Charles Q. Choi

Waterborne plastic debris could pose a toxic hazard to sea life.

Chimpanzees help strangers without apparent expectation of personal gain.

Chimpanzees offer many clues as to how we evolved our human traits.

Mother cats nurse kittens, but can older cats safely lap up milk?

What's the fastest an airborne animal can go?

A massive geomagnetic storm that was recorded across East Asia for nine days in 1770 suggests such solar flareups are surprisingly common.

A gigantic solar storm hit Earth about 2,600 years ago, one about 10 times stronger than any solar storm recorded in the modern day, a new study finds.

Here's the science behind why cats lick themselves, as well as other animals and even humans.

A new type of exoplanet has been discovered circling around one of the most common stars in the universe, and it could help in the search for extraterrestrial life.

A well-known expression says that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. But has history misrepresented this infamous ruler?

... and other surprises are revealed in the Denisovan DNA.

Finally, there's proof that Neanderthals and Denisovans interbred.

The Denisovans spanned from Siberia to Asia, leaving evidence of interbreeding in modern humans.

The finger came from a young girl, who was neither like us nor Neanderthal.

The mysterious extinct human lineage known as the Denisovans may have interbred with modern humans in at least two separate waves, a new study finds.

Genetic mutations from extinct human relatives called the Denisovans might have influenced modern human immune systems, researchers say.

Researchers in Laos have uncovered an ancient molar that may have belonged to a Denisovan girl who lived up to 164,000 years ago.

Scientists have unearthed the oldest fossils to date of the mysterious human lineage known as the Denisovans.

Earth is constantly showered by space rocks, but how many of these actually land on Earth's surface?

The arm and leg bones suggested an upright stance.

Which of the 12 months has the most births? And why do babies tend to be born at certain times of the year?

What is the smallest bone in the human body? What is the largest bone in the human body? Live Science has the answers.

Here's a look at whether Earth is getting closer to or farther from the sun, why that's happening and what effects it might have on our planet.