Skip to main content

Open menu Close menu

Live Science

Search

Search Live Science

Sign in

View Profile
Sign out

Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Space
Health
Planet Earth
Animals
Archaeology
Physics & Math
Technology
Human Behavior
Chemistry
More

Trending

Ancient DNA reveals collapsed civilization
JWST breaks own record
Strange signals from space
Buried cave 'trash' surprises researchers
Diagnostic dilemma

Latest News

a photo of Europa

James Webb telescope spots weird changes on Jupiter's icy moon Europa

Carolyn Collins Petersen published 30 May 25

The ice on the surface of Jupiter's massive moon Europa is constantly changing, hinting at the presence of a subsurface ocean, new James Webb telescope observations reveal.

an abstract illustration with two glowing orbs connected by what looks like droplets of water, with more rainbow glowing orbs in the background

Physicists force atoms into state of quantum 'hyper-entanglement' using tweezers made of laser light

Alan Bradley published 30 May 25

By controlling individual atoms, researchers have demonstrated a way to turn previously unwanted atomic motion into an advantage.

A gold band with a small human skull in an oval depression

'I did a bit of a dance': Detectorist finds gold 'mourning ring' engraved with skull and date in UK field

Kristina Killgrove published 30 May 25

A British metal detectorist discovered a gold band with an engraved date-of-death in Norfolk.

A volcano with lava running down its side. The volcano is surrounded by lush forest.

The closer a volcano is to erupting, the greener the trees around it look from space

Sascha Pare published 30 May 25

Scientists have found a way to monitor volcanic carbon dioxide levels — one of the first signs a volcano might be about to blow — that doesn't involve trekking up a mountain.

An artist's depiction of a dark, human-like artificial intelligence.

OpenAI's 'smartest' AI model was explicitly told to shut down — and it refused

Patrick Pester published 30 May 25

An artificial intelligence safety firm has found that OpenAI's o3 and o4-mini models sometimes refuse to shut down, and will sabotage computer scripts in order to keep working on tasks.

Burial niches are seen inside the elaborate 2,000 year old Second Temple Period family burial cave, known as the Salome Cave, in the Lachish Forest in the Judean lowlands.

Ancient cave burial of 'Jesus' midwife' may actually hold a princess

Tom Metcalfe published 30 May 25

The site's architecture may indicate the Judaean princess was buried there.

An illustration of a cluster of satellites orbiting the Earth — 'No radio astronomy from the ground would be possible anymore': Satellite mega-swarms are blinding us to the cosmos — and a critical 'inflection point' is approaching Invisible radiation leaking out of private satellites, like SpaceX's Starlink spacecraft, is disrupting radio astronomers' ability to detect important signals from across the universe. If left unchecked, we could reach an "inflection point" beyond which we can no longer properly study the cosmos, researchers warn.

illustration showing satellites orbiting Earth — What goes up must come down: How megaconstellations like SpaceX's Starlink network pose a grave safety threat to us on Earth Thousands of satellites with incredibly short lifetimes are being sent up into low Earth orbit. When they fall back down they're fireballs of pollution — and what doesn't burn up hits the ground.

Giant groundsels growing along a trail on Mount Kilimanjaro. The scene is misty. — Kilimanjaro's giant groundsels: The strange plants that thrive on Africa's tallest mountain Giant groundsels are rare plants that grow up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall. They are endemic to the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano in Tanzania and Africa's tallest mountain.

A skeleton lies in the ground, arms and legs flexed into almost a fetal position — Newly discovered 'ghost' lineage linked to ancient mystery population in Tibet, DNA study finds A study of more than 100 genomes from people who lived in ancient China has unmasked a "ghost" in their midst.

An artist's illustration of particles moving inside a box. — Physicists capture 'second sound' for the first time — after nearly 100 years of searching First theorized in 1938, heat's wave-like flow through superfluids, known as "second sound", has proven difficult to directly observe. Now, a new technique has finally done it, and could be used to study neutron stars and high-temperature superconductors.

An artist's illustration of what the LCRT may look like from orbit around the moon — NASA plans to build a giant radio telescope on the 'dark side' of the moon. Here's why. A NASA-funded plan to build a large radio telescope on the moon's far side is nearing final approval and could become a reality by the 2030s, researchers say. The ambitious project will help safeguard astronomy from satellite "megaconstellations" — and help scientists unravel more of the radio spectrum.

A close-up photo of a sunspot near the edge of the solar disk — Giant 'senior citizen' sunspot on 3rd trip around the sun could break a century-old record A large sunspot has just reappeared on the sun's Earth-facing surface, almost two months after it first emerged. The unusually old dark patch remains stable and could be on course to become the longest-lived sunspot on record, experts claim.

Planet Earth

The land under South Africa is rising every year. We finally know why.

By Skyler Ware published 29 May 25

The land under South Africa steadily rose between 2012 and 2020, a new GPS-based study finds, and drought may be the main driver.

Almost 2 billion people could see a change in rain patterns if the planet continues to warm

By Jesse Steinmetz published 29 May 25

Higher global temperatures mean the intertropical convergence zone could shift south — throwing off precipitation trends for a major swath of humanity, according to new research.

