Patrick Pester is the trending news writer at Live Science. His work has appeared on other science websites, such as BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick retrained as a journalist after spending his early career working in zoos and wildlife conservation. He was awarded the Master's Excellence Scholarship to study at Cardiff University where he completed a master's degree in international journalism. He also has a second master's degree in biodiversity, evolution and conservation in action from Middlesex University London. When he isn't writing news, Patrick investigates the sale of human remains.
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Thunderstorm 'Ring of fire' erupts around 'heat dome' and Tropical Storm Andrea named in the AtlanticThe "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.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Sun 'hole' expected to produce intense auroras tonight, potentially visible from 15 US statesA 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.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Night lizards survived dinosaur-killing asteroid strike despite living right next to impact siteResearchers found that night lizards survived the dinosaur-killing asteroid strike at the end of the Cretaceous, despite living near the impact site in Mexico.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Alcohol-soaked star system could help explain 'why life, including us, was able to form'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.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Rubin Observatory releases 'sneak peek' of first images taken with world's largest cameraThe 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.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Massive 'heat dome' is bringing 'extremely dangerous' temperatures to the eastern half of the USWeather forecasters have warned of extreme and dangerous temperatures as a major heat wave sweeps across the central and eastern U.S. states.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Earth's oceans are a 'ticking time bomb' as acidity levels enter 'danger zone,' study suggestsResearchers have found that ocean acidification entered a "danger zone" in 2020, suggesting increased carbon dioxide levels have caused Earth to breach another planetary boundary.
By Patrick Pester Published
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'Strawberry Moon' in pictures: Major lunar standstill sees June's full moon hang low in the skyLast 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.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Haunting blood-red squid with large hooks drifts through Antarctic ocean's midnight zone in world-first videoResearchers have filmed a living Antarctic gonate squid in a world-first sighting deep in the ocean surrounding Antarctica.
By Patrick Pester Published
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See a young star potentially giving birth to a giant planet in new image from Very Large TelescopeNew images of a young star, 2MASSJ1612, could have captured the birth of a giant gas planet larger than Jupiter.
By Patrick Pester Published
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College student discovers psychedelic fungus that eluded LSD inventorA West Virginia University student has identified an elusive fungus that contains psychedelic chemicals similar to LSD.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Mount Etna eruption in images: See Europe's largest active volcano blow from different anglesThe 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.
By Patrick Pester Last updated
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Cats recognize familiar BO and can spot strangers from the stink of their armpits and toesResearchers have found that cats spend longer sniffing a stranger's odor than their owner's odor, suggesting they can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar humans from scent alone.
By Patrick Pester Published
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WATCH Mount Etna erupt: Europe's largest volcano blows as tourists scramble to safetyItaly's Mount Etna has erupted in spectacular fashion, sending ash, gas, and other volcanic material high into the sky above Sicily. Watch footage of the eruption.
By Patrick Pester Published
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OpenAI's 'smartest' AI model was explicitly told to shut down — and it refusedAn artificial intelligence safety firm has found that OpenAI's o3 and o4-mini models sometimes refuse to shut down, and will sabotage computer scripts in order to keep working on tasks.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Combo of cancer therapy drugs increases mice lifespan by 30%A cocktail of FDA-approved cancer drugs, trametinib and rapamycin, boosts the lifespan of lab mice by 30% and might help humans age better, new study finds.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Watch mesmerizing 1,000-foot-tall lava fountains: Kilauea volcano erupting in ways not seen for 40 yearsThe USGS has announced that Kilauea volcano is ejecting fountains of lava in a manner not seen since the Pu'u'ō'ō eruption in the 1980s. But while the lava is mesmerizing, officials warn that the volcano is also producing toxic gases and other hazards.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Earth's core is 'leaking' gold, study findsOur planet's core is rich in gold that can leak out into the mantle, and in some cases, end up in volcanos on the surface, according to a new study.
By Patrick Pester Published
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New evidence for gigantic superplume tearing Africa apartResearchers have found fresh evidence that Africa is breaking apart because of a deep mantle superplume of hot rock beneath the East African Rift System.
By Patrick Pester Published
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Colossal chief scientist clarifies de-extinction claim, while confirming its 'dire wolves' are 'grey wolves with 20 edits'In an interview with New Scientist, Colossal Biosciences' chief scientist has clarified that its "dire wolves" are just genetically modified gray wolves following a backlash to the "de-extinction" label it put on them.
By Patrick Pester Published
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'Strange' star pulses detected in search for extraterrestrial intelligenceA retired researcher has detected an unusual pulse in the light of nearby stars while looking for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence. Aliens are one possible explanation for the strange signal, but as with every other unexplained space phenomenon, it's probably not aliens.
By Patrick Pester Published
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140,000-year-old bones of our ancient ancestors found on sea floor, revealing secrets of extinct human speciesResearchers have recovered Homo erectus bones from the seafloor, which points to an unknown hominin population hunting on land that is now underwater in Southeast Asia.
By Patrick Pester Published
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35 optical illusionsArtists and scientists have been creating optical illusions for centuries. Here are 35 mind-bending examples that prove you can't always trust what your eyes are telling you.
By Patrick Pester Last updated
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Scientists solve mystery of how orange cats got their coats — and why so many are maleResearchers have discovered how orange cats got their coats — and why so many of them are male. The coat color comes from a genetic mutation on the X chromosome of orange, calico and tortoiseshell cats.
By Patrick Pester Published
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