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Pluto's 'new kind of climate'
How much gold is there in the world?
1,000-year-old Viking Age hoard
Southern cassowary
Best air purifiers for allergies 2025

Latest News

a map of the world

Why is the Pacific Ocean so big?

Charles Q. Choi published 16 June 25

Look at any world map and you'll see that the Pacific is the largest ocean. But how did it get so big?

an illustration of toxoplasma floating around

Common parasite decapitates human sperm

Bill Sullivan published 15 June 25

If you've handled cat litter or eaten raw meat or unwashed produce, there’s a chance you might have a permanent toxoplasmosis infection spread throughout your body.

a close-up of two bivalve fossils

'Statistically, that shouldn’t have happened': Something very weird occurred in the ocean after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit

Stewart Edie published 15 June 25

Not everything dies in a mass extinction. Sea life recovered in different and surprising ways after the asteroid strike 66 million years ago. Ancient fossils recorded it all.

an image of the silhouette of Pluto glowing blue

James Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system

Sharmila Kuthunur published 15 June 25

New James Webb Space Telescope data reveal Pluto's high-altitude haze is a key driver of the climate on the dwarf planet, offering clues to Earth's ancient atmosphere.

a purple-hued volcano pokes through a thick layer of clouds

NASA spots Martian volcano twice the height of Mount Everest bursting through the morning clouds: Space photo of the week

Shreejaya Karantha published 15 June 25

A new panorama from NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter shows Arsia Mons, one of the largest volcanoes on Mars, rising above a thick blanket of clouds before dawn.

a large flock of geese flying through the sky

How do migrating birds know where they're going?

Marilyn Perkins published 15 June 25

To navigate the skies, birds rely on a complex sensory tool kit.

(Inset) an illustration of a white dwarf. (Main top) Gaia22ayj seen in X-rays and visible light (Main bottom) Images of Gaia22ayj taken by ZTF — Missing link star? Why this 'teenage vampire' white dwarf has scientists so excited Astronomers have discovered a "teenage vampire" dead star in the process of devouring a companion star during a short-lived, "missing link" phase of its evolution.

A large gold nugget on copper scales. — How much gold is there in the world? How much gold have humans mined to date, and how much is left?

a child plays near an empty apartment complex — How long would it take for humans to go extinct if we stopped having babies? Even though there are 8 billion people on Earth today, a catastrophe could send that number much lower within a few decades.

an aerial image of the Andes mountains — Tectonic plates can spread subduction like a contagion — jumping from one oceanic plate to another Evidence from Earth's deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion.

split image showing a southern cassowary rearing its head and a southern cassowary foot — Southern cassowary: The giant prehistoric bird with dinosaur feet These large, flightless birds have powerful, muscular legs and tough, prehistoric-looking feet with claws that can deliver a powerful blow.

two mummified brown-fur pups on a steel table — 14,000-year-old ice age 'puppies' were actually wolf sisters that dined on woolly rhino for last meal A pair of canines found in Siberian permafrost were wolf sisters that died shortly after eating.

an abstract illustration of overlapping, glowing purple circles — Does the color purple really exist? The color purple is, in a way, invented by our brains.

Planet Earth

Trees shadowed against a pink and red sky created by the northern lights in Poland.

Scientists discover strong, unexpected link between Earth's magnetic field and oxygen levels

By Sascha Pare published 13 June 25

Earth's magnetic field and oxygen levels have increased more or less in parallel over the past 540 million years, suggesting the two factors are linked in some way, researchers say.

Groundwater in the Colorado River basin won't run out — but eventually we won’t be able to get at it, scientists warn

By Chris Simms published 13 June 25

The Colorado River basin has lost a Lake Mead’s worth of water in the last 20 years — and scientists say we’re passing a "critical point" where pumping groundwater will become too expensive.

Rivers & Oceans

LATEST ARTICLES

1
Common parasite decapitates human sperm
2
'Statistically, that shouldn’t have happened': Something very weird occurred in the ocean after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit
3
James Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system
4
NASA spots Martian volcano twice the height of Mount Everest bursting through the morning clouds: Space photo of the week
5
How do migrating birds know where they're going?

Space

Photo of Uranus surrounded by bright spots, which are its moons

Surprised scientists discover the 'dark sides' of Uranus' moons are the wrong way around

By Harry Baker published 13 June 25

Researchers armed with the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that some of Uranus' largest moons have one side brighter than the other — but not the side they were expecting.

A photo of the sun with a large dark "hole" in its southern hemisphere

Friday the 13th solar storm could bring auroras to 18 US states this weekend

By Harry Baker published 13 June 25

Space weather experts warn that a "moderate" geomagnetic storm could rock Earth over the weekend, potentially lighting the skies with vibrant auroras across large parts of the U.S. and Europe.

archaeology

1,000-year-old Viking Age hoard has a pendant that may be a cross or Thor's hammer

By Laura Geggel published 14 June 25

A metal detectorist in Germany has unearthed an Early Middle Ages hoard that contains 200 artifacts, including a pendant that may be a cross or an unfinished Thor's hammer.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, the ancient texts from the Hebrew Bible found in the caves of Qumran?

