Science News - Latest Scientific Discoveries

The hacksilver hoard from Tell el-ʿAjjul in Gaza is the earliest known example of silver used as currency by weight in the region, about 3,600 years ago.

3,600-year-old hoards may contain the earliest silver currency in Israel and Gaza

By Tom Metcalfe published 23 January 23

A new study of ancient silver hoards from Israel and Gaza suggests that metal was used as currency in the Bronze Age, hundreds of years earlier than previously suspected.

Are rainbows really arches?

By Elizabeth Rayne published 23 January 23

If you have the right vantage point, a rainbow might look circular. Here's the science behind why some rainbows look like arches and others don't.

Footage of a powerful X-class flare captured on Aug. 9, 2011 as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite.

Mysterious 'sparks' on the sun could help scientists predict solar flares

By JoAnna Wendel published 22 January 23

An analysis of eight years of data reveals a possible telltale sign that a region of the sun is about to erupt.

Why do horses wear shoes?

By Donavyn Coffey published 22 January 23

What happens to wild horses that don't have shoes?

Is the Yellowstone supervolcano really 'due' for an eruption?

By Joe Phelan published 21 January 23

Yellowstone's supervolcano last erupted 70,000 years ago. Will it erupt again anytime soon?

illustration of individual Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria depicted in purple

New 'concerning' strain of drug-resistant gonorrhea found in U.S. for 1st time

By Nicoletta Lanese published 20 January 23

A troubling strain of gonorrhea was identified for the first time in the U.S.

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, located in Pune, India, received the record-breaking signal.

Radio signal from 8 billion light-years away could reveal the secrets of the universe's 'dark age'

By Ben Turner published 20 January 23

Astronomers detected a radio signal from deeper in space than ever before, using a cosmic trick first predicted by Einstein.

A view of a giant sand-colored cliff in Egypt, which tents and excavators at the bottom of the cliff.

Royal tomb discovered near Luxor dates to time when female pharaoh co-ruled ancient Egypt

By Owen Jarus published 20 January 23

The tomb dates from a period when ancient Egypt was co-ruled by the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.

A woman holds a 6-pound cane toad found in a national park.

'Monster cane toad' dubbed 'Toadzilla' found in Australia

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 20 January 23

Rangers in Australia stumbled upon a giant cane toad resembling a "football with legs"

An artist's depiction of hot gas surrounding the Milky Way and its satellite galaxies.

Astronomers weighed the Milky Way, and found huge amounts of matter missing

By Briley Lewis published 20 January 23

Mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs) helped astronomers weigh our galaxy, and reveal that some matter is missing.

illustration depicts amyloid-beta peptides, the building blocks of amyloid-beta plaques, building up in the brain among individual neurons

New Alzheimer's drug slightly slows cognitive decline. Experts say it's not a silver bullet.

By Nicoletta Lanese published 20 January 23

Experts weigh in on whether the newly approved Alzheimer's treatment lecanemab is worth taking.

Could hidden alien probes circle our sun as part of an extraterrestrial communication network? A new study investigated the possibility.

Is the sun a node in a gigantic alien space internet? Scientists scanned the skies to check.

By Adam Mann published 20 January 23

Through a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, aliens could be transmitting signals using the sun, but a quick scan for such signals has turned up nothing.

The giant squid swims among seaweed near the surface of the Sea of Japan. The squid was likely two to three years old.

Diver captures stunning photos of rare 8-foot giant squid

By Stephanie Pappas published 20 January 23

Diver Yosuke Tanaka swam with a giant squid in the Sea of Japan near Toyooka City in Hyogo Prefecture.

This photo shows hundreds of empire penguins standing on a snowy hill near the water in Antarctica.

Hidden, never-before-seen penguin colony spotted from space

By Tom Metcalfe published 20 January 23

Satellite photos showing poop stains in the West Antarctic snow and ice have revealed a previously unknown breeding colony of emperor penguins.

A mating pair of wild red junglefowl (female on left, male on right).

Domesticated chickens could wipe out their wild ancestors — by having sex with them

By Harry Baker published 19 January 23

A new study has revealed that red junglefowl, the wild ancestors of chickens, are losing their genetic diversity as they mate with their domesticated counterparts.

Early life may have made an inhospitable Earth more habitable -- and it could be happening on alien planets too, new research proposes.

Alien life could be turning harsh planets into paradises — and astronomers want to find them

By Paul Sutter published 19 January 23

Early life made an inhospitable Earth more habitable, and aliens could be doing the same thing on their worlds, new research proposes.

A female Apatosaurus (dinosaur with long neck and tail) laying her eggs in nest.

'Staggering number' of titanosaur nests discovered in India reveals controversial findings about dino moms

By Joshua A. Krisch published 19 January 23

The discovery of a tightly packed nesting ground from the Cretaceous period in India suggests that titanosaurs laid eggs and left their offspring behind.

The wicked curved claw of the red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata) is held off the ground so that it always stays sharp.

Velociraptors probably didn't use their 'wicked' claws for slashing, surprising new study suggests

By Stephanie Pappas published 19 January 23

Unlike their portrayal in Jurassic Park, curved-clawed dinos may have used their sharp appendages to pin and grasp, not slash.

Sister André, world's oldest person, dies at 118

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 18 January 23

World's oldest person dies in France, chalks up her longevity to chocolate and wine.

older man wearing a blue surgical mask looks down at his arm, which bears a bandage as if he's just gotten an injection

Moderna says its RSV vaccine is 84% effective in older adults

By Nicoletta Lanese published 18 January 23

Moderna announced positive results from its late-stage RSV vaccine trial in older adults.