did people clean themselves before soap was invented?

Marlowe Starling published 14 September 24

Soap has a pretty simple formula and a long history.

Old engraved illustration of human placenta on a black background

'I have never written of a stranger organ': The rise of the placenta and how it helped make us human

Jules Howard published 14 September 24

"Human evolution has occurred both due to, and in spite of, the placenta. Every pregnancy, unthinkingly, must navigate a careful path through it. Every menstruation is testament to it. It is partly why menopause exists, to give individuals an escape from the energetic costs associated with its imposition."

A cross-section diagram showing the Earth's fiery core

Supercooling of Earth's inner core may finally reveal how old it is

Alfred Wilson-Spencer published 14 September 24

The Earth's core may be much younger than previously thought.

Parasitoid wasp larvae bursting out of fruit fly; the larvae almost the same size as the fly's body. — Parasitic 'horror' wasp that bursts from a fly's abdomen like an 'Alien' xenomorph discovered in Mississippi backyard Scientists accidentally discover new species of wasp that lays eggs inside living, adult fruit flies, which then burst from the hosts' abdomens while they're still alive.

A set of four silver bracelets found in the soil. — 4 silver Viking Age bracelets discovered 'untouched' on Norway mountainside after more than 1,000 years Archaeologists have unearthed a set of uniquely decorated bracelets on the site of a "large and powerful" Viking Age farm.

A black and white image of the Boeing Starliner parachuting down from the sky — Astronauts would have been fine on Boeing's Starliner during landing, NASA says With Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is safely back on Earth, NASA says Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams could have returned onboard.

Abstract image showing a neuron up-close against a black background. The neuron looks like a tree with branches. The "trunk" of the neuron is a light blue color, while the tips are yellow. Yellow lines also run through the trunk in places. — New blood test detects ALS with 98% accuracy, offering hope for earlier diagnosis Many patients with ALS die within three to five years of their symptoms starting, so early diagnosis of the disease is critical for treatment.

A small white blob floating on a blue background — Some cells can enter a 'third state that lies beyond the traditional boundaries of life and death.' Here's how. Given the right conditions, certain types of cells are able to self-assemble into new lifeforms after the organism they were once part of has died.

Dickson Fjord in Greenland before the landslide. — Mysterious 9-day seismic event was caused by a mega tsunami bouncing around inside a fjord, study reveals In September, a strange nine-day signal rocked our planet and baffled scientists. Now they have finally found the cause.

An illustration of a purple fish — Ancient relative of 'living fossil' fish reveals that geological activity supercharges evolution The ancient coelacanth, which has existed for some 419 million years, never stopped evolving despite its reputation as a "living fossil." A new discovery reveals that it evolved faster when plate tectonics were most active.

Planet Earth

A satellite image of the Sahara desert showing significantly more green space and water after rain

Sahara desert hit by extraordinary rainfall event that could mess with this year's hurricane season

By Olivia Ferrari published 13 September 24

The world's largest hot desert, the Sahara, is being hit with unusually heavy rain. Scientists are unclear why, but it may be linked to a subdued Atlantic hurricane season.

Aerial view of the crater at Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano. The crater is filled with dry lava that has turned white due to its chemical composition.

'Mountain of God' volcano in Tanzania is bulging, study finds

By Sascha Pare published 13 September 24

Satellite data suggest a volcano in Tanzania that expels extremely runny lava could be creeping toward an eruption.

LATEST ARTICLES

1
Angular roughshark: The pig-faced shark that grunts when captured
2
The moon might still have active volcanoes, China's Chang'e 5 sample-return probe reveals
3
How did people clean themselves before soap was invented?
4
'I have never written of a stranger organ': The rise of the placenta and how it helped make us human
5
Supercooling of Earth's inner core may finally reveal how old it is

Space

a black and white telescope in a field with trees behind it

Celestron Origin Intelligent Home Observatory review

By Brett Tingley published 13 September 24

Review The Celestron Origin will have you taking crystal clear stunning pictures of deep sky objects in minutes.

A composite image of an annular solar eclipse showing baily's beads.

'Exceptional' eclipse image and stunning 'Dolphin Head nebula' among 2024's Astronomy Photographer of the Year winners

By Sascha Pare published 12 September 24

A composite image of an annular solar eclipse showing Baily's Beads won top prize at the 2024 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.

archaeology

Fragments of a broken green helmet buried in the dirt

2,300-year-old Celtic helmet discovered in Poland

By Tom Metcalfe published 12 September 24

Archaeologists think the ancient helmet indicates that Celts settled in the region to protect their supplies of precious amber.

A view of the Easter Island sculptures silhouetted at sunset

Easter Island's population never collapsed, but it did have contact with Native Americans, DNA study suggests

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 11 September 24

A DNA analysis of 15 Rapa Nui individuals revealed that there was never a population collapse on Easter Island and that the inhabitants commingled with Native Americans.

Health

Woman is showing cross-legged on the floor by a sofa. She has her eyes closed and is resting the back of her hands on her legs in an open position.

