'The ban assumed the danger was making pigs too human': Why human organs aren't grown in pigs in the US
As a bioethicist and philosopher explains the ethics of using organs grown in animals for human transplant procedures.
Space
Tractor beams inspired by sci-fi are real, and could solve the looming space junk problem
Researchers are developing a real-life tractor beam, with the goal of pulling defunct satellites out of geostationary orbit to alleviate the space junk problem.
Stunning array of 400 rings in a 'reflection' nebula solves a 30-year-old star-formation mystery — Space photo of the week
The discovery is the first direct observational confirmation of a theory for how young stars feed on, and then explosively expel, surrounding material.
James Webb telescope spies a monstrous molecular cloud shrouded in mystery — Space photo of the week
In this James Webb telescope image, the gigantic molecular cloud near our galaxy's center appears as a canvas of pink and purple clouds set against a shadowy backdrop.
Planet Earth
Massive Myanmar earthquake was super smooth and efficient — and it holds lessons for the 'Big One'
The fault that ruptured in the March quake was simple and mature, which allowed the quake's energy to shoot right to the surface.
Enough fresh water is lost from continents each year to meet the needs of 280 million people. Here's how we can combat that.
Earth's continents are losing 4 Olympic swimming pools' worth of fresh water every second, with dire consequences for jobs, food security and water availability.
'Nobody knew why this was happening': Scientists race to understand baffling behavior of 'clumping clouds'
Scientists are discovering that clumping clouds supercharge storms in surprising ways — driving heavy, deadly rainfall and flooding
See the exact point where a glacier, a lake and a river 'touch' in Argentina
Earth from space A 2021 astronaut photo shows a triple valley system in Argentina's Los Glaciares National Park where a massive climate-resilient glacier, a pristine turquoise lake and a murky green "river" come together at a single point.
archaeology
Centuries-old 'trophy head' from Peru reveals individual survived to adulthood despite disabling birth defect
A researcher has documented a cleft lip in an ancient mummified head from the Andes, a condition that may have been seen as a "blessing" rather than a disability.
'Artificial intelligence' myths have existed for centuries – from the ancient Greeks to a pope’s chatbot
'Artificial intelligence' myths have existed for centuries — from the ancient Greeks to a pope's chatbot
10 things we learned about Neanderthals in 2025
Findings about our extinct relatives, the Neanderthals, continue to surprise us, especially those from 2025.
LATEST ARTICLES
Animals
Did reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone really cause an ecological cascade?
Previous research on the effect of wolves on the food web has been criticized, raising questions about the predator’s role in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
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Orcas are adopting terrifying new behaviors. Are they getting smarter?
From sinking boats and feasting on shark livers to dining on whale tongue and tossing porpoises around for fun, orcas are displaying some fascinating — and sometimes terrifying — behaviors.
Science history: Dian Fossey found murdered, after decades protecting gorillas that she loved — Dec. 27, 1985
Dian Fossey was a zoologist who spent decades studying the elusive mountain gorillas of Congo and Rwanda before she was murdered.
Spinosaurus relative longer than a pickup truck stalked Thailand's rivers 125 million years ago
A large fish-eating dinosaur died beside a river 125 million years ago in Cretaceous Thailand. Now, the remains of this ancient predator are helping researchers better understand Asia's enigmatic spinosaurids.
Health & Human Behavior
A rare condition caused a man to get 'scales' on his hands whenever he washed them
A man's rare condition caused "excessive wrinkling" in his hands which spread to his wrists and elbows.
Trump 2.0 is dismantling American science. Here's what's at stake, according to researchers.
Opinion U.S.-based researchers detail how their work has been disrupted by funding cuts and policy changes ushered by the second Trump administration.
Scientists are developing a 'self-driving' device that helps patients recover from heart attacks
Live Science spoke with Dr. Joe Alexander of NTT Research about "digital twins" and the development of an autonomous device for acute cardiac care.
A fentanyl vaccine enters human trials in 2026 — here's how it works
A vaccine in development would be the first proactive treatment for overdose and fentanyl addiction, if approved.
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Life's Little Mysteries
Science questions, answered
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Space photo of the week
Extraordinary images of our sublime universe
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Diagnostic dilemma
Unusual case reports from the medical literature
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Incredible places
A window onto extraordinary landscapes on Earth
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Astonishing artifacts
A glimpse into how people lived in the past
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Earth from space
Incredible images of our planet from above
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Technology
This new DNA storage system can fit 10 billion songs in a liter of liquid — but challenges remain for the unusual storage format
The new storage system could hold family photos, cultural artifacts and the master versions of digital artworks, movies, manuscripts and music for thousands of years, scientists say.
'Putting the servers in orbit is a stupid idea': Could data centers in space help avoid an AI energy crisis? Experts are torn.
Google’s proposal to explore space-based AI infrastructure raises fundamental questions about energy, physics and feasibility – and whether Earth has really run out of options.
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Physics, Math & Chemistry
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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New electrochemical method splits water with electricity to produce hydrogen fuel — and cuts energy costs in the process
Scientists adapted a method that can produce double the amount of hydrogen when splitting water molecules with electricity.
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Science history: Marie Curie discovers a strange radioactive substance that would eventually kill her — Dec. 26, 1898
Scientists in Paris discovered two new substances with incredible radioactivity. It earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics but would ultimately kill one of them.
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Quizzes & Games
Primates Quiz: Go ape and test your knowledge on our closest relatives
Time to stop monkeying around — just don't go bananas if you get the wrong answer!
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Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM lens review: Enormous reach for wildlife photography
Review A versatile wildlife lens with lots of reach for your money, but is the maximum aperture a dealbreaker for low-light wildlife photography?
