Science News

A supernova, pinpointed by amateur astronomers, could reveal unexpected new steps in the deaths of massive stars.

Scientists uncovered viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages, in animal poop and are testing whether they could work as antibiotics.

Oct. 1, 2023: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Traditional antibiotics drive bacteria toward drug resistance, so scientists are looking to viruses, CRISPR, designer molecules and protein swords for better treatments.

There are 17 rare earth elements on the periodic table, but a better name for them would be the "troublesome earths." Here's why.

This excerpt from Michael Mann's latest book looks at the Cambrian explosion, the Great Dying and how dinosaurs were able to take over thanks to changes to the climate 250 million years ago.

An striking video of developing neurons won the 2023 Nikon Small World in Motion Video Competition.

This parasitic worm crawls into the eyestalks of snails, takes over its brain then pulsates to make the mollusk look like a dancing caterpillar.

Arp 107 hosts a special spiraling 'Seyfert' galaxy connected to a smaller galaxy by a 'bridge' of dust and gas.

Fish smell is from degrading lipids and bacterial reactions that increase in potency over time.

Life-size carvings of camels have been found in the Saudi Arabian desert, but archaeologists aren't sure who created them and when.

The CDC recommends a newly approved RSV vaccine be given during the last trimester of pregnancy to protect newborns.

There are now RSV vaccines approved for older adults and for pregnant people, and antibody shots (not vaccines) available for babies. What's the difference?

The female orca was found far from her normal hunting ground with six whole sea otters in its stomach and one lodged between its oral cavity and the esophagus.

On an expedition in Hawaii, a remote underwater vehicle filmed a dumbo octopus swimming with its ear-like fins near the seafloor. The pale white creature is one of the deepest-dwelling octopuses on Earth.

A woman survived a rare infection that had previously been reported in only two other humans, both of whom died from the disease.

After you die, bacteria harvest your body for the nutrients that help push daisies.

DNA from cattle suggests some of the first cowboys in the Americas were enslaved Africans, who herded cows that were brought with them on slave ships.

After surviving its closest approach to the sun, Comet Nishimura was buffeted by a possible coronal mass ejection that briefly blew its tail away. The rare event was captured by a NASA spacecraft.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has finally returned home from a 371-day stay on the International Space Station — a record for an American — after being trapped when his ride home was damaged.