By Owen Jarus last updated 14 June 25

The famous biblical manuscripts were found in caves near this ancient settlement.

World of science

Health

Science news this week: Overdue earthquakes and star-shaped brain cells

By Alexander McNamara published 14 June 25

June 14, 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.

Iron deficiency in pregnancy can cause 'male' mice to develop female organs

By Clarissa Brincat published 13 June 25

Low iron levels can flip the genetic switch on a mouse's sex during development, causing XY embryos to grow female features. But it's not clear whether the effect applies to humans.

Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth

People can be identified by their breathing patterns with 97% accuracy

By Emma Bryce published 13 June 25

Breathing patterns among humans are so unique that they can work as an identification tool, scientists report. They propose someday using breath as a way to diagnose disease.

Animals

Instead of 'de-extincting' dire wolves, scientists should use gene editing to protect living, endangered species

By Alex Erwin published 13 June 25

Opinion A legal scholar with a doctorate in wildlife genetics explains the promise biotechnology techniques hold for some animals that are currently endangered.

Jase Parnell-Brookes using binoculars

Best binoculars for bird-watching 2025: Eyes on the skies

By Jacob Little last updated 11 June 25

Owning a pair of the best binoculars for bird-watching is a must for any serious birder, and with Prime Day around the corner, it's a good time to grab a discount.

Meet 'Dragon prince' — the newly discovered T. rex relative that roamed Mongolia 86 million years ago

By Chris Simms published 11 June 25

A new species of dinosaur that was probably a princely ancestor of T. rex, the king of the dinosaurs, has been identified from fossils excavated in Mongolia.

Human Behavior

Strikingly simple 'dial' in the brain may help it distinguish imagination from reality

By Payal Dhar published 12 June 25

Activity levels in a specific region of the brain predict whether we think something is real, irrespective of whether we've seen it or imagined it.

People's mental health often improves after weight-loss surgery. A study pinpoints the real reason why.

By Marianne Guenot published 10 June 25

Feeling less stigma — not losing weight — was linked to better mental health and eating behaviors after bariatric surgery.

Young couple practicing yoga in a summer park.

Your moral compass is tied to how in tune you are with your body, study hints

By Skyler Ware published 28 May 25

A recent study draws a connection between people's bodily awareness and how they find solutions to moral dilemmas.

Physics & Mathematics

'Alien's language' problem that stumped mathematicians for decades may finally be close to a solution

By Joanna Thompson published 4 June 25

The Inter-universal Teichmüller Theory, an infamous proof that has confounded mathematicians for over a decade, has been partially solved.

'Neutron lifetime puzzle' may have a new solution

By Andrey Feldman published 31 May 25

A type of hydrogen that doesn't interact with light could explain how long neutrons live and reveal the identity of the universe's dark matter, according to a new theory.

Physics & Mathematics

Why isn’t an atom’s nucleus round?

By Victoria Atkinson published 31 May 25

The nuclei of atoms are often portrayed as round in textbooks, but it turns out they're rarely spherical.

Physics & Mathematics

Chemistry

A cross-section of the new copper alloy, with the orange dots representing copper atoms, the yellow tantalum atoms, and the blue lithium atoms.

Scientists create ultra-tough copper alloy that is stronger than steel and can withstand temperatures of 1500 F

By Ben Turner published 23 April 25

The new super-strong copper alloy can be used to build better airplanes and spacecraft.

a deer's breath is visible in the cold air

Why does nearly all life breathe oxygen?

By Harrison Tasoff published 30 March 25

Nitrogen comprises around 78% of Earth's atmosphere, so why do most lifeforms breathe oxygen?

Plastic waste by the ocean

Scientists break down cheap plastic using the air — and turn it into something far more valuable

By Ben Turner published 22 March 25

Scientists developed a new method for breaking down one of the most common plastics to a byproduct that can be upcycled into more valuable materials.

Technology

students using a microscope in a classroom

Best microscopes for students 2025

By Morgan Bailee Boggess McCoy last updated 12 June 25

Discover a microscopic world with one of the best microscopes for students and young scientists, without emptying your wallet.

girl using a microscope in the home

Best microscopes for kids 2025

By Morgan Bailee Boggess McCoy last updated 12 June 25

Encourage children to love science by showing them the world in miniature with some of the best microscopes for kids.

microscope slides

Building your own slides is a great way to get more from your microscope — here's how to make them

By Heather Barker published 12 June 25

Making your own microscope slides can be fun and easy with these simple-to-follow tips — including dry and wet mounting, plus crafty alternatives.

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