2,800-year-old mass grave of women and children discovered in Serbia reveals 'brutal, deliberate and efficient' violence
An analysis of a mass grave found in northern Serbia is revealing new information about violence in Early Iron Age Europe.
Space
Closest baby nebula to Earth 'hatches' in strange new Hubble image – Space photo of the week
A stunning new Hubble image reveals the most detailed look yet at the Egg Nebula, the youngest and closest pre-planetary nebula to Earth.
Artemis II update: NASA targets March 6 for launch of historic moon mission following successful 'wet dress rehearsal'
NASA is targeting March 6 as the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis II mission to the moon following a successful 'wet dress rehearsal' on Thursday.
Bungled Boeing Starliner mission was the highest order of mishap that put stranded astronauts at risk, report says
The 2024 Starliner mission, which left astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams stranded in space for nine months, has received NASA's worst mishap classification in a damning report.
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Saturn's largest moon may actually be 2 moons in 1 — and helped birth the planet's iconic rings
A new study hints that Saturn's largest moon, Titan, was created around 400 million years ago, when two massive moons smashed into each other. This hypothesis could also help to solve several other mysteries surrounding other moons and the planet's iconic rings.
Planet Earth
Ancient 'Asgard' microbe may have used oxygen long before it was plentiful on Earth, offering new clue to origins of complex life
A new study suggests that ancient microbes once cast as oxygen haters may have actually learned to use the gas, offering a clue to how the first complex cells — and, eventually, all plants and animals — evolved.
Solar flares may be triggering earthquakes, controversial study claims
Researchers have proposed that changes in Earth's ionosphere could trigger electrical forces that nudge fragile areas of the crust into creating an earthquake.
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The biggest trees in the Peruvian Amazon store the most carbon — and they also face the greatest threat from humans
The Amazon's biggest trees store disproportionately more carbon than smaller trees do, new study finds. But in the Peruvian Amazon, large trees are currently prioritized for harvest.
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Missing megaflood: How did the Mediterranean transform from a salt-filled bowl to a deep sea if it wasn't a cataclysmic deluge?
Researchers have long believed that a sudden, massive deluge filled a dry, salt-filled Mediterranean 5 million years ago. Turns out that probably didn't happen, but there was still drama aplenty.
archaeology
Human evolution: Facts, news, features and articles about the past 300,000 years of Homo sapiens
Ancient China: Facts, news, features and articles about the most powerful ancient civilizations in the world
Discover the latest news, features and articles about ancient China's rulers, philosophy, and the Great Wall of China.
LATEST ARTICLES
Animals
95 million-year-old Spinosaurus had a scimitar-shaped head crest and waded through the Sahara's rivers like a 'hell heron'
Researchers have identified a new Spinosaurus species with a blade-like crest in Niger, changing our understanding of dinosaur evolution and behavior.
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Our adorable, noodle-like ancestor had 4 eyes, half-a-billion-year-old fossils reveal
The earliest recorded vertebrates had four eyes to escape predators in the ancient Cambrian ocean, according to half-a-billion-year-old fossils from China that shed light on our evolutionary origins.
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Snakes keep evolving into cannibals — here's what scientists think is going on
A review of over 500 reports of cannibalistic behavior in snakes finds it's appeared multiple times in different evolutionary lineages, leading researchers to hypothesize it's beneficial for snakes under certain circumstances.
Archaeopteryx, one of the world's first proto birds, has a set of weird, never-before-seen features, new study reveals
Iconic transition species between dinosaurs and birds may have had weird 'teeth' on roof of its mouth and a highly mobile tongue, study reveals
Extraordinary photo captures first appearance of Siberian peregrine falcon in Australia's arid center
An ecologist has captured a photo of a peregrine falcon subspecies in an unprecedented location.
Spotted lanternflies are invading the US. They may have gotten their evolutionary superpowers in China's cities.
The alarming spread of spotted lanternflies across the U.S. has been made possible by cities acting as evolutionary incubators, fine-tuning the insects and enabling them to thrive.
Health & Human Behavior
'The limits of human longevity have still not been reached,' study suggests
A new study, analyzing 450 regions in western Europe, focused on where the oldest people end up residing across the continent.
Emerging embryo-selection technologies are currently 'little more than snake oil.' But someday, they could widen social inequities.
Book In the book "What We Inherit," experts unpack long-standing myths about genes and how those myths could shape public opinion around emerging embryo-selection technologies.
What is rigor mortis, and why does it happen?
Bodies usually stiffen after death in a process known as rigor mortis. But why does this happen, and how long does it last?
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'Universal' nasal-spray vaccine protects against viruses, bacteria and allergens in mice
In an early animal test, a new nasal-spray vaccine has shown promise against a variety of germs and a common allergen, scientists report.
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Life's Little Mysteries
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Technology
Ultrafast quantum chemistry engine could speed up the development of new medicines and materials
The powerful software can reduce the time needed to simulate reactions with large molecules from weeks to just minutes.
China's kung fu robots, physicists' re-creation of the Big Bang soup, a teenager buried with her father's bones on her chest, and mathmeticians puzzle over AI taking their jobs.
Science news this week Feb. 21, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Physics, Math & Chemistry
Physicists recreated the first millisecond after the Big Bang — and found it was surprisingly soupy
Scientists saw a quark plowing through primordial plasma for the first time, offering a rare look at the first moments after the Big Bang
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Record-breaking gravitational wave puts Einstein's relativity to its toughest test yet — and proves him right again
A record-breaking gravitational wave signal let scientists "listen" to a distant black hole merger and put Einstein's gravity to its toughest test yet.
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Quizzes & Games
Live Science crossword puzzle #31: First person to walk on the moon — 11 across
Science crossword Test your knowledge on all things science with our weekly, free crossword puzzle!
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Best STEM star projectors for kids in 2026
These STEM star projectors make learning about constellations, planets and astronomy fun and easy for kids, plus they're ideal gifts for the little (and big) space fans.
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