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An illustration of NASA's Cassini orbiter soaring through a giant vapor jet over the moon Enceladus

James Webb telescope discovers gargantuan geyser on Saturn's moon, blasting water hundreds of miles into space

By Isobel Whitcomb published

The James Webb Space Telescope caught Saturn's icy moon Enceladus spraying a 'huge plume' of watery vapor far into space — and that plume may contain chemical ingredients for life.

An illustration of a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy.

Strange star system may hold first evidence of an ultra-rare 'dark matter star'

By Paul Sutter published

In a distant star system, a sunlike star orbits an invisible object that may be the first example of a 'boson star' made of dark matter, new research suggests.

A close up of a Tarchia in Prehistoric Planet shows its scaly skin, armored head and large nose.

Watch exclusive clip of never-before-depicted dinosaur from Prehistoric Planet season 2

By Sascha Pare published

Episode two, available to stream today on Apple TV+, features the heavily armored Tarchia, a dinosaur with an inbuilt air conditioning system and one of the largest ankylosaurs.

Razer Blade 17

Save $1200 on this incredible Razer Blade laptop

By Lloyd Coombes published

Save big on this powerful laptop at Amazon that's perfect for video editing, coding, and gaming.

Close up image of a person with chopsticks as they dive into Szechwan dry hotpot with chicken wing and prawn.

Why do people like spicy food?

By Donavyn Coffey published

The chemicals that make food spicy don't target taste receptors, but rather temperature receptors in the tongue.

black and white photo of a man's eye as he looks through a small glass lens that appears to have flipped his eye upside down

Spanish Civil War soldier saw the world 'backward' after bullet pierced brain, historic case report reveals

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

After being shot in the head, a soldier in the Spanish Civil War woke up to find a world that's completely backward.

photo shows the gloved hands of a nurse wrapping a child's foot in gauze and bandages; the child's exposed ankle has patches of discoloration and skin wounding

New gene therapy gel is the 1st approved treatment for rare and painful 'butterfly disease'

By Nicoletta Lanese published

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a gene therapy for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, also known as butterfly disease.

Ashlee Autore, an atmospheric data scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center, went skydiving on an overcast day in Louisiana. Above her are thin, ice-bearing cirrus clouds, and below, a smattering of water-laden cumulus clouds. She is doing a tandem skydive and has a man attached just behind her.

What happens if you skydive through a cloud?

By Amanda Heidt published

What it's like to skydive through a cloud depends in part on the type of cloud, but regardless, you'll likely end up cold and wet.

Close up of a butterfly with blue wings and a black body

All butterflies evolved from ancient moths in North America 100 million years ago

By Soumya Sagar published

Scientists have revealed how butterflies evolved and took over the world in a new tree of life.

Building ruins in Armenia covered in dirt and flour.

Mysterious white, powdery substance found inside 3,000-year-old ruins in Armenia isn't what it seems

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

Archaeologists in Armenia have unearthed the remains of a 3,000-year-old bakery that still contains heaps of wheat flour.

Frontal x-ray image of a human skull shows red lines where several electrodes have been implanted into the person's brain

Brain signals underlying chronic pain could be 'short-circuited,' study suggests

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scientists uncovered a "biomarker" for chronic pain in the brains of four patients and are using the data to develop a new brain stimulation therapy.

A picture of the all-white echidna Raffie spotted in New South Wales, Australia.

Rarest of rare: 2 albino egg-laying mammals spotted in Australia

By Sascha Pare published

Echidnas are shy creatures, and even individuals without albinism are rarely seen in the wild.

An octopus in a laboratory changing from white to orange and swimming away

Watch an octopus waking up from what scientists think could have been a nightmare

By Ethan Freedman published

The male octopus was repeatedly filmed violently jolting awake from sleep and engaging in unusual activities, but exactly what prompted this odd behavior is unclear.

We see an illustration of a long-necked titanosaur dinosaur standing in front of four trees. The photo is gray and reddish.

Humongous, 100-foot-long dinosaur from Argentina is so big its fossils broke the road during transport

By Laura Geggel published

About 90 million years ago, a ginormous long-necked dinosaur measuring nearly 100 feet (30 meters) long lumbered through what is now Patagonia, Argentina.

An aerial view of the New York City skyline from the south.

New York City may be sinking under its own weight because the buildings are too heavy, scientists warn

By Charles Q. Choi published

Scientists estimate the mass of the 1,084,954 buildings within the five boroughs of New York City is 1.68 trillion pounds.

Moths and insects being attracted by the light of a lamppost, at night.

Why are insects attracted to artificial lights?

By Meg Duff published

Artificial lights can be deadly to the insects that fly around them, so why do these critters do it?

Composite of a simulation of an enormous solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) blasting out of the sun and an artist's interpretation of what Tyrannosaurus rex may have looked like.

Science news this week: The spark of life in space and 1.7 billion T. rexes

By Alexander McNamara published

Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news over the past few days, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

We see a horizontal finger-shaped lead piece with writing inscribed on it against a white background.

1,100-year-old breastplate to ward off evil may contain the oldest Cyrillic writing ever found

By Owen Jarus published

An inscription on an 1,100-year-old breastplate found in a ruined fortress in Bulgaria may contain one of the earliest known examples of Cyrillic text, researchers claim.

The Ross Ice Shelf, an expanse of ice, with a blue sky and clouds above

Where is the coldest place on Earth?

By JoAnna Wendel published

There are some bone-chilling places on Earth, but what is the lowest temperature ever recorded and where was it?

America's secret space plane, the Boeing X-37B, is thought to have inspired China to construct a similar craft.

China's mysterious space plane released an unidentified 'object' in orbit, US intelligence reveals

By Joanna Thompson published

Here's what we know (and don't know) about China's mysterious space plane, which just landed after nine months in orbit on a secret mission.