Planet Earth

Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find

By Kristina Killgrove published

A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.

20 Comments
Planet Earth
This photograph shows a view of the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir in Zahara de la Sierra in the southern province of Cadiz, during a drought episode on December 29, 2023.

Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for hundreds of years, study finds

By Sarah Wild published

Scientists modeled Europe's future if a key Atlantic current were to collapse and found that the continent faces a much drier future.

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Rivers & Oceans
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Space

That was the week in science: Vaccine skeptics get hep B win | Comet 3I/ATLAS surprises | 'Cold Supermoon' pictures

By Ben Turner, Tia Ghose, Patrick Pester, Alexander McNamara last updated

Live blog Friday, Dec. 5, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.

Live blog
The moon will appear particularly big and bright tomorrow, provided you've got clear skies.

When is the next full moon?

By Jamie Carter last updated

When does the next full moon rise? Find out exactly when to see the full moons of 2025, including the full 'Cold Moon' supermoon in December.

The Moon
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archaeology

Unusual, 1,400-year-old cube-shaped human skull unearthed in Mexico

By Kristina Killgrove published

Archaeologists discovered an unusually flat-topped skull at a pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican site.

Archaeology
Sally-Ann Ashton admires one of the statues of Cleopatra at the launch of a new exhibition at The British Museum in London 10 April 2001.

What if Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Octavian?

By Owen Jarus published

How would history have unfolded if Antony and Cleopatra had defeated Octavian? Would they have ruled the Roman Empire?

Romans
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World of science

Health

white, pink and orange illustrations of leukemia in white blood cell

Science history: Female chemist initially barred from research helps helps develop drug for remarkable-but-short-lived recovery in children with leukemia — Dec. 6, 1954

By Tia Ghose published

In December 1954, Gertrude Elion and colleagues described a new compound they had developed that sent children with leukemia into remission. It would guide a new approach to "rational drug design."

10 Comments
Cancer

CDC panel, stuffed with vaccine skeptics, votes to end recommendation for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination

By Nicoletta Lanese, Tia Ghose published

The CDC's vaccine committee has voted to roll back a universal recommendation that newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B, which is one of public health's major success stories.

Viruses, Infections & Disease

Could aging eggs be 'rejuvenated'? New tool may help pave the way to fertility-extending treatments

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scientists invented a new experimental system to study how age-related changes in egg cells make them more prone to chromosomal errors.

Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth
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Animals

18,000 dinosaur tracks discovered along ancient Bolivian coastline — and they set a new record

By Sascha Pare published

Researchers have counted 16,600 fossilized dinosaur footprints and 1,378 swim tracks at a site in Bolivia that showcase a variety of behaviors and different theropods from the Cretaceous period.

7 Comments
Dinosaurs

Anacondas became massive 12 million years ago — and it worked so well, they haven't changed size since

By Skyler Ware published

The snakes stayed large and thrived even when cooling temperatures and shrinking habitats killed off other giant reptiles millions of years ago.

Snakes

What's the difference between a newt and a salamander?

By Alice Sun published

Salamanders and newts are both long-tailed amphibians, but what's the difference between them?

Animals
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Human Behavior

Time may be a psychological projection, philosopher argues

By Adrian Bardon published

Is time real, or an illusion? The best answer may be neither: Both physics and philosophy suggest that time is a projection of the mind onto a timeless reality.

Human Behavior

There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you

By Kit Yates published

Opinion How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility.

21 Comments
Opinion
scientist holding test tubes with illustration of money symbols and a sand timer on a blue background

Citation cartels, ghost writing and fake peer-review: Fraud is causing a crisis in science — here's what we need to do to stop it

By Kit Yates published

Opinion Thousands of scientific papers are retracted every year because of fraudulent activity, with both authors and journals gaming a system to gain academic acclaim through deceit, dishonesty and false representation.

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Opinion
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Physics & Mathematics

Maxar overview satellite imagery shows the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano releasing huge smoke clouds before the eruption on January 14th , 2022 in Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Islands, Tonga.

What was the loudest sound ever recorded?

By Clarissa Brincat published

Determining the "loudest recorded sound" depends on how you define sound and on which measurements you choose to include.

5 Comments
Physics & Mathematics

Law of 'maximal randomness' explains how broken objects shatter in the most annoying way possible

By Skyler Ware published

A new mathematical equation describes the distribution of different fragment sizes when an object breaks. Remarkably, the distribution is the same for everything from bubbles to spaghetti.

Mathematics

World's largest neutrino detector starts up — with incredible results

By Rory Harris last updated

Deep underground in southern China, there is a 20,000-ton tank of liquid that can detect neutrinos. Named JUNO, the detector's first results are in — and they're very promising.

Particle Physics
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Chemistry

Scientists invent way to use E. coli to create and dye rainbow-colored fabric in the lab

By Mason Wakley published

Scientists have used a novel method to create sustainable, rainbow-colored fibers using bacteria in the lab.

Chemistry
an animation of a spinning buckyball molecule

Science history: Chemists discover buckyballs — the most perfect molecules in existence — Nov. 14, 1985

By Tia Ghose published

Over a feverish 10-day period, scientists synthesized and described a new class of carbon molecules, called buckminster fullerenes, after the iconic 20th-century inventor.

Chemistry

Why does boiling water have bubbles, except in a microwave?

By Victoria Atkinson published

Bubbles are usually the first sign that water’s coming to the boil, but heating it in a microwave seems to skip this important step. Here’s what’s going on.

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Chemistry
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Technology

A laptop with a bright image of a digital printed circuit board on the screen.

New 'physics shortcut' lets laptops tackle quantum problems once reserved for supercomputers and AI

By Owen Hughes published

Physicists have transformed a decades-old technique for simplifying quantum equations into a reusable, user-friendly "conversion table" that works on a laptop and returns results within hours.

Computing
Two prototypes of the ultrasonic system used to “shake” water out of an atmospheric water harvester.

MIT invention uses ultrasound to shake drinking water out of the air, even in dry regions

By Owen Hughes published

A new device cuts down the time it takes to harvest water from the atmosphere from days to minutes, MIT researchers say.

2 Comments
Engineering
Vector of a man working with a robot sitting at table. Symbol of future cooperation and technology advance

When an AI algorithm is labeled 'female,' people are more likely to exploit it

By Damien Pine published

People who played the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” were less likely to cooperate when the other player was a male human or AI, and exploited female players.

Artificial Intelligence
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