LATEST ARTICLES

1
James Webb telescope spots weird changes on Jupiter's icy moon Europa
2
Physicists force atoms into state of quantum 'hyper-entanglement' using tweezers made of laser light
3
'I did a bit of a dance': Detectorist finds gold 'mourning ring' engraved with skull and date in UK field
4
The closer a volcano is to erupting, the greener the trees around it look from space
5
OpenAI's 'smartest' AI model was explicitly told to shut down — and it refused

Space

The number of satellites orbiting the Earth is increasing exponentially.

How many satellites could fit in Earth orbit? And how many do we really need?

By Harry Baker published 30 May 25

The number of satellites orbiting Earth is rising fast, thanks to private companies such as SpaceX. But just how big will these "megaconstellations" become? And what problems might they cause?

Space Exploration

James Webb telescope uncovers new, 'hidden' type of black hole never seen before

By Shreejaya Karantha published 29 May 25

By combining data from the Subaru Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have discovered distant quasars that are obscured by dust but which may shed light on Little Red Dots.

archaeology

2.2 million-year-old teeth reveal secrets of human relatives found in a South African cave

By Kristina Killgrove published 29 May 25

A cutting-edge technique for analyzing fossil tooth enamel is revealing remarkable new information about 2 million-year-old human relatives.

43,000-year-old human fingerprint is world's oldest — and made by a Neanderthal

By Tom Metcalfe published 28 May 25

The discovery of a 43,000-year-old fingerprint in Spain is challenging the idea that Neanderthals were not capable of symbolic art.

World of science

Health

Combo of cancer therapy drugs increases mice lifespan by 30%

By Patrick Pester published 29 May 25

A cocktail of FDA-approved cancer drugs, trametinib and rapamycin, boosts the lifespan of lab mice by 30% and might help humans age better, new study finds.

The painter Michel Serre's depiction of The Great Plague of Marseille in 1721. The epidemic was the last major plague outbreak in Western Europe, and killed over 100,000 people.

Single gene may help explain the plague's persistence throughout human history

By Ben Turner published 29 May 25

Alterations to a single gene in the plague bacterium's genome have shed light on a method the germ has used to survive and spread through the ages.

Viruses, Infections & Disease

Sleep: Facts about how and why we sleep

By Mindy Weisberger published 29 May 25

Learn facts about sleep, during which the body rests, recuperates and performs essential repairs.

Animals

The history of cat domestication

By Marilyn Perkins, Stephanie Pappas last updated 30 May 25

Discover the history of our feline friends, and learn about the debate over whether cats are really "domesticated" at all.

Beautiful white cat with blue sapphire eyes on a black background.

Cats may have been domesticated much later than we thought — with earlier felines being eaten or made into clothes

By Richard Pallardy last updated 30 May 25

Two studies of ancient felines find that cats were likely domesticated in Egypt or other regions in North Africa — and moved into Europe with humans much later than previously believed.

Birds have been nesting in the Arctic Circle for almost 73 million years, newly discovered fossils reveal

By Jesse Steinmetz published 29 May 25

A major collection of more than 50 bird fossils found in northern Alaska suggest some ancient ancestors of modern birds learned to either adapt to the harsh Arctic winter, or migrate south during the Mesozoic — the age of dinosaurs.

Human Behavior

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.

The constant surveillance of modern life could worsen our brain function in ways we don't fully understand, disturbing studies suggest

By Simon Makin published 11 May 25

We live in an era of constant surveillance. Psychology research shows how this might change how we perceive the world — even unconsciously

Pope Leo XIV stands in papal robes in the middle of two other men on the Vatican loggia

What does the Pope do, anyway?

By Stephanie Pappas, Kristina Killgrove last updated 8 May 25

New pope's schedule will be 'exhausting.'

Physics & Mathematics

Particle physics: Facts about the elementary particles that make up our universe

By Damien Pine published 26 May 25

Discover the fascinating world of particle physics — the most fundamental building blocks of the universe and the forces that connect them.

Particle Physics

Does light lose energy as it crosses the universe?

By Jarred Roberts published 25 May 25

The speed of light is the fastest anything can travel. What happens to a photon from a galaxy 25 million light years away on its journey toward Earth?

Physics & Mathematics

Physicists take step toward a 'theory of everything'

By Andrey Feldman published 15 May 25

A new physics paper takes a step toward creating a long-sought "theory of everything" by uniting gravity with the quantum world. However, the new theory remains far from being proven observationally.

Quantum Physics

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

a woman using a camera outside

Best cameras 2025

By Kimberley Lane published 30 May 25

We've rounded up the best cameras on the market that deliver impressive image quality, reliable autofocus and intuitive handling ahead of Prime Day.

China has developed the largest drone carrier in the world — and it's getting ready for takeoff

By Damien Pine published 29 May 25

The world’s largest drone "mothership" is getting ready for deployment in June. It’s designed to carry and launch up to 100 drones in a swarm, including kamikaze drones.

A chair sits inside the AudioDome.

Scientists build 3D 'audio dome' with such high-fidelity speakers it tricks your ears that you're at the source

By Solomon Klappholz published 29 May 25

New research has revealed that a domed array of loudspeakers can create virtual soundscapes capable of blurring human perception.

Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

About Us
Contact Future's experts
Terms and conditions
Privacy policy
Cookies policy
Accessibility Statement
Advertise with us
Web notifications
Careers
Editorial standards
How to pitch a story to us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...