Science News: Recent scientific discoveries and expert analysis
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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Astronomers spot the closest, fastest star ever seen orbiting our galaxy's monster black holeA star is whipping around the Milky Way's central black hole incredibly fast, setting a record for the tightest orbit ever observed
By Andrey Feldman Published
physics-mathematics -
Out-of-control SpaceX rocket carved a 60-foot crater into the moon, NASA images revealNASA has finally revealed the enormous crater left on the moon after a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage smashed into its surface on Aug. 5.
By Pandora Dewan Published
the-moon -
Body found at bottom of Scottish well may be from rare ritual burial performed centuries agoAn Iron Age grave has been discovered in the Scottish Highlands. The person was buried within what may have been a ritual well.
By Owen Jarus Published
archaeology -
Peptides are the latest wellness fad. What are they, and are they safe?Explainer An FDA advisory panel has recommended making six unapproved peptides more accessible through compounding pharmacies — but scientists warn that easier access does not mean these experimental products have been proven safe or effective.
By Jennifer Zieba Published
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Neanderthals may have trekked through the Saudi Arabian desert 55,000 years ago, farther south than experts thought possibleStone tools from a lakeside site in Saudi Arabia hint that Neanderthals were adapted to the arid Arabian interior, not just to cold places.
By Olivia Maule Published
2 Commentsneanderthals -
'Beyond human intuition': AI designs chip components 500 times smaller than what engineers could ever imagineThree new AI-designed chip components are just a few micrometers long and go beyond what human engineers have previously envisaged.
By Fiona Jackson Published
electronics -
The pace of climate change matters more than overall heat in the race to save key Atlantic currents, study findsThe rate of global warming, rather than the extra heat itself, could determine whether a system of ocean currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation will cross a tipping point, new research suggests.
By Sascha Pare Published
climate-change -
Archaeologists discover Etruscan well that was ritually opened with offerings for a goddess — and 'closed' with human bodiesAn ancient Etruscan cult likely left burials and bronze artifacts in a well that was recently discovered in Italy.
By Margherita Bassi Published
archaeology -
1,700-year-old church discovered under a lake in Turkey may be the location of the First Council of Nicaea — but other experts disagreeA small church discovered beneath a larger one may have hosted one of the most important meetings in the history of Christianity, but some scholars not involved with the excavation disagree.
By Owen Jarus Published
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Skeleton with 167 fractures discovered at Scottish castle may have been first victim of Edward I's 'War Wolf' trebuchetDozens of fractures in a medieval skeleton found buried near a castle suggest the person may have been killed by a direct trebuchet hit.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
archaeology -
Elon Musk and Sam Altman claim we've reached the AI singularity. But how would we even know that happened?Analysis Scientists suggest it could take decades to achieve superintelligent AI, and doing so still depends on hypothetical breakthroughs. So why do some suggest we're already there?
By Adam Shepherd Published
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4 lemurs die of human herpesvirus, including one that had been used in a 'lemur yoga' classResearchers recently confirmed cases of human herpesvirus infection in four lemurs, which died of the infection after having close contact with humans.
By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry Published
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'Full-on berserker mode': Archaeologists solve mystery of medieval soldiers with gruesome square holes in their skullA new analysis of skulls from a 14th-century battle in Sweden reveals a spiked club inflicted the death blow.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
archaeology -
Rare belching disorder could be treated with singing, study hints — but not everyone is convincedA strange-sounding treatment may offer relief for people with a little-understood type of excessive belching.
By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry Published
health -
'The lance head was still inside the pelvis': Mass grave found in Austria may hold casualties of unknown ancient Roman battleA new analysis of skeletons recovered from an ancient mass burial has revealed a surprising number of groin injuries.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
romans -
'If this is the new normal, then we are in very deep trouble': Brazil's drying aquifers could have ripple effects across the worldAnalysis New research suggests some of Brazil's most important aquifers, located beneath major agricultural regions, aren't being replenished. What does this mean for the country's water supply and food exports?
By Sascha Pare Published
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Memory may not work how we thought, study of mice in artificial hibernation findsA new study induced artificial hibernation in lab mice and may have revealed something fundamental about the nature of memory.
By Nicoletta Lanese Published
3 Commentsneuroscience -
Saving old trees may protect people's health more than planting new ones, study of Chicago neighborhoods findsA study tracking tree cover in Chicago over 11 years found that neighborhoods losing canopy saw death rates climb, especially in the city's hottest areas.
By Olivia Maule Published
health -
'They basically used these dried-up wells just to throw people in': 43 skeletons found in Roman-era well may be evidence of deadly plagueArchaeologists have analyzed dozens of skeletons from a mass burial in a well. The lack of injuries suggests the people may have died from a plague rather than a battle.
By Kristina Killgrove Published
2 Commentsromans
