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In a 1st, ancient proteins reveal sex of human relative from 3.5 million years ago
By Kristina Killgrove published
Researchers have extracted ancient proteins from australopithecine fossils and determined whether they were male or female — a first for human evolution studies.

'Wandering' contraceptive implant travels to woman's lung in rare case
By Emily Cooke published
A woman's contraceptive implant ended up in her lung; doctors believe the device migrated because it wasn't inserted in her upper arm properly.

January 2025 hottest on record despite US cold and La Niña
By Patrick Pester published
La Niña and record cold temperatures in the U.S. should have made Earth cooler, but January 2025 was still the hottest on record, with an average global warming of 3.15 F (1.75 C) above pre-industrial levels.

Red 'star' rising with the moon on Sunday is really Mars — and you may be able to see it 'disappear'
By Gretchen Rundorff last updated
Mars will appear to make an ultraclose approach to the moon on Sunday, after Jupiter had a turn earlier this week. Here's how to get the best view of the rare conjunction.

Stunning, rainbow-colored object spotted by James Webb telescope could be an alien solar system in the making
By Ben Turner published
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a belching protostar in its infancy. By studying the dust grains whirling around it, astronomers hope to better understand how solar systems like our own take shape.

Orcas off Antarctica filmed teaching calves to hunt in incredible new footage
By Hannah Osborne published
The adult orcas swam around the ice demonstrating how to pull a seal off by its tail.

Alaska's ice is melting in front of our eyes, staggering satellite shots show
By Ben Turner published
Unusual weather patterns and climate change have been driving stark changes in the northwestern state. Now, new satellite images show the extent of this transformation.

11,000-year-old settlement in Canada could rewrite history of Indigenous civilizations in North America
By Kristina Killgrove published
The discovery of an 11,000-year-old village in Saskatchewan could rewrite Indigenous history in central Canada.

Coldest-ever qubits could lead to faster quantum computers
By Owen Hughes published
Scientists have cooled qubits to record low temperatures using a quantum refrigerator powered by "hot thermal baths."

Romania's trovants: The bulbous 'living' rocks that inspired folkloric tales of dinosaur eggs and aliens
By Sascha Pare published
Trovants are rocks that grow by absorbing minerals from rainwater. Romania is home to a cluster of trovants that inspired folklore of dinosaur eggs, plant fossils and alien creations.

NASA's new SPHEREx space telescope to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can't
By Monisha Ravisetti published
SPHEREx is slated to launch Feb. 27 on a SpaceX rocket. It is meant to map the entire night sky in infrared — something even the JWST can't exactly do.

2nd form of bird flu detected in US cows
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A branch of the H5N1 bird flu family tree that hadn't previously been seen in cattle has now been detected in dairy cows.

Scientists are building an ultimate atlas of the vagina. Here's why.
By Nicoletta Lanese published
Scientists are studying the vaginal microbiome in populations all around the world to see how it might differ in different people and in health and disease.

'Incredible moment in history:' Particle accelerator and AI offer first peek inside 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scroll
By Patrick Pester published
A 2,000-year-old Herculaneum scroll buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is filled with lost words that scholars can now decipher thanks to AI and a particle accelerator.

New 'Camp Hill' virus discovered in Alabama is relative of deadly Nipah — the 1st of its kind in the US
By Emily Cooke published
A new virus related to the deadly Nipah and Hendra viruses has been detected in shrews in the U.S. However, scientists say there is currently "no evidence" that it has infected humans and the risk of it doing so is "likely low."

1,900-year-old Roman sanctuary and coin found in flooded Spanish cave
By Sascha Pare published
Archaeologists discovered ancient Roman inscriptions and a 1,900-year-old coin wedged between rock formations while exploring a cave called the Cova de les Dones in eastern Spain.

Greenland's ice sheet — the second biggest in the world — is cracking open at alarming speed, scientists discover
By Sascha Pare published
New 3D maps of the Greenland Ice Sheet show how huge cracks in the ice that accelerate melting expanded between 2016 and 2021.

Massive study of 3 million people reveals genetic 'hotspots' linked to bipolar disorder
By Sibani Ram published
A new study has greatly expanded the number of gene variants thought to be tied to bipolar disorder.

'Bull's-eye!' Hubble telescope spots record-shattering 9-ring galaxy — and the cosmic 'dart' that smashed through its center
By Joanna Thompson published
Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted a record-smashing galaxy wrapped in 9 rings of stars — along with the dwarf galaxy that violently plunged through its center.

World's largest-ever bead stash found in 5,000-year-old 'Ivory Lady' tomb in Spain
By Kristina Killgrove published
More than a quarter million beads found in a tomb with female skeletons were used to decorate the women's ceremonial dresses, suggesting they were powerful leaders five millennia ago.
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