Gender ambiguity was a tool of power 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia
Gender-ambiguous people in ancient Mesopotamia were powerful and important members of society more than four millennia ago.
Space
NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet
NASA's plans for Mars sample return are effectively cancelled as part of a bill approved by the U.S. Congress, ending efforts to collect Perseverance rover samples that could contain evidence of alien life.
NASA's powerful new Roman Space Telescope is complete — and will soon begin mission to find 100,000 alien worlds
New photos show off NASA's newly constructed Roman Space Telescope, which will soon help researchers unravel the mysteries of the cosmos. Experts have also revealed when the next-gen spacecraft is set to launch and begin collecting data.
NASA astronauts back on Earth after unprecedented medical emergency on ISS
The SpaceX Crew-11 Dragon spacecraft splashed down this morning as four astronauts completed an unprecedented medical evacuation of the International Space Station (ISS).
Planet Earth
Forced closure of premier US weather-modeling institute could endanger millions of Americans
From high-wind forecasts and wildfire behavior to floods, aviation hazards, air quality and space weather, science developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research informs decisions that aim to reduce risk.
Scientists watch microscopic plant 'mouths' breathing in real time with palm-sized tool
Scientists say their Stomata In-Sight tool can observe plants "breathe," which could be used to bioengineer crops that require less water, making them potentially more resilient to climate change.
18 of Earth's biggest river deltas — including the Nile and Amazon — are sinking faster than global sea levels are rising
Worldwide, millions of people live in river deltas that are sinking faster than sea levels are rising, research suggests. This exacerbates the risk of catastrophic coastal flooding and land loss.
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Mega-iceberg A23a, formerly the world's largest, turns into bright 'blue mush' as it finally dies after 40 years at sea
New satellite photos reveal that one of the world's largest and longest-lived icebergs, A23a, has developed vibrant blue striations on its surface. The striking snaps hint that the "megaberg" will soon disappear forever, ending a surprisingly eventful four-decade-long saga.
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Parkfield, San Andreas, and the quest for a 'crystal ball' for predicting earthquakes before they happen
A small town in California was hit by earthquakes once every 22 years for over a century, setting the stage for a major seismic experiment in the 1980s and 90s. But the quake ended up being 11 years late. In this excerpt from "When Worlds Quake," geophysicist Hrvoje Tkalčić looks at why predicting earthquakes is so difficult.
archaeology
Famed archaeologist Zahi Hawass says he's close to finding Nefertiti's tomb in new documentary
Zahi Hawass says he hopes to discover the tomb of Nefertiti before he retires, and he believes he's getting close.
Most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found dates to more than 2 million years ago and retains 'Lucy'-like features
Scientists have revealed the most complete skeleton yet of our 2 million-year-old ancestor Homo habilis.
Ötzi the Iceman mummy carried a high-risk strain of HPV, research finds
Two renowned prehistoric individuals were likely infected with a human papillomavirus that has been linked to several cancers.
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LATEST ARTICLES
Animals
Ancient mummified cheetahs discovered in Saudi Arabia contain preserved DNA from the long-lost population
Cheetahs vanished from Saudi Arabia half a century ago. Now long-dead mummified big cats may help herald their return.
Woolly rhino flesh pulled from ancient wolf stomach gives clues to ice age giant's extinction
More than 14,000 years ago, a wolf pup ate a piece of woolly rhino. Scientists have analyzed the rhino's DNA to figure out why it went extinct.
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How to watch 'Pole to Pole with Will Smith' — TV and streaming details as Oscar-winning actor blends adventure and scientific discovery
The actor embarks on a "thrilling adventure" across seven expeditions — here's how to watch "Pole to Pole with Will Smith" online from anywhere.
Never-before-seen footage captures moment scientists find new, giant anaconda species in Amazon
Scientists recently discovered a new species of green anaconda in the Amazon rainforest. A new Nat Geo series shows the moment they encountered this snake in the wild.
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Health & Human Behavior
'Zombie' cells may drive common form of epilepsy
Scientists are unraveling the role of senescent cells in a common form of epilepsy, and it could point to new treatments.
These genes were thought to lead to blindness 100% of the time. They don't.
New research finds that retinal diseases thought to map one-to-one to genetic mutations are more complicated than that.
A man's sudden seizures were set off by sudoku
In the weeks following a ski accident, a German man experienced seizures when he completed sudoku puzzles.
Is there such a thing as 'too much' protein?
Daily protein requirements vary a bit person to person, but some evidence suggests consuming high amounts of protein could do more harm than good. Live Science spoke to experts to learn more.
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Diagnostic dilemma
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Incredible places
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Astonishing artifacts
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Earth from space
Incredible images of our planet from above
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Technology
MIT's chip stacking breakthrough could cut energy use in power-hungry AI processes
Data doesn’t have to travel as far or waste as much energy when the memory and logic components are closer together.
Physics, Math & Chemistry
Science history: Sophie Germain, first woman to win France's prestigious 'Grand Mathematics Prize' is snubbed when tickets to award ceremony are 'lost in the mail' — Jan. 9, 1816
Sophie Germain was a brilliant, self-taught mathematician who won one of France's most prestigious prizes, yet she declined to attend the award ceremony because the committee members didn't respect her work.
Science history: Richard Feynman gives a fun little lecture — and dreams up an entirely new field of physics — Dec. 29, 1959
In a short talk at Caltech, physicist Richard Feynman laid out a vision of manipulating and controlling atoms at the tiniest scale. It would precede the field of nanotechnology by decades.
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Quizzes & Games
Human origins quiz: How well do you know the story of humanity?
Think you know about our human relatives? Take our quiz to find out — and remember, it's human to make mistakes.
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Best astrophotography cameras 2026: Capture the cosmos
BUYING GUIDE We've rounded up the best astro cameras — these models are tried and tested by our experts to help you decide what to invest in.
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