Planet Earth

China has planted so many trees it's changed the entire country's water distribution

By Sascha Pare published

Huge "regreening" efforts in China over the past few decades have activated the country's water cycle and moved water in ways that scientists are just now starting to understand.

44 Comments
Plants

Death Valley's 'world's hottest temperature' record may be due to a human error

By Sascha Pare published

A new analysis of July temperatures in Death Valley between 1923 and 2024 suggests the world record near-surface air temperature of 134 F measured in July 1913 may be erroneous.

4 Comments
Weather
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Space

Giant rotating string of galaxies is 'probably the largest spinning object' in the known universe

By Joanna Thompson published

A giant rotating filament of the cosmic web may be the largest spinning structure ever seen, and could help reveal how galaxies form.

Astronomy

JWST spots a planet chasing its own atmosphere through space

By Elizabeth Howell published

New James Webb telescope observations of the 'super-puff' planet WASP-107b show that the exoplanet's runaway atmosphere is frantically escaping into space.

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Astronomy
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archaeology

Photographs of hanging coffins at archaeological sites in China's southern Yunnan province.

Ancient 'hanging coffin' people in China finally identified — and their descendants still live there today

By Tom Metcalfe published

People buried in "hanging coffins" thousands of years ago in China and Southeast Asia have finally been identified through DNA research.

2 Comments
Archaeology

'An extreme end of human genetic variation': Ancient humans were isolated in southern Africa for nearly 100,000 years, and their genetics are stunningly different

By Kristina Killgrove published

Ancient genomes from southern Africa show that people evolved in isolation for upward of 100,000 years.

7 Comments
Human Evolution
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World of science

Health

'Intelligence comes at a price, and for many species, the benefits just aren't worth it': A neuroscientist's take on how human intellect evolved

By Nikolay Kukushkin published

Book In his book "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin explores explanations for how consciousness evolved, and ultimately, what makes us human.

3 Comments
Book

A woman got a rare parasitic lung infection after eating raw frogs

By Mindy Weisberger published

In an unusual case, a woman developed a parasitic infection in her lungs, when more typically, the parasite stays just under the skin.

2 Comments
Viruses, Infections & Disease
A Live Science Cyber Monday logo and a picture of the Blueair Classic Pro CP7i on a blue background

Hurry, this germ-busting air purifier is still $210 off this Cyber Monday

By Anna Gora published

Deals Save 30% on the Blueair Classic Pro CP7i, the only air purifier that uses violet-blue light to remove bacteria and viruses.

Deals
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Animals

18,000 dinosaur tracks discovered along ancient Bolivian coastline — and they set a new record

By Sascha Pare published

Researchers have counted 16,600 fossilized dinosaur footprints and 1,378 swim tracks at a site in Bolivia that showcase a variety of behaviors and different theropods from the Cretaceous period.

Dinosaurs

Anacondas became massive 12 million years ago — and it worked so well, they haven't changed size since

By Skyler Ware published

The snakes stayed large and thrived even when cooling temperatures and shrinking habitats killed off other giant reptiles millions of years ago.

Snakes

What's the difference between a newt and a salamander?

By Alice Sun published

Salamanders and newts are both long-tailed amphibians, but what's the difference between them?

Animals
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Human Behavior

A hand holding a pencil over a crossword puzzle

Live Science crossword puzzle #22: Subatomic particle with a positive charge — 13 across

By Harry Baker last updated

Science crossword Test your knowledge on all things science with our weekly, free crossword puzzle!

Science crossword

Time may be a psychological projection, philosopher argues

By Adrian Bardon published

Is time real, or an illusion? The best answer may be neither: Both physics and philosophy suggest that time is a projection of the mind onto a timeless reality.

Human Behavior

There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you

By Kit Yates published

Opinion How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility.

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Opinion
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Physics & Mathematics

Law of 'maximal randomness' explains how broken objects shatter in the most annoying way possible

By Skyler Ware published

A new mathematical equation describes the distribution of different fragment sizes when an object breaks. Remarkably, the distribution is the same for everything from bubbles to spaghetti.

Mathematics

World's largest neutrino detector starts up — with incredible results

By Rory Harris last updated

Deep underground in southern China, there is a 20,000-ton tank of liquid that can detect neutrinos. Named JUNO, the detector's first results are in — and they're very promising.

Particle Physics
Gamma-ray intensity map superimposed in the corner of an image of a galaxy.

Did a NASA telescope really 'see' dark matter? Strange gamma-rays spark bold claims, but scientists urge caution

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new study says observations from the NASA Fermi space telescope suggest a halo of dark matter around the center of our galaxy, but more information is needed to confirm the result.

Dark Matter
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Chemistry

Scientists invent way to use E. coli to create and dye rainbow-colored fabric in the lab

By Mason Wakley published

Scientists have used a novel method to create sustainable, rainbow-colored fibers using bacteria in the lab.

Chemistry
an animation of a spinning buckyball molecule

Science history: Chemists discover buckyballs — the most perfect molecules in existence — Nov. 14, 1985

By Tia Ghose published

Over a feverish 10-day period, scientists synthesized and described a new class of carbon molecules, called buckminster fullerenes, after the iconic 20th-century inventor.

Chemistry

Why does boiling water have bubbles, except in a microwave?

By Victoria Atkinson published

Bubbles are usually the first sign that water’s coming to the boil, but heating it in a microwave seems to skip this important step. Here’s what’s going on.

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Chemistry
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Technology

A laptop with a bright image of a digital printed circuit board on the screen.

New 'physics shortcut' lets laptops tackle quantum problems once reserved for supercomputers and AI

By Owen Hughes published

Physicists have transformed a decades-old technique for simplifying quantum equations into a reusable, user-friendly "conversion table" that works on a laptop and returns results within hours.

Computing
Two prototypes of the ultrasonic system used to “shake” water out of an atmospheric water harvester.

MIT invention uses ultrasound to shake drinking water out of the air, even in dry regions

By Owen Hughes published

A new device cuts down the time it takes to harvest water from the atmosphere from days to minutes, MIT researchers say.

Engineering
Vector of a man working with a robot sitting at table. Symbol of future cooperation and technology advance

When an AI algorithm is labeled 'female,' people are more likely to exploit it

By Damien Pine published

People who played the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” were less likely to cooperate when the other player was a male human or AI, and exploited female players.

Artificial Intelligence
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