Latest articles by Charles Q. Choi
Study of 'twin' stars finds 1 in 12 have killed and eaten a planet
A study of 91 pairs of stars finds that about 8%, or one in 12, swallowed up a planet at some point in their lives.
Have all 8 planets ever aligned?
The solar system's eight planets will never truly be in a straight line, but they can get close to it.
How much water is in Earth's crust?
Earth is covered with water, but how much is hiding in our planet's crust?
Earliest known stone tools in Europe are 1.4 million years old. And they weren't made by modern humans.
Homo erectus may have crafted these stone tools 1.4 million years ago in what is now Ukraine.
Can static electricity cause a fire?
It's commonplace to get a jolt from static electricity. But does it have enough electrical charge to start a fire?
45,000-year-old bones unearthed in cave are oldest modern-human remains in Central Europe
The finding suggests that 'successive pulses of small groups' of humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe starting around 45,000 years ago.
The 1st Americans may have arrived by a sea ice 'highway'
During the last ice age, the first people to reach the Americas may have traveled from Asia along a sea ice "highway."
Why was the name 'Brontosaurus' brought back from the dead?
The dinosaur Brontosaurus was canceled but then resurrected. What happened?
When did Australia become a continent?
After the supercontinent Panagea broke up around 200 million years ago, how long did it take for Australia to emerge as its own continent?
Why do dogs chase their tails?
Why are dogs, especially puppies, in endless pursuit of their tails?
How do mountains form?
Mountains form in a variety of ways, some of which geologists are now just starting to understand.
Skulls stolen from Africa a century ago have been genetically linked with living people
Skulls housed in a German hospital's collection for a century were stolen from Africa during the colonial period. They have now been genetically matched with living relatives.
Alien life may evolve from radically different elements than human life did
Radioactive metals and even certain gases may be capable of the kinds of reactions needed to spur life, new research suggests.
Humans faced a 'close call with extinction' nearly a million years ago
The human population may have lingered at about 1,300 for more than 100,000 years, and that population bottleneck could have fueled the divergence between modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans.
Human and ape ancestors arose in Europe, not in Africa, controversial study claims
A newly described fossil suggests that the ancestor of humans and apes arose in Europe, not in Africa.
Unknown 'anatomically modern human lineage' discovered from 40,000-year-old hip bone
Fossil found in France is not quite modern human and not quite Neanderthal.
What's the earliest evidence of humans in the Americas?
Previously, researchers thought that humans arrived in North America 13,000 years ago, but now they're finding much older evidence.
How do sandcastles stay together?
How can you get the right mixture of sand, water and air for your sandcastle?
The 10 biggest explosions in history
Explosions, both natural and man-made, have caused awe and terror for centuries. Here are 10 of the biggest recorded blasts.
'Building blocks of life' discovered on Mars in 10 different rock samples
NASA's Perseverance rover has found an intriguing menagerie of organic molecules in a Martian crater, but their source remains unclear.
Mushroom-shaped superplume of scorching hot rock may be splitting Africa in 2
Strange, never-before-seen movements in the East Africa Rift Valley appear to be driven by super-heated rock from deep beneath Earth's surface.
