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'Sea monster' controversy
11th century coin hoard
'Wolf Moon' swallows Mars
Hookworm parasite warning
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Latest News

A disembodied mummified left hand has tattoos in black ink on the lower part of the fingers as well as on the back of the hand, in the shape of cresting waves

Lasers reveal hidden patterns in tattoos of 1,200-year-old Peru mummies

Kristina Killgrove published 13 January 25

A new method for imaging tattoos reveals intricate designs on Chancay mummies from Peru.

A stock image of a storm with heavy rain.

'Unusual' and weak La Niña finally here, NOAA confirms

Patrick Pester published 13 January 25

NOAA has declared that a La Niña is underway. This cool weather event is likely to be shorter and weaker than usual, but will still affect global weather and climate.

Mars as seen from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Orbiter

How to watch the full Wolf Moon 'swallow' Mars in the sky tonight — no telescope required

Gretchen Rundorff last updated 13 January 25

Tonight (Jan. 13), bright Mars will disappear behind the full Wolf Moon for several hours before reappearing on the other side. It's the only lunar occultation of Mars visible from the U.S. this year. Here's how to get the most out of it.

Outline of a skeleton in a grave in white on black next to a reconstruction of the person in the grave, an elderly woman dressed in khaki clothing holding a bow and arrow

10th-century woman buried with weapons in Hungary is 1st of her kind, but researchers are hesitant to call her a warrior

Kristina Killgrove published 13 January 25

A woman buried with archery equipment in 10th-century Hungary is unusual but may not necessarily have been a warrior.

A CT scan of a head showing a glioblastoma

New treatment for most aggressive brain cancer may help patients live longer

Stephanie Pappas published 13 January 25

Glioblastoma often kills within months. A new targeted radiation therapy may help patients live longer.

a black and white flyby close-up of Mercury's cratered surface

See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft

Stephanie Pappas published 13 January 25

A joint Japanese-European mission to Mercury just made its sixth flyby of the planet, revealing stunning close-ups of the permanently shadowed craters at Mercury's north pole.

Frozen sand dunes sit locked in place in Mars' northern hemisphere, stuck until the spring thaw melts their icy shells — Giant 'kidney beans' spotted in Mars satellite images could point to signs of water and life A NASA satellite has spotted frozen "kidney beans" on Mars' sand dunes trapped in place until springtime. Photographing them can help us determine if there was ever enough water on Mars to sustain life.

Skull of the new species of sauropodomorph dinosaur. — Enormous skull of 200-million-year-old giant dinosaur discovered in China The well-preserved skull belongs to a never-before-seen species of sauropodomorph that potentially grew up to 33 feet long.

A photo inside Hatshetsup's tomb — Excavations at Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple reveal elaborate burials, decorated blocks and ancient tools A number of new discoveries have been made near the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Egypt.

A tiny microchip displayed on a glass stand. — Tiny AI chip modeled on the human brain set to boost battery life in smart devices — with lifespan in some rising up to 6 times The Spiking Neural Processor T1 is an AI chip that's modeled on the way the brain detects patterns and could extend the battery life in smart devices.

An illustration of two mosasaurs swiming underwater — 'Red flags' raised over ancient sea monster pulled from Moroccan mine A mosasaur species with saw-like teeth that was described by scientists in 2021 may have been based on forged fossils, and researchers are now calling for CT scans to determine the creature's origin.

An excavated cloth and lead pouch full of silver coins dating to between 1042 and 1044. The pouch sits on a black background. — 'I was shaking when I first unearthed it': 11th-century silver coin hoard unearthed in England Archaeologists have discovered 321 silver coins still wrapped in a cloth and lead pouch from a time in English history marked by upheaval due to the coronation of a new Anglo-Saxon king.

A tongue-eating parasite inside a fish's mouth — Why we need parasites, despite them leeching life from others An ecologist shares his passion for parasites. From their vital roles in nature, to strange super powers and extraordinarily complex life cycles, parasites are natural wonders worthy of protection.

