Read the latest science news and recent scientific discoveries on Live Science, where we've been reporting on groundbreaking advances for over 20 years. Our expert editors, writers and contributors are ready to guide you through today's most important breakthroughs in science with expert analysis, in-depth explainers and interesting articles, covering everything from space, technology, health, animals, planet Earth, and much more.
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SpaceX's Starship reaches orbit for the first time, then returns early and explodesSpaceX got its Starship rocket into orbit, but after a tense few minutes of comms and the loss of an engine, the call was made to end the mission early.
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US Cold War-era spy satellite explodes above Earth — and nobody knows whyThe defunct USA 32 (or Farrah III) satellite, which launched in 1988, broke apart without warning on Sept. 13, around 480 miles above Earth's surface. Experts are still unsure what caused this sudden fragmentation, how many pieces it created, or how the debris might impact other nearby spacecraft.
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A 72-year-old photo is revealing new clues about 'Meretneith,' a powerful woman who may have ruled Egypt 5,000 years agoAn ancient Egyptian woman named Meretneith had a lavish tomb, and on it her name was written the same way as a pharaoh.
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'The right diagnosis is unbelievably powerful': It can take years to diagnose rare diseases, and scientists are trying to fix thatAnalysis Tens of millions of Americans live with rare or undiagnosed diseases. These scientists are working to deliver them better diagnostics and treatments.
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13,000-year-old butchered bones of long-tusked beast found in Chile give more evidence of early first AmericansArchaeological excavations in the Lake Tagua Tagua basin in central Chile have revealed stone tools and animal bones with cut marks dated to 13,000 years ago.
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A giant cosmic 'fart' is making a wobbling zombie star repeatedly flash us, 'groundbreaking' observations revealA very strange binary star system keeps flashing Earth with X-ray flares. Scientists now understand why.
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Harvest Moon 2026: See the first full moon of autumn rise alongside Saturn tonightThe famous Harvest Moon will be the first full moon of autumn when it rises on Saturday, Sept. 26. Here's how to get the best view of it, and where to look for bright Saturn nearby.
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NASA teases new PRIMA telescope that could see what even the James Webb telescope can'tNASA has announced that a new telescope concept called PRIMA is moving forward in consideration for a 2033 launch to look at the origins of planets and galaxies.
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New kind of AI audio chip transforms earbuds into always-on 'intelligent' devices that run without a smartphone. How does it work?Explainer A new AI audio chip will give future headphones on-device apps and sensors that gather data about your daily movements to feed AI "agents" that will speak directly into your ear.
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Archaeologists discover 'tomb of the very highest rank' in 2,700-year-old Etruscan cemeteryArchaeologists have discovered a massive Etruscan burial mound with a vast assortment of grave goods north of Rome.
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Rare armored dinosaur found in Japan may have ancestors that migrated across a land bridge 100 million years agoThe newly described dinosaur is only the third nodosaurid fossil found in Asia. Researchers say its ancestors may have migrated from North America.
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Hurricane Polo exploded in intensity in just 24 hours. Is the 'super' El Niño to blame?Hurricane Polo exploded from a tropical storm into a powerful Category 5 hurricane in less than 24 hours and is one of the strongest Pacific hurricanes on record.
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Could Comet 3I/ATLAS teach us about life beyond Earth? Scientists say the story's not over yet.Analysis No evidence has been found linking 3I/ATLAS to aliens. But the interstellar object, just the third of its kind to be found, shows that life's molecular precursors are abundant in the Milky Way.
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Japan switches on its first full-stack room-temperature quantum computer — and scientists plan to scale it up to 10,000 qubitsJapan's new quantum system, Shunkai, uses "optical tweezers" to trap and rearrange atoms, and will be available to researchers working on quantum error correction.
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Earth's first bats didn't come from where we thought, landmark genetic study revealsIn the largest study of its kind to date, researchers compiled data from 103 bat genomes and 44 fossils to rewrite the bat family tree and determine where these animals first evolved.
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Missing Celtic fort annihilated by Julius Caesar finally found under Paris hospitalArchaeologists in Paris have discovered the remains of a missing Celtic fort sacked by Julius Caesar in 52 B.C.
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Astronomers detected radio signals coming from an exoplanet for the first time. Spoiler alert: It's not aliens.Scientists have found the first convincing direct evidence of radio signals coming out of the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b. Even if it's not aliens, it could still teach us something big about life in space.
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'It has become very dire in a lot of places': New map reveals exactly where humans are adding and removing precious fresh water on EarthA new high-resolution map of global freshwater trends between 2002 and 2025 has sharpened scientists' understanding of how humans are using and displacing our most precious resource.
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Google DeepMind's latest AI tool promises a new era for genetics research, but experts warn to take its predictions with cautionAlphaGenome Atlas could make it easier for geneticists to access powerful AI, but its predictions aren't always accurate.
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