Mindfulness meditation really does relieve pain, brain scans reveal

By Emily Cooke published 13 September 24

A new study suggests that mindfulness meditation influences how the brain perceives pain in ways that are distinct from the placebo effect.

A young girl blows her nose with a cold while a woman looks after her

Saline nose drops may shorten colds and cut transmission, trial hints

By Michael Schubert published 13 September 24

Giving children saline nose drops at the start of a cold may shorten its duration and reduce the likelihood that they will pass the illness to others, a study hints. But it has some caveats.

Viruses, Infections & Disease

High-resolution microscope image of bacteria of different shapes and sizes on a a light blue/grey background. Some bacteria look more like blobs, which are either red or purple, while others look like long rods that are turquoise in color.

Scientists invent tool to see how 'healthy' your gut microbiome is — does it work?

By Emily Cooke published 12 September 24

A new tool can reveal whether someone has a "healthy" gut microbiome with a simple score — but how does it work?

Viruses, Infections & Disease

Animals

A colorized image of a tardigrade

What are tardigrades, and why are they nearly indestructible?

By Mindy Weisberger last updated 12 September 24

Reference Tardigrades, often called water bears or moss piglets, are near-microscopic animals that are extremely resilient.

Tardigrade fossil scan.

1st tardigrade fossils ever discovered hint at how they survived Earth's biggest mass extinction

By Elise Poore published 12 September 24

Detailed 3D images of the first tardigrade fossils ever discovered help scientists predict when tardigrades evolved their near-indestructibility — a trait that might have helped them survive multiple mass extinctions.

Three snakes lying on a table

4-foot snake vomits up 2 smaller snakes — and 1 was still alive

By Harry Baker published 12 September 24

Wildlife officials in Georgia stumbled across a pair of snakes that had been "expelled" by a larger serpent, only to discover that one of the regurgitated victims was still alive.

Human Behavior

A composite image. On the left, a close-up of excavated teeth and a jawbone. On the right, a purple smiley face shape on Mars.

Science news this week: 'Thorin' the last Neanderthal and a 'smiley face' on Mars

By Alexander McNamara published 14 September 24

Sept. 14, 2024: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

An astronaut walks on the moon

21 of the best conspiracy theories

By Stephanie Pappas, Benjamin Radford last updated 12 September 24

Conspiracy theories that have taken hold range from a faked moon landing to Barack Obama's birthplace to chemtrails.

Conspiracies & Paranormal

Girl reading books in front of a cartoon space scene

19 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated 22 August 24

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Physics & Mathematics

Abstract representation of photons_Dizzo via Getty Images

Physicists unveil 1D gas made of pure light

By Ben Turner published 12 September 24

Physicists have created a one dimensional gas out of light particles for the first time. Studying how the photon gas behaves could help researchers discover some yet-unknown quantum optical effects.

Physics & Mathematics

A photo of an amusement park ride where riders rotate on swings.

What are centrifugal and centripetal forces?

By Jim Lucas last updated 4 September 24

reference Centrifugal and centripetal are two closely related forces that describe circular motion, but the meanings are often mixed up.

An illustration showing various aspects of the early universe, including radiation generated by the Big Bang and ancient black holes

The universe had a secret life before the Big Bang, new study hints

By Andrey Feldman published 31 August 24

The secrets of black holes and dark matter could lie before the Big Bang, a new study of "bouncing" cosmology hints.

Chemistry

A close-up of stainless steel pots and pans hanging from a wall

Why doesn't stainless steel rust?

By Tom Metcalfe published 7 September 24

The special chemistry of this shiny iron alloy creates a protective layer on its surface that prevents it from rusting.

A close-up of a piece of steak being cooked on the grill

What happens to meat as it's cooked?

By Margaret Osborne published 1 September 24

Heat triggers a series of complex chemical reactions that change the color, flavor and texture of meat.

A Large, long white anhydrous ammonia tank with corn grain bins in background at a grain elevator company.

New reactor could more than triple the yield of one of the world's most valuable chemicals

By Victoria Atkinson published 28 August 24

A new reactor creates ammonia from polluted wastewater using electricity, and it's way more efficient than existing methods.

Tech

Racism technology concept

Common AI models believe racist stereotypes about African Americans that predate the Civil Rights movement — and they 'try to hide it when confronted'

By Drew Turney published 13 September 24

When exposed to terms common in different racial dialects, large language models make racist assumptions about people from particular racial groups, even without explicitly knowing their race.

Artificial Intelligence

Representation of clean energy technology in the future of automobiles.

'Springy' solid-state battery is twice the width of a white blood cell and could drastically increase EV range

By Jane McCallion published 12 September 24

Scientists in the U.S. have created a battery for electric cars that could be safer and offer better performance than the ones we have now thanks to a unique design.

Electric Vehicles

A battery symbol on a digital interface in the dark with a blue light on to indicate charging

Amazingly simple discovery extends Li-ion battery lifespan by 50% — meaning you don't have to replace your gadgets as often

By Skyler Ware published 11 September 24

Batteries used in smartphones or in EVs normally charge for 10 hours on their first cycle, but turbo-charging them to 100% capacity in 20 minutes may lead to a 50% longer lifespan.

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