Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

Planet Earth

The Sahara Desert is seen here, in Northern Africa.

Could the Sahara ever be green again?

By Donavyn Coffey

The Sahara was once a grass and shrub-covered steppe. Could this ever happen again?

Post tropical storm Paulette captured on Sept. 23. after it returned from the dead.

Zombie storms are rising from the dead thanks to climate change

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Wildfires are burning the West Coast, hurricanes are flooding the Southeast — and some of those storms are rising from the dead.

Space and Physics

This series of images of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was captured by the Rosetta spacecraft's OSIRIS narrow-angle camera on Aug. 12, 2015, a few hours before the comet reached perihelion, or the closest point to the sun along its 6.5-year orbit.

Rosetta's 'rubber ducky' comet has ultraviolet auroras

By Hanneke Weitering

Planets aren't the only things in the solar system with auroras. Comets can have them too, data from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission has revealed.

SpaceX's Starship SN7.1 test tank, before it was intentionally destroyed during a Sept. 22, 2020, pressure test.

SpaceX pops Starship tank on purpose in explosive pressure test

By Mike Wall

The Starship SN7.1 tank was destroyed on purpose at SpaceX's South Texas facilities, during a pressure test designed to take the stainless-steel hardware to its bursting point.

History

No lives were lost in the sinking of the USS Grenadier, but the crew were taken prisoners of war and suffered brutal tortures by the Japanese military.

Divers discover lost WWII submarine wreck off Southeast Asia

By Tom Metcalfe

Divers in Southeast Asia have located the lost wreck of what's thought to be a U.S. Navy submarine that sank in 1943 after it was attacked by Japanese aircraft.

Researchers surveying the Alathar lake, situated within an interdunal depression in the western Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia.

Prehistoric desert footprints are earliest evidence for humans on Arabian Peninsula

By Richard Clark-Wilson

Scientists have discovered human footprints embedded on an ancient lake surface in the Nefud Desert in Saudi Arabia that are around 120,000 years old.

Health

Here are the most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates out there

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Scientists around the world are creating dozens of unique vaccine candidates to fight the novel coronavirus — and they're doing it at unprecedented speeds.

gloved hand holding petri dish containing Penicillium mold

Mold that led to penicillin discovery revived to fight superbugs

By Nicoletta Lanese

Scientists grew and sequenced mold that first led to the discovery of penicillin.

Man dies after eating bags of black licorice every day

By Rachael Rettner

The man reportedly ate several large packages of black licorice a day.

Animals

Elusive Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) spend only about 2 minutes at the sea surface to catch a breath for their marathon dives.

Beaked whales can hold their breath for over 3 hours (and possibly longer)

By Mindy Weisberger

These deep-diving whales can stay submerged for more than an hour longer than once thought, and recover surprisingly quickly.

More than 450 whales have been stranded off the west coast of Tasmania in the largest stranding event the island state has had.

Mass stranding event beaches 450 whales in Tasmania

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

It's the worst stranding event the Australian island has ever seen.

Some of the elephants were seen walking in circles before collapsing face-first into the earth in Botswana.

350 elephants killed by 'a combination of neurotoxins' in water, Botswana government says

By Brandon Specktor

Toxic cyanobacteria may have killed 350 elephants in Botswana, government says

Strange News

Giraffes' exceptional height may increase their vulnerability to lightning.

Lightning killed 2 giraffes in South Africa: Were they doomed by their height?

By Mindy Weisberger

After two dead giraffes were discovered in a South African nature reserve, scientists determined that the animals had been struck by lightning.

"Bugs" was the theme of this year's online-only Ig Nobel Prize ceremony.

Helium-huffing alligators and reluctant hitmen win big at the Ig Nobel awards

By Mindy Weisberger

Weird science took center stage at the 30th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony.

Watch LIVE: The 2020 Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, tonight @ 6:00 p.m. ET

By Mindy Weisberger

You can watch the premiere of the 2020 Ig Nobels here on Live Science.

Culture

'Elinor Wonders Why' teaches kids to explore science by asking questions

By Mindy Weisberger

A curious bunny named Elinor explores Animal Town with her friends, in an endearing new PBS series that teaches kids how to find answers about science and nature.