Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

Planet Earth

The Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8 captured this image on Sept. 26, 2020, showing the extent of the wildfire damage.

Severe burn damage from California wildfires seen from space

By Stephanie Pappas

New satellite imagery of California reveals not just the extent of its wildfire damage, but the depth of the loss.

Cascade, Barry and Coxe glaciers, Prince William Sound, Alaska

Ice melt in Alaska threatens to unleash unprecedented 'mega-tsunami,' scientists warn

By Peter Dockrill

Space and Physics

The Dragonfly 44 galaxy looks like a smear across space.

Astronomers claimed galaxy was 98% dark matter. They were wrong.

By Rafi Letzter

Back in 2016, researchers claimed Dragonfly 44 was a "failed" Milky Way — a galaxy with a huge dark matter mass but almost no stars. Now, on closer examination, that claim has fallen apart.

Illustration of a future Moon base by the European Space Agency, which hasn’t signed the Artemis Accords.

Artemis Accords: Why many countries are refusing to sign moon exploration agreement

By Christopher Newman

Only eight countries have signed the Artemis Accords, a set of guidelines surrounding the Artemis Program for crewed exploration of the moon.

History

The skeletal remains of the Marlow Warlord, as he's been dubbed, show he was very tall for the time – about 6 feet, when the average height was about 5 feet 7 inches.

Anglo-Saxon warlord unearthed by metal detector hobbyists

By Tom Metcalfe

Archaeologists have unearthed the rich burial of a sixth-century man thought to be an Anglo-Saxon warlord in southern England, after it was first discovered by metal detectorists.

A wooden door at the Santa Sabina Church in Rome shows Jesus with a “wand" performing miracles: (top to bottom) Jesus raising Lazarus; Jesus multiplying loaves and fish; Jesus turning water into wine.

Was Jesus a magician?

By Isobel Whitcomb

Jesus' ability to defeat death, heal people and produce food and drink elevated him above Roman gods in the eyes of many people. A wand would have enhanced that image.

Health

a new set of salivary glands has been found hiding behind the nose

Scientists discover new organ in the throat

By Stephanie Pappas

A newly discovered set of salivary glands is nestled behind the nose.

Conceptual illustration of coronavirus spike proteins on the surface of the virus

Teen wins $25k for finding molecule that may disarm coronavirus

By Nicoletta Lanese

Anika Chebrolu hopes to work with scientists to develop the drug candidate further.

A model of a coronavirus next to a syringe.

'Challenge study' to infect healthy volunteers with the coronavirus will begin in early 2021

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The study will test how much virus is needed to infect humans and which vaccines work the best to prevent COVID-19.

Animals

Three-year-old giant panda up a tree in the Wolong Panda Center, China.

1st-ever footage of giant pandas mating in the wild is not 'cute and cuddly'

By Mindy Weisberger

Filmmakers spent three years following pandas in China's Qinling Mountains, capturing never-before-seen footage of males competing over females.

Sarah Boessenecker, who wasn't involved with the research but helped collect the fossils, finds 24 million-year-old shark teeth from a construction site in South Carolina.

24 million-year-old nursery for baby megasharks discovered in South Carolina

By Laura Geggel

The discovery of nearly 90 shark teeth, largely from young sharks, indicates there was a shark nursery here 24 million years ago.

Paramacrobiotus shows tolerance to UV radiation and exhibits fluorescence under UV light.

Adorable tardigrades fight UV rays with glowing shield

By Mindy Weisberger

Tough little tardigrades use biofluorescence to resist damage from ultraviolet rays.

Strange News

These Bacillus biofilms resemble embryos.

The very first forms of life may have been more animal-like than we ever realized

By Tessa Koumoundouros

Early life may have been far more like animals than we thought, suggests new research that shows bacteria can 'develop' like an embryo.

the possibility of life being a simulation is 50/50

Do we live in a simulation? Chances are about 50–50.

By Anil Ananthaswamy

Gauging whether or not we dwell inside someone else’s computer may come down to advanced AI research—or measurements at the frontiers of cosmology

Giraffes' exceptional height may increase their vulnerability to lightning.

Lightning killed 2 giraffes in South Africa: Were they doomed by their height?

By Mindy Weisberger

After two dead giraffes were discovered in a South African nature reserve, scientists determined that the animals had been struck by lightning.

Culture

A NASA illustration shows the Pioneer-13 probes descending toward the clouds of Venus.

Amazing images: The best science photos of the week

By Brandon Specktor

Here are the stories behind the most amazing images in the world of science this week. A recap of the coolest photos featured on Live Science.

Can a cat parasite control your mind?

By Benjamin Plackett

This parasite may manipulate your brain to make you take more risks.

'Elinor Wonders Why' teaches kids to explore science by asking questions

By Mindy Weisberger

A curious bunny named Elinor explores Animal Town with her friends, in an endearing new PBS series that teaches kids how to find answers about science and nature.

Tech

celestron nexstar 130slt 130mm Aperture Newtonian Reflector Telescope with SkyAlign Go-To Computer

Save 33% on Celestron's NexStar 130SLT telescope for Prime Day

By Kasandra Brabaw

Celestron's NexStar 130SLT computerized telescope is on sale for $333.16 for Amazon Prime Day 2020. That's 33% off its regular price.

Celestron's Skymaster 25x100 binoculars are just $219 this Prime Day

By Kasandra Brabaw

Celestron's SkyMaster 25x100 Astro Binoculars are is 47% off for Amazon Prime Day.

First prize went to a dorsal view of bones and scales (blue) and lymphatic vessels (orange) in a juvenile zebrafish.

Glowing brains, fish embryos and a snail tongue taste success in microscopy photo contest

By Mindy Weisberger

Prizewinning images in the 2020 Nikon Small World competition combine art and science in stunning examples of microphotography.

Latest News