Planet Earth

A false-color satellite image of a desert with a patch of parallel lines and a large shadowy patch

Otherworldly stripes and shadowy dunes share center stage in 'hottest place on Earth'

By Harry Baker published

Earth from space This 2012 satellite photo shows a series of giant windblown ridges, known as yardangs, and a group of towering sand dunes at the heart of Iran's Lut Desert.

Earth from space
A scene from somewhere in the Ukraine or northern Poland about 18,000 years ago. Woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos shared the landscape with ancient giant elk. There have been no known giant teratorns found, but I have included one that may be more related to ancient large vultures. In the background is a receding glacier that is calving and creating a large lake that empties into the nearby Baltic Sea.

Ancient 'land bridge' that connected Siberia to US wasn't what it seems, scientists find

By Stephanie Pappas published

The boggy landscape of the Bering land bridge may have allowed some ice age animals to cross easily, while others stayed in Asia.

Planet Earth
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Space

a black and white image of an irregularly-shaped comet

Comets played a 'major' role in making life on Earth possible, new study hints

By Deepa Jain published

A reanalysis of the data from the "rubber-ducky" comet 67P, collected nearly a decade ago, suggests comets may have deposited a lot more water on Earth than scientists previously thought.

Comets
A photo of Jupiter with two white storms (circled) in one of the planet's large brown bands

New thunderstorms wider than Earth are spewing out green lightning on Jupiter — and could make one of the gas giant's massive bands disappear

By Harry Baker published

A pair of massive thunderstorms have been spotted swirling in Jupiter's "South Equatorial Belt" and are likely unleashing massive bolts of green lightning. Some experts think the pale clouds could end up altering the rusty band's color — and potentially even making it "disappear."

Planets
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archaeology

A side-by-side comparison of a Neanderthal and human skull

Are Neanderthals and Homo sapiens the same species?

By Amanda Heidt last updated

Scientists have been vollying the question back and forth for more than a century.

Archaeology
A sword bent into an S shape

Ritually bent Bronze Age sword unearthed in Danish bog is 'very rare find'

By Tom Metcalfe published

The sword, which has iron rivets in its handle, may be one of the earliest iron artifacts found in Denmark.

Archaeology
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Health

Photograph of Ana Pombo looking at the camera and smiling. She is wearing a white blouse and black glasses. There is a staircase behind her.

4 biologists awarded Germany's most prestigious scientific award, worth 2.5 million euros

By Emily Cooke published

The Leibniz Prize is awarded annually to scientists for their "outstanding achievements in the field of research."

Health
Composite image of four images of a young girl with Angelman syndrome. In two of the images she is facing she camera, in another she is side on to the camera and the other image shows her hands. Behind the composite image is a blurred, enlarged version if it.

Angelman syndrome: A disorder that stops people walking and speaking

By Emily Cooke published

Angelman syndrome is a rare disease that disrupts the normal development and function of cells, particularly in the nervous system, leading to severe developmental delays and learning disabilities.

Genetics
a jar of wasabi

Diagnostic dilemma: A woman got 'broken heart syndrome' after eating too much wasabi

By Mindy Weisberger published

The patient was diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as "broken heart syndrome," which had an unusual cause.

Heart & Circulation
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Animals

A photograph of a humpback whale in the ocean

Male humpback whale crossed 3 oceans for sex, inadvertently breaking distance record for species

By Sascha Pare published

A male humpback whale swam 8,106 miles (13,046 km) from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, mingling with other whale populations and potentially having sex with them along the way.

Humpback Whales
New amphipod species

Large, ghostly white crab-like predator discovered at the bottom of the Atacama Trench

By Jacklin Kwan published

A never-before-seen predatory crustacean that feeds on other smaller creatures in the hadal zone was discovered in the Atacama Trench at a depth of 25,900 feet.

Crustaceans
A small hamster-like mammal.

Turuchan pika: The adorable ball of fluff that just loves to play

By Lydia Smith published

Turuchan pikas play all sorts of games, including swinging from branches, throwing food around and hiding them jumping out at each other.

Animals
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Human Behavior

a photo of a woman sitting down with one hand on her head, as if frustrated; a person standing behind her has a hand on the woman's shoulder

What are 'attachment styles,' and is there science to back them up?

By Stephanie Pappas published

Attachment styles are real, but there are a lot of misconceptions about how they work.

Human Behavior
Two people watch a movie in a theater

24 brain networks kick in when you watch movies, study finds

By Jennifer Zieba published

Researchers created the most detailed map of the brain's functional networks using data from people watching movies, including "Inception," "Home Alone" and "Erin Brokovich."

Human Behavior
Girl reading books in front of a cartoon space scene

33 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Human Behavior
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Physics & Mathematics

A top-down view of a sofa squeezing around an L-shaped hallway

Infamous 'sofa problem' that boggled mathematicians for decades may finally have a solution

By Stephanie Pappas published

A math problem delineating the largest-size sofa that can fit around a corner has finally been solved, though it may not help you move.

Mathematics
The first detailed image of an individual photon

The shape of light: Scientists reveal image of an individual photon for 1st time ever

By Victoria Atkinson published

Using a groundbreaking new technique, researchers have unveiled the first detailed image of a photon — a single particle of light — ever taken.

Quantum Physics
A photo of a flash of light

Is light a particle or a wave?

By Victoria Atkinson published

Does light behave more like a particle, or like a wave? Today we know the surprising answer. Here's why it took so long to get there.

Particle Physics
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Chemistry

The hydrogen fuel tank of a Toyota vehicle on display.

Scientists discover revolutionary method that makes fuel from water and sunlight — but it's not finished yet

By Ben Turner published

The hydrogen fuel tank of a Toyota vehicle on display.

Chemistry
Periodic Table of Elements.

Periodic table of elements: How it works and who created it

By Jeanna Bryner, Tim Sharp last updated

The Periodic Table, first created by Dmitri Mendeleev, organizes all of the known elements in an informative array.

Elements
Hand dipping a paint brush into a large tin of pink paint as it drips back into the tin. Paint is one source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in your home.

What are VOCs? The facts about volatile organic compounds

By Kimberly Hickok last updated

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gaseous chemicals that are emitted by various household items, as well as natural sources.

Chemistry
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Tech

the silhouette of a drone against a sunset

'Drones' swarm New Jersey and New York. How close are we to learning what these UAPs actually are?

By Lee Billings published

Reports of unidentified flying objects in the northeast U.S. are on the rise, but so far officials have few answers for alarmed residents.

Robotics
a black and white photo of a group of people with an old-fashioned car

Who invented the car? The history of the automobile

By Lauren Cox last updated

Reference Discover the complex history of the automobile, from early self-propelled vehicles to Karl Benz's invention of the first modern car, and explore the key innovators who shaped the cars we drive today.

Reference
Company logo.

New quantum computing milestone smashes entanglement world record

By Owen Hughes published

Researchers have made significant progress in the quest for scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computers after entangling the most logical qubits on record.

Computing
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