Stone Age boy in Sweden was buried in deerskin and a woodpecker headdress, archaeologists discover
A new method of studying the contents of soil samples has revealed Stone Age people in Sweden were buried in decorated fur-and-feather clothing.
Space
Rubin Observatory alerts scientists to 800,000 changes in the sky in one night
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory sent scientists nearly 1 million astronomy alerts in one night, showing off changes in the sky. Eventually, the telescope is expected to reach 7 million alerts per night.
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Giant 'spiderwebs' on Mars contain tiny egg-like structures that scientists 'can't quite explain,' NASA rover reveals
New photos captured by NASA's Curiosity rover show that Mars' giant, spiderweb-like "boxwork" features are covered in tiny, never-before-seen nodules that bear a striking resemblance to arachnid eggs. And researchers are struggling to explain them.
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Fresh look at Apollo moon rocks solves decades-old lunar mystery
The lunar rocks collected by Apollo astronauts suggested the moon had a strong magnetic field. A new analysis shows the opposite.
Planet Earth
Incomplete remains of world's 'youngest' impact crater spotted lurking in Chinese forest
Earth from space A 2021 satellite photo shows off the recently uncovered Yilan crater in China, which is most likely the youngest impact structure on Earth. The incomplete ring is also the largest of its kind and only the second impact crater ever found in the country.
How can deserts form next to oceans?
Deserts are notoriously dry, so why do so many of them border oceans?
Ancient 'Asgard' microbe may have used oxygen long before it was plentiful on Earth, offering new clue to origins of complex life
A new study suggests that ancient microbes once cast as oxygen haters may have actually learned to use the gas, offering a clue to how the first complex cells — and, eventually, all plants and animals — evolved.
Solar flares may be triggering earthquakes, controversial study claims
Researchers have proposed that changes in Earth's ionosphere could trigger electrical forces that nudge fragile areas of the crust into creating an earthquake.
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The biggest trees in the Peruvian Amazon store the most carbon — and they also face the greatest threat from humans
The Amazon's biggest trees store disproportionately more carbon than smaller trees do, new study finds. But in the Peruvian Amazon, large trees are currently prioritized for harvest.
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archaeology
Humans and Neanderthals interbred — but it was mostly male Neanderthals and female humans who coupled up, study finds
A preference for pairings between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens may answer the question of why there are "Neanderthal deserts" in human chromosomes.
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Babies weren't supposed to be mourned in the Roman Empire. These rare liquid-gypsum burials prove otherwise.
Despite historical records saying otherwise, Roman babies were mourned at death, research into unique plaster burials from York reveals.
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14,000-year-old ivory tools found in Alaska hint at how Clovis ancestors first arrived in the New World
Ancient artifacts unearthed in Alaska revealed migrants from Asia might have come to the Americas via an inland route, and not a coastal path.
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LATEST ARTICLES
Animals
Scientists find genetic 'switch' in mice that turns caring dads into violent brutes
A new study suggests that the Agouti gene in the brains of male African striped mice can act as a molecular "switch," making them caring or violent toward their young.
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95 million-year-old Spinosaurus had a scimitar-shaped head crest and waded through the Sahara's rivers like a 'hell heron'
Researchers have identified a new Spinosaurus species with a blade-like crest in Niger, changing our understanding of dinosaur evolution and behavior.
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Our adorable, noodle-like ancestor had 4 eyes, half-a-billion-year-old fossils reveal
The earliest recorded vertebrates had four eyes to escape predators in the ancient Cambrian ocean, according to half-a-billion-year-old fossils from China that shed light on our evolutionary origins.
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Snakes keep evolving into cannibals — here's what scientists think is going on
A review of over 500 reports of cannibalistic behavior in snakes finds it's appeared multiple times in different evolutionary lineages, leading researchers to hypothesize it's beneficial for snakes under certain circumstances.
Health & Human Behavior
'It doesn't lie. So who are you?': What happens when DNA tests show a woman is not the mother of the child she gave birth to?
"At first, I kind of laughed … But they were serious. I could just see the seriousness in their faces." In this book excerpt, Lise Barnéoud explores the limitations of DNA testing.
COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy may cut risk of preeclampsia
A study of more than 6,500 mothers found that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy significantly lowered the risk of preeclampsia, a dangerous blood-pressure disorder.
Obesity is linked to 1 in 10 deaths from infection worldwide — and scientists are still learning why
A new study finds that people with obesity are more likely to be hospitalized with or die from severe infections.
How menopause affects the brain — and what we still don't know
A new study shows that that menopause was associated with worse sleep, increased mental health problems and even changes within the brain itself.
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Technology
Ultrafast quantum chemistry engine could speed up the development of new medicines and materials
The powerful software can reduce the time needed to simulate reactions with large molecules from weeks to just minutes.
'Thermodynamic computer' can mimic AI neural networks — using orders of magnitude less energy to generate images
Researchers generated images from noise, using orders of magnitude less energy than current generative AI models require.
China's kung fu robots, physicists' re-creation of the Big Bang soup, a teenager buried with her father's bones on her chest, and mathmeticians puzzle over AI taking their jobs.
Science news this week Feb. 21, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Physics, Math & Chemistry
'Proof by intimidation': AI is confidently solving 'impossible' math problems. But can it convince the world's top mathematicians?
AI could soon spew out hundreds of mathematical proofs that look "right" but contain hidden flaws, or proofs so complex we can't verify them. How will we know if they're right?
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Physicists recreated the first millisecond after the Big Bang — and found it was surprisingly soupy
Scientists saw a quark plowing through primordial plasma for the first time, offering a rare look at the first moments after the Big Bang
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Record-breaking gravitational wave puts Einstein's relativity to its toughest test yet — and proves him right again
A record-breaking gravitational wave signal let scientists "listen" to a distant black hole merger and put Einstein's gravity to its toughest test yet.
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Quizzes & Games
Can you crack our science word of the day puzzle?
Chain word You have six chances to guess our five letter word of the day. Can you figure it out and top the leaderboard?
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Just in time for the total lunar eclipse, this beginner-friendly telescope is now $100 off at Amazon
Deals The Celestron StarSense Explorer DX 5-inch Schmidt-Cass is now down to $479 at Amazon, making it easy to enjoy the blood moon eclipse on March 3.
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