Planet Earth

Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop

By Sascha Pare published

Mount Thor, also known as Thor Peak, is a mountain in Nunavut, Canada with the largest vertical drop in the world — a terrifying escarpment with an average overhang of 15 degrees from vertical.

Geology

Giant meteor impact may have triggered massive Grand Canyon landslide 56,000 years ago

By Sascha Pare published

Researchers have found a link between two geological events in iconic locations of the U.S. Southwest that scientists previously didn't think had anything to do with each other.

Geology
VIEW MORE

Space

Photograph of a string of blue, red and green lights against a starry background

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS transforms into a giant 'cosmic rainbow' in trippy new telescope image

By Harry Baker published

New photos, including a striking technicolor timelapse, show off the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it shoots toward us through the solar system.

Comets

'Ice cube' clouds discovered at the galaxy's center shouldn't exist — and they hint at a recent black hole explosion

By Brandon Specktor published

Twin orbs of superhot plasma at the Milky Way's center known as the "Fermi bubbles" contain inexplicable clouds of cold hydrogen, new research reveals. They could help scientists figure out when our galaxy's black hole last erupted.

Astronomy
VIEW MORE

archaeology

Someone holding a roman shoes discovered at Magna Fort, a Roman fort located near Hadrian's Wall.

Romans loved to wear socks and sandals — could that be the reason for the massive shoes found at Magna fort?

By Tim Penn published

Archaeologists aren't "baffled" by giant shoes but see them as a way to test different theories about how Roman soldiers coped with new environments along Hadrian's Wall.

Romans

600-year-old amethyst 'worthy of a duke' found in medieval castle moat in Poland

By Kristina Killgrove published

The amethyst was set in high-quality silver and probably once formed part of a brooch.

Archaeology
VIEW MORE

World of science

Health

New bionic knee connects directly with muscles and bone to feel more like the user's body

By Skyler Ware published

A bionic knee that directly attaches to the thigh bone and uses implanted electrodes can make a prosthetic leg feel more like a part of the body, a new study finds.

Health

8 babies spared from potentially deadly inherited diseases through new IVF 'mitochondrial donation' trial

By Nicoletta Lanese published

A groundbreaking trial in the U.K. has released data on eight babies born through a special IVF procedure to lower their risk of mitochondrial DNA disease.

Genetics

Why are so many men color-blind?

By Marilyn Perkins published

About 1 in 12 men is color-blind. Why doesn't this condition affect women as often?

Genetics
VIEW MORE

Animals

Why do cats like concrete slabs?

By Marilyn Perkins published

Cat owners have noticed their pets seem to go crazy for concrete blocks. Why?

Domestic Cats

'Beautifully preserved' ice age horse skull unearthed in Yukon mine

By Sascha Pare published

New pictures taken in Yukon, Canada, show a perfectly preserved fossil skull, which experts say belonged to a male, teenage horse that lived during the last ice age.

Extinct species
Baby sloth hangs from branch

Do sloths fart? New video finally settles age old question

By Pandora Dewan published

For years, it's been assumed that sloths don't fart. But new footage has thrown this theory into question.

Animals
VIEW MORE

Human Behavior

Girl doing math homework.

The 'gender gap' in math is not innate — something about school drives it

By Victoria Atkinson published

A new study of schoolchildren in France suggests that boys are not innately better at math. Some aspect of schooling appears to drive the "gender gap."

Human Behavior

Only 64% of Americans accept the idea of evolution — here's one reason why

By Edward White published

Fundamentalists don't necessarily examine evolution and then reject it; they tend to start with the conclusion that it must be false and work backwards.

Human Behavior
We see an enormous yellow bubble that is an atomic bomb exploding against a black sky.

'Lord, these affairs are hard on the heart': How Manhattan Project scientists reacted to the world's first atomic bomb test

By Alexander McNamara last updated

In this except from the biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, we hear from the people at the historic first test of the atomic bomb in New Mexico.

Warfare
VIEW MORE

Physics & Mathematics

'Paraparticles' would be a third kingdom of quantum particle

By Shalma Wegsman published

A new proposal makes the case that paraparticles — a new category of quantum particle — could be created in exotic materials.

Quantum Physics

Where do atoms come from? A physicist explains.

By Stephen L. Levy published

Almost everything on Earth is made up of atoms, but where do these fundamental building blocks come from?

Physics & Mathematics

'Dreadful danger for all mankind': Einstein's powerful anti-war letter goes up for auction

By Joanna Thompson published

A fiery letter written by Albert Einstein in 1954 is going to auction. The letter details Einstein's thoughts on his part in developing atomic weapons, and hails Mahatma Gandhi as a political genius.

Physics & Mathematics
VIEW MORE

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

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

Chemistry
a deer's breath is visible in the cold air

Why does nearly all life breathe oxygen?

By Harrison Tasoff published

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

Chemistry
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

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.

Chemistry
VIEW MORE

Technology

OM System OM-3 on a wooden post next to a pond

OM System OM-3 review — a camera for wildlife and astrophotographers alike?

By Gavin Stoker published

Review Shorter version of strapline (75 characters max)

Review
person using a camera underwater

Best underwater cameras 2025 — take photos of marine and freshwater wildlife and fauna

By Jacob Little published

The best cameras for marine observation, surveying and recording your underwater adventures — just in time for Prime Day.

Technology
Computing room.

Scientists achieve 'magic state' quantum computing breakthrough 20 years in the making

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published

Scientists demonstrate a process called "magic state distillation" in logical qubits for the first time, meaning we can now build quantum computers that are both error-free and more powerful than supercomputers.

Computing
VIEW MORE