Science News: Recent scientific discoveries and expert analysis

New James Webb Space Telescope data reveal Pluto's high-altitude haze is a key driver of the climate on the dwarf planet, offering clues to Earth's ancient atmosphere.

A metal detectorist in Germany has unearthed an Early Middle Ages hoard that contains 200 artifacts, including a pendant that may be a cross or an unfinished Thor's hammer.

Astronomers have discovered a "teenage vampire" dead star in the process of devouring a companion star during a short-lived, "missing link" phase of its evolution.

Evidence from Earth's deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion.

A pair of canines found in Siberian permafrost were wolf sisters that died shortly after eating.

Earth's magnetic field and oxygen levels have increased more or less in parallel over the past 540 million years, suggesting the two factors are linked in some way, researchers say.

Low iron levels can flip the genetic switch on a mouse's sex during development, causing XY embryos to grow female features. But it's not clear whether the effect applies to humans.

Researchers armed with the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed that some of Uranus' largest moons have one side brighter than the other — but not the side they were expecting.

Space weather experts warn that a "moderate" geomagnetic storm could rock Earth over the weekend, potentially lighting the skies with vibrant auroras across large parts of the U.S. and Europe.

Breathing patterns among humans are so unique that they can work as an identification tool, scientists report. They propose someday using breath as a way to diagnose disease.

The Colorado River basin has lost a Lake Mead’s worth of water in the last 20 years — and scientists say we’re passing a "critical point" where pumping groundwater will become too expensive.

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope captured the sharpest-ever images of the sun’s surface, revealing ultra-fine bright and dark stripes called striations that are caused by powerful magnetic fluctuations.

The Zanj, enslaved people largely from Africa, rebelled at the same time they were ordered to build a massive system of canals in what is now Iraq, a new study finds.

In patients showing cognitive decline, a new blood test for Alzheimer's is expected to make diagnosis more convenient, accessible and inexpensive than other existing tests.

NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a striking image of a distant quasar from the "cosmic noon," including a giant energy jet "being illuminated by the leftover glow from the Big Bang itself."

A new proof-of-concept study explored the feasibility of tracking the evolution of superbug infections in real time to help save infected patients.

Activity levels in a specific region of the brain predict whether we think something is real, irrespective of whether we've seen it or imagined it.

Small clusters of pits in tooth enamel may be traced back to a single evolutionary lineage millions of years ago.

A surprisingly large leather shoe has been found at Magna, a Roman fort in northern England.

With 10 times the mass of our planet, and spending only part of its orbit in the habitable zone, Kepler-725c is very different to Earth.