Patrick Pester

Firefighters are battling a lightning-caused wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Dragon Bravo Fire has burned down the Grand Canyon Lodge and triggered a chlorine gas leak.

A child buried in the world's oldest human cemetery had both modern human (Homo sapiens) and Neanderthal characteristics, suggesting she was a hybrid, according to a new study. However, not everyone is convinced the study's findings are definitive.

Satellites have captured before-and-after images of the devastating floods in Texas, highlighting a trail of devastation on the Guadalupe River.

Researchers have found that clear-cut male dominance is rare in primates, with both sexes capable of reigning supreme depending on the circumstances.

Chimpanzees are running around with grass in their ears and butts at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia. This is the second time a bizarre fad-like behavior has gripped the sanctuary's chimps, but wearing the grass accessories in their butts is a new twist.

A cache of Triassic fossils in Arizona has revealed Eotephradactylus mcintireae, or "ash-winged dawn goddess," the oldest pterosaur ever discovered in North America.

An experiment in lab mice found that certain human gut bacteria can absorb PFAS, commonly called "forever chemicals," until they are excreted, new study finds.

Researchers have documented orcas dropping prey and other marine life in front of humans, as if offering us food. The orcas' motives are uncertain, but the sharing behavior could be an attempt at a cross-species relationship or manipulation.

Lake Superior Zoo in Minnesota announced it has given a brown bear the world's largest dental crown, with the bear now sporting a silver-colored metal canine

The Wandan mud volcano has erupted in Taiwan, sending bubbling mud shooting into the air as locals ignite ejected gases with burning rags.

NASA's Chandra Observatory has combined different wavelength images of the Andromeda galaxy to honor astronomer Vera Rubin, and then created a music video by converting the light in those images to musical notes.

The discovery of Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, a dog-size "runner" dinosaur, has left researchers re-evaluating Nanosaurus and several other US dinosaurs from the Morrison Formation in Colorado.

The "heat dome" hovering over the eastern half of the U.S. now has a thunderstorm "ring of fire" erupting along its edge. Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, the first tropical storm of the season has been named.

A coronal hole in the sun could result in visible auroras over about 15 U.S. states tonight (June 25), with the Space Weather Prediction Center expecting a moderate geomagnetic storm.

Researchers found that night lizards survived the dinosaur-killing asteroid strike at the end of the Cretaceous, despite living near the impact site in Mexico.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array has detected methanol isotopes around a nearby star, which could help explain why the ingredients for life are present on Earth.

The world has gotten an early preview of the Rubin Observatory's first images, which include stunning snaps of spiraling galaxies and the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae.

Weather forecasters have warned of extreme and dangerous temperatures as a major heat wave sweeps across the central and eastern U.S. states.

Researchers have found that ocean acidification entered a "danger zone" in 2020, suggesting increased carbon dioxide levels have caused Earth to breach another planetary boundary.

Last night's "Strawberry Moon" hovered lower in the night sky than it had done since 2006. Here are some stunning global snaps of June's full moon during the major lunar standstill.

Researchers have filmed a living Antarctic gonate squid in a world-first sighting deep in the ocean surrounding Antarctica.

New images of a young star, 2MASSJ1612, could have captured the birth of a giant gas planet larger than Jupiter.

A West Virginia University student has identified an elusive fungus that contains psychedelic chemicals similar to LSD.

The latest Mount Etna eruption triggered an avalanche of volcanic material and sent ash miles into the air. Spectacular photos and videos capture the eruption of Europe's largest active volcano.