Planet Earth

A photo of an engineer working in the target chamber of the National Ignition Facility

Nuclear fusion could be the clean energy of the future — but these 'tough' challenges stand in the way

By George R. Tynan, Farhat Beg published 12 January 25

Even once researchers can reliably get more power out of a fusion reaction than they put in, they'll still need to overcome engineering challenges to scale up fusion energy.

Split image of a firefighter amid the Palisades fires in Los Angeles and Yellowstone's caldera.

Snowstorms, fire and Yellowstone's next eruption

By Pandora Dewan published 11 January 25

Science news this week Jan 11, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Science news this week

LATEST ARTICLES

1
Lasers reveal hidden patterns in tattoos of 1,200-year-old Peru mummies
2
'Unusual' and weak La Niña finally here, NOAA confirms
3
10th-century woman buried with weapons in Hungary is 1st of her kind, but researchers are hesitant to call her a warrior
4
New treatment for most aggressive brain cancer may help patients live longer
5
See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft

Space

A photo of a spiral galaxy

Space photo of the week: The tilted spiral galaxy that took Hubble 23 years to capture

By Jamie Carter published 12 January 25

In this special Hubble image 23 years in the making, the sparkling spiral galaxy UGC 10043 reveals the secrets of its unusually big bulge.

An illustration of an asteroid in space

Enormous, mountain-size asteroid will be visible from Earth this weekend in rare 'once in a decade' event

By Brandon Specktor published 10 January 25

The enormous near-Earth asteroid (887) Alinda has made its closest approach to our planet in decades, and it's about to peak in brightness in a rare once-in-a-decade event. Here's how to watch it live this weekend.

archaeology

Anthropomorphic light brown clay tablet shaped like a domino with circular depressions scattered across it

Doban-kun: A 'cute' human-shaped counting tool from prehistoric Japan

By Kristina Killgrove published 13 January 25

This anthropomorphic clay tablet was likely used in an ancient ritual by the Jōmon culture in Japan.

An aerial view of Rujm el-Hiri

Ancient 'Stonehenge' in Golan Heights may not be astronomical observatory after all, archaeologists say

By Tom Metcalfe published 11 January 25

A new analysis of the 6,000-year-old stone circle known as Rujm el-Hiri (also Gilgal Refaim) in Golan Heights suggests that it was not built to observe the heavens.

Health

Best budget exercise bikes

Best budget exercise bikes 2025: Boost your stamina without breaking the bank

By Maddy Biddulph last updated 13 January 25

Keep the strain on your cardio system and not on your wallet with the best budget exercise bikes, tried and tested by Life Science

a photo of a woman holding up a bay leaf from a jar and smelling it

Do bay leaves actually add flavor, or is it all a con?

By Donavyn Coffey published 12 January 25

Some say bay leaves are full of flavor, others call them a fraud.

Illustration of the structure of a protein in yellow, purple and red against a black background.

1st-of-its-kind database reveals how DNA mutations 'destabilize' proteins, triggering genetic disease

By Emily Cooke published 11 January 25

A new mega-database of half a million mutations may flag new ways of treating genetic disease, scientists say.

Animals

A turkey vulture in full yawn.

Turkey vulture: The bird that vomits acid up to 10 feet and poops antiseptic onto its legs

By Lydia Smith published 11 January 25

Turkey vultures feed on dead carcasses, helping to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

a photo of a grass lizard

Which animal has the longest tail?

By Skyler Ware published 11 January 25

In terms of both absolute length and relative to body size, which living animal has the longest tail?

An artist's interpretation of a small dinosaur

Oldest-known dinosaur in North America is a 'chicken-size' raptor — and changes what we know about how dinos conquered Earth

By Harry Baker published 10 January 25

A newfound "chicken-size" dinosaur, recently unearthed in Wyoming, changes what paleontologists thought they knew about how dinosaurs spread across the globe.

