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A magnitude 8.8 megaquake and whether we should — and can — stop AIScience news this week Aug. 2, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Science news this week -
First-of-its-kind footage captures bizarre sea creatures flourishing in extreme depths of the oceanScientists have filmed odd communities of life flourishing deeper in the ocean than ever before. The chemosynthesis-based life-forms get their energy from chemical reactions, powered by gases seeping out of faults on the seafloor.
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4,000-year-old handprint discovered on ancient Egyptian tomb offeringResearchers have unveiled an ancient Egyptian handprint that was left on a soul house tomb offering 4,000 years ago.
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Ancient shark discovered deep inside world's longest cave systemThe National Park Service has announced another ancient shark discovery at Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. The latest find, named Macadens olsoni, had a unique curved row of teeth and lived around 340 million years ago.
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Wolves help restore trees in Yellowstone and the largest interstellar object ever seenScience news this week July 26, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Science news this week -
T. rex relatives 'moonwalked' to attract mates, newfound dinosaur ‘mating arena' suggestsResearchers have identified a "mating arena" at Dinosaur Ridge where male theropods gathered during the Cretaceous period to display in front of females.
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Kabul could become the first modern capital to run out of water — here's whyAfghanistan's capital city of Kabul has an existential water problem and other cities may also be vulnerable.
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Bite marks reveal giant terror birds were potentially prey for another apex predator — humongous caimanResearchers have found evidence of a titanic tussle between a terror bird and a large caiman in Colombia's ancient La Venta wetlands.
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Students build new 'hybrid drone' — watch it fly in the air and then seamlessly dive underwaterA 3D-printed hybrid drone can quickly transition between air and water thanks to variable pitch propellers. Watch a video of the drone in action.
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Watch this cute robot elephant go bowling — it's the first 3D-printed robot of its kindResearchers have unveiled a miniature robot elephant with special 3D-printed "tissues" that allow for more complex and natural movements. A video shows the elephant grasp a flower with its trunk and kick a bowling ball.
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Why giant moa — a bird that once towered over humans — are even harder to de-extinct than dire wolvesColossal Biosciences has announced a partnership to resurrect giant flightless birds called moa. But the company's recent dire wolf project was controversial, and moa are an even more ambitious target for de-extinction.
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Lava erupts from gigantic fissure in Iceland following earthquake swarm — and the photos are epicA lava-spewing fissure has opened up along Iceland's Sundhnúkur crater row as the Reykjanes peninsula experiences another volcanic eruption.
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Grand Canyon Dragon wildfire burns down historic lodge and triggers toxic gas leakFirefighters 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.
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140,000-year-old child's skull may have been part modern human, part Neanderthal — but not everyone is convincedA 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.
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Texas flood devastation revealed in before-and-after satellite imagesSatellites have captured before-and-after images of the devastating floods in Texas, highlighting a trail of devastation on the Guadalupe River.
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'Alpha male' primates are rare, with females about as likely to dominate the opposite sex, study findsResearchers have found that clear-cut male dominance is rare in primates, with both sexes capable of reigning supreme depending on the circumstances.
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Chimps develop fashion trend by shoving grass in their ears — and in their buttsChimpanzees 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.
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'Ash-winged dawn goddess' is oldest pterosaur ever discovered in North America — and it was small enough to sit 'on your shoulder'A cache of Triassic fossils in Arizona has revealed Eotephradactylus mcintireae, or "ash-winged dawn goddess," the oldest pterosaur ever discovered in North America.
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An 'interstellar visitor' and the oldest ancient Egyptian genome ever sequencedScience news this week July 5, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Science news this week -
Our gut bacteria can absorb and remove toxic 'forever chemicals' — at least in lab miceAn experiment in lab mice found that certain human gut bacteria can absorb PFAS, commonly called "forever chemicals," until they are excreted, new study finds.
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Wild orcas offer humans food. Could they be trying to make friends — or manipulate us?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.
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Bear's new metal tooth is world's biggest-ever crownLake 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
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Watch mud volcano erupt beneath a crown of flames in TaiwanThe Wandan mud volcano has erupted in Taiwan, sending bubbling mud shooting into the air as locals ignite ejected gases with burning rags.
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Listen to the Andromeda galaxy's stars played as musical notes in eerie NASA videoNASA'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.
