Planet Earth

The pieces of Libyan desert glass that formed the basis of the study.

Strange yellow glass found in Libyan desert may have formed from lost meteor impact

By Elizaveta Kovaleva published

A strange type of glass that was discovered in 1933 in the Libyan desert may come from a meteorite, an analysis shows, but impact crater is still missing.

Geology
Fiery Earth caused by Apocalypse or Global Warming.

How long will Earth exist?

By Donavyn Coffey published

Humans will likely die long before our planet does.

Planet Earth
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Space

Two astronauts in full spacesuits with backpacks on a space walk with tethers, facing each other with hands out. They are floating in the front of Planet Earth as the sun rises between them.

What does space smell like?

By Charles Q. Choi published

Outer space has a particular stench. But why?

Space
Science news this week includes SpaceX rockets creating blood-red ‘atmospheric holes’ and privacy-boosting smart glasses that use sonar.

Science news this week: Atmospheric holes and smarter glasses

By Alexander McNamara published

Dec. 3, 2023: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained.

Space
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archaeology

An aerial view of the foundation of a building.

1,400-year-old structure discovered near Sutton Hoo in England may have been a pagan temple or cult house

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

The site is part of a royal compound that archaeologists think may have been overseen by King Raedwald.

Archaeology
We see a rectangular outline of what may be a burial pit.

Possible Arctic graveyard may be northernmost Stone Age cemetery — but there are no human remains to prove it

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists in Finland have identified a 6,500-year-old site as potential cemetery with 200 graves.

Archaeology
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Health

Person exercising on the Peloton Reversible Workout Mat

This Peloton workout mat is down 40% to its lowest-ever price right now at Amazon

By James Frew published

The reversible mat is perfect for high-intensity training, post-workout stretching, and yoga classes, and can make your exercise more comfortable.

Exercise
Woman exercising with the Bowflex SelectTech 2080

Grab $100 off this adjustable Bowflex barbell and curl bar before the deal ends

By James Frew published

The Bowflex SelectTech 2080 replaces seven weights, ranges up to 80 lbs, and comes with a two-month JRNY subscription for virtual workouts.

Exercise
Colorful micrograph image showing nerve fibers in green that are forming synaptic connections with sensory cells in blue in the cochlea of the ear

Tinnitus may stem from nerve damage not detectable on hearing tests

By Emily Cooke published

People with tinnitus may be wrongly classed as having "normal hearing" because standard tests don't detect the condition's true cause, a new study suggests.

Neuroscience
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Animals

Reconstruction of ancient giant millipede from Netflix's "Life on Our Planet."

Watch ancient, giant millipede the size of a car brought back to life in remarkable reconstruction

By Hannah Osborne published

The massive, extinct millipede Arthropleura has been brought back to life in a stunning reconstruction for the Netflix series "Life on Our Planet."

Insects
A microscopic photo of the face of a tardigrade species

We finally know how tardigrades mate

By Elise Poore published

Researchers have discovered the first evidence that male tardigrades can find females by scent.

Animals
Ocean pout (Zoarces americanus), Eastport, Maine, USA, Atlantic Ocean.

Ocean pout: The fish with antifreeze blood

By Richard Pallardy published

Ocean pout live in frigid waters from Labrador in Canada to North Carolina and have evolved a blood protein that serves as antifreeze.

Fish
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Human Behavior

'Yeti hair' found in Himalayas is actually from a horse, BBC series reveals

By Patrick Pester published

DNA from a supposed Abominable Snowman actually came from a horse, but that doesn't mean stories of the Yeti passed on by local people aren't important.

Conspiracies & Paranormal
The mummified remains of what appears to be a small mermaid

Haunting 'mermaid' mummy from Japan is a gruesome monkey-fish hybrid with 'dragon claws,' new scans reveal

By Harry Baker published

Scientists have scanned the mummified remains of a supposed "mermaid" from Japan. The initial results suggest it is a horrifying mix of fish, monkey and lizard parts.

Conspiracies & Paranormal
Black and white photo of an empty wooden attic with a metal folding chair in the center.

Are ghosts real?

By Benjamin Radford last updated

One difficulty in scientifically evaluating is ghost are real is the surprisingly wide variety of phenomena attributed to ghosts.

Conspiracies & Paranormal
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Physics & Mathematics

An artist's illustration of electric charge.

Electricity flows like water in 'strange metals,' and physicists don't know why

By Ben Turner published

A weird phenomenon in which electricity flows like water was spotted in a nanowire made of "strange metal" — a bizarre metal phase that has stumped physicists for 40 years.

Physics & Mathematics
The ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

Large Hadron Collider could be generating dark matter in its particle jets

By Keith Cooper published

If dark matter is made from "dark" versions of the basic building blocks of ordinary matter, the world's largest particle accelerator should be able to pin it down, a new study suggests.

Dark Matter
Artist's impression composed of a star with a disc around it (a Be "vampire" star; foreground) and its companion star that has been stripped of its outer parts (background).

'Vampire' stars that bleed their companions dry may have a hidden accomplice, new study reveals

By Anna Demming published

Scientists suspect that type-Be 'vampire' stars grow by preying on their smaller companions. New research suggests there may be an important third player in these systems.

Physics & Mathematics
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Chemistry

Large iceberg floating in the arctic sea

Why does ice float?

By Hannah Loss published

Why does ice float in water, instead of sinking to the bottom? It has to do with water's density and molecular structure.

Chemistry
A wispy blue cloud of molecular gas glows from the light of distant stars in this James Webb Space Telescope image

Building blocks of life may have formed on dust in the cold vacuum of space

By Paul Sutter published

Far from any galaxy, icy grains of dust in deep space may be able to form organic molecules, a new preprint study finds.

Chemistry
Colorful depiction of atoms.

Scientists get rare glimpse of 'nesting doll' isotope nitrogen-9

By Ben Turner published

With five more protons than should be stable, the newly discovered nitrogen-9 isotope sits right on the borderline of physical possibility.

Chemistry
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Tech

Star Wars Les derniers Jedi Star Wars The last Jedi 2017 Real Rian Johnson Daisy Ridley.

Scientists uncover the secret to building Star Wars-style laser weapons — but don't worry, we won't have a Death Star anytime soon

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published

Today's infrared lasers are only powerful enough to disable aerial targets, but scientists now have the keys to building high-powered laser weaponry that can 'melt' distant targets.

Engineering
X-ray of lung showing chest cancer.

This AI model can tell if you're at high risk of lung cancer by analyzing a single X-ray scan

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published

An AI model found that 28% of non-smokers are at high risk of developing lung cancer, with 2.9% of high-risk individuals developing the disease within six years.

Artificial Intelligence
Impression of a rover on the surface of Mars.

Chinese scientists build robo-chemist that can extract oxygen from water on Mars

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published

The robot was tested in a simulated Martian environment, and can one day be used to aid humanity's survival on the Red Planet.

Artificial Intelligence
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