Human Behavior

An artist's interpretation of a black hole surrounded by stars

10 mind-blowing black hole discoveries from 2024

By Ben Turner published 29 December 24

From missing links, to primordial beginnings, to extremely powerful plasma jets that could be shaping our universe in mysterious ways, here are the top 10 black hole discoveries that blew our minds this year.

Collage of three pictures, from left to right: an ancient royal tomb in Greece, T. rex reconstruction and Sagittarius A*.

The 8 most controversial science stories of 2024

By Sascha Pare published 28 December 24

From a piece of cloth that may have belonged to Alexander the Great to an image of our galaxy's central black hole, here's our pick of controversial science stories in 2024.

Three siblings sitting on a couch looking at an iPad and laughing

Middle children are more agreeable, humble and honest than siblings, new study suggests. The baby of the family would like a word.

By Stephanie Pappas published 24 December 24

A new study finds that middle kids and kids from larger families are more agreeable, honest and humble than younger and older kids or kids from smaller families, but the results contradict other research on the topic.

Physics & Mathematics

An illustration of particles traveling through space

'The Majoron' — a bizarre particle that's its own opposite — could explain the biggest mysteries of the universe, scientists claim

By Paul Sutter published 10 January 25

There's a significant imbalance between matter and antimatter in our universe, but a strange particle called "the Majoron" could finally explain it, an audacious new study suggests.

Particle Physics

A man stands inside a large room with a golden grid on the floor, walls, and ceiling

800-mile-long 'DUNE' experiment could reveal the hidden dimensions of the universe

By Andrey Feldman published 9 January 25

A new underground facility called DUNE, which will accelerate particles for 800 miles between Illinois and South Dakota, could reveal the hidden dimensions of the universe, new research suggests.

Particle Physics

a man stands in front of a spinning vortex of light

Physicist claims to have solved the infamous 'grandfather paradox,' making time travel (theoretically) possible

By Andrey Feldman published 8 January 25

The grandfather paradox is just one of the thorny logical problems that arise with the concept of time travel. But one physicist says he has resolved them.

Physics & Mathematics

Chemistry

The hydrogen fuel tank of a Toyota vehicle on display.

Scientists discover revolutionary method that makes fuel from water and sunlight — but it's not finished yet

By Ben Turner published 5 December 24

Scientists in Japan have demonstrated a new method to create hydrogen fuel without emitting greenhouse gases. But key steps to improve its efficiency remain for it to be commercially viable.

Periodic Table of Elements.

Periodic table of elements: How it works and who created it

By Jeanna Bryner, Tim Sharp last updated 21 November 24

The Periodic Table, first created by Dmitri Mendeleev, organizes all of the known elements in an informative array.

Hand dipping a paint brush into a large tin of pink paint as it drips back into the tin. Paint is one source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your home.

What are VOCs? The facts about volatile organic compounds

By Kimberly Hickok last updated 20 November 24

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gaseous chemicals that are emitted by various household items, as well as natural sources.

Tech

Rollable laptop.

18 incredible technologies we saw at CES 2025 — from a holographic windshield display to a fridge that can cook

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet last updated 10 January 25

From unusual haptic tech to stunning displays, these are the best technologies we've seen so far at CES.

A collage of three different robots

17 weird, wonderful and terrifying robots we saw at CES 2025 — from a humanlike android companion to a robotic mixologist

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet last updated 10 January 25

From a Star Wars-style droid for your home to a Pixar-inspired lamp bot, these are the most interesting and innovative robots we've seen so far at CES.

A flying plane.

Passenger plane with entirely new 'blended wing' shape aims to hit the skies by 2030

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 10 January 25

A new type of passenger plane will adopt a design that blends wings into the aircraft's body, which its creators say will cut fuel consumption by 50% and reduce noise.

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