Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

Planet Earth

A man sits among the wreckage from a tornado that went through western Mississippi.

'Wedge tornado' in Mississippi is the deadliest in more than 50 years

By Sascha Pare published 27 March 23

A devastating, nearly mile-wide "wedge tornado" has killed at least 26 people and battered Mississippi with golf ball-size hail and winds up to 200 mph.

A satellite image of the Atlantic Ocean.

Heat waves are hitting the deep ocean floor, with potentially catastrophic results

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 24 March 23

Heat waves are reaching the bottoms of Earth's oceans, and that could be a big problem for the creatures that live there.

Space and Physics

An artist's impression of a pitch-dark black hole warping gray space-time around it

Gargantuan black hole 30 billion times the mass of the sun is one of the largest ever discovered

By Ben Turner published 28 March 23

Astronomers used gravitational lensing and supercomputers to identify the colossal black hole, which is among the largest ever found.

A time-lapse image showing a series of gold and purple rings emanating from a bright source fo light, representing a gamma-ray burst in a distant galaxy

Brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected defies explanation

By Stephanie Pappas published 28 March 23

Scientists are taking a closer look at the afterglow left by the brightest gamma-ray burst ever recorded, and what they see doesn't fit with any theoretical models.

History

2,000 mummified rams' heads were gifted to long-dead ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II

By Harry Baker published 29 March 23

Researchers have discovered a vast cranium collection that was likely left as an offering to Ramesses II, a much-loved pharaoh who died around 1,000 years before the skulls were embalmed.

An aerial photo of Stonehenge at sunrise.

Was Stonehenge an ancient calendar? A new study says no.

By Tom Metcalfe published 28 March 23

Was Stonehenge an ancient solar calendar, as a 2022 study claimed? Not at all, says a new study by two scientists who specialize in ancient astronomy.

Health

A Black girl writes in a notebook in a classroom.

Rates of autism diagnosis in children are at an all time high, CDC report suggests

By Sascha Pare published 29 March 23

A 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among 8-year-old children is the highest it's ever been.

microscopic image of "syringe" proteins that look like thin, tubular nail-like shapes against a blue background

DeepMind's AI used to develop tiny 'syringe' for injecting gene therapy and tumor-killing drugs

By Nicoletta Lanese published 29 March 23

Researchers used the AI system AlphaFold to develop a tiny "syringe" that can inject proteins into cells.

two medical providers dressed in face masks and blue surgical scrubs examine a patient (covered in a blue sheet) during a surgery to evaluate for endometriosis

Why is endometriosis so hard to diagnose?

By Anna Gora published 27 March 23

Endometriosis often has vague symptoms that overlap with other conditions, and there are no non-invasive ways to definitively diagnose the condition.

Animals

We see a Sydney-funnel web spider (Atrax robustus) preparing to strike. It has a red abdomen and black legs and fangs.It's on a green leaf.

Deadly spiders that can kill in minutes and survive underwater are hiding out in swimming pools

By Hannah Osborne published 28 March 23

Heavy rain in Australia has led to an influx in venomous spiders being washed into people's swimming pools. Species found include funnel-web spiders, the venom of which is so toxic it can kill a child in just 15 minutes.

A comparison of the mysterious specimen with a real goblin shark.

Why did a weird goblin shark going viral on Twitter blow up into a bizarre scientific spat?

By Sascha Pare published 28 March 23

Last year, scientists described a weird goblin shark in a scientific journal despite never setting eyes on it. Experts now question the review process that approved the study.

Photo shows 'massive' great white shark scarred after rare battle with 2 serial killer orcas

By Hannah Osborne published 27 March 23

A pair of orcas off the coast of South Africa have been ripping open sharks and feasting on their livers for the last eight years. A great white shark that survived an attack by the serial killer brothers has now been identified through huge scars across its massive body.

Strange News

A visual representation of Ramsey theorem for five nodes on a graph. Here, no triangle has edges that are all the same color, indicating no groups of three that are either all 'friends' or all 'strangers.'

Mathematicians make rare breakthrough on notoriously tricky 'Ramsey number' problem

By Stephanie Pappas published 28 March 23

The bounds on Ramsey numbers, which describe relationships between nodes in a network, have been narrowed.

The head and torso of the mummy, which likely belonged to a small monkey.

Haunting 'mermaid' mummy discovered in Japan is even weirder than scientists expected

By Harry Baker published 24 February 23

A new analysis of a mummified "mermaid" found in a Japanese temple has revealed exactly what it is made from, and it's not what scientists thought.

Flying saucers to mind control: 24 declassified military & CIA secrets

By Denise Chow, Elizabeth Peterson published 27 January 23

From programs to build supersonic flying saucers to atomic bombs, here are the most fascinating declassified military and CIA secrets.

Culture

a colorful brain scan shows axons (wires) in a network that winds through the brain

Your native language may shape the wiring of your brain

By Anna Demming published 24 March 23

The connections between different regions of the brain responsible for language processing depend on which language you grew up with.

Exhausted and frustrated male runner lying on a red running track covering his face with his hands.

What causes people to 'choke' under pressure?

By Anna Gora last updated 22 March 23

People who "choke" under pressure underperform in high-stakes situations out of stress and worry. But what causes this phenomenon?

A horseshoe and clover leaf on a green wood background.

St Patrick's Day: 5 facts about this most Irish of celebrations

By Tanya Lewis published 17 March 23

Why we wear green and other holiday curiosities.

Tech

Front view of the Celestron Outland X 10x42 binoculars.

Celestron Outland X 10x42 binocular review

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published 29 March 23

Review The Celestron Outland X 10x42 binoculars are average at best and while they are capable for everyday observations there are a few shortcomings.

Review

Front view of the binoculars on a white background

Celestron Skymaster 12x60 binocular review

By Jason Parnell-Brookes published 29 March 23

Review High magnification views and big lenses make the Skymasters ideal for stargazing or getting a view of far-away subjects, even into twilight hours, but you'll need a tripod.

Review

This iPad Air is as powerful as a laptop, and it's $70 off at Amazon

By Lloyd Coombes published 28 March 23

Get one of the best iPads around at a discount at Amazon, with up to $70 off the iPad Air M1.

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