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'Iran's Maldives' could drown in oil due to spills from air strikes, satellites showAir strikes on oil facilities and oil tankers in the Persian Gulf have unleashed what is set to become an ecological catastrophe, satellite images show.
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NASA's Curiosity rover finds a surprising number of giant 'dragon scales' littered across MarsThe Curiosity rover snapped a series of peculiar polygons that look suspiciously like giant fossilized reptile scales. Although scientists have seen similar shapes on Mars before, they have never seen such a "dramatically abundant" concentration.
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Advanced AI-powered table-tennis-playing robot can match up to the professionals — watch it in actionUsing high-precision cameras and an AI system, Sony AI's Ace is revealing the advancements robotics.
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NASA shuts off another Voyager 1 instrument ahead of risky 'Big Bang' maneuver to save powerAfter nearly 50 years in space, the two Voyager spacecraft are very low on nuclear power. Voyager 1 just shut off another instrument to save the mission.
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Florida is facing its most intense drought in 15 years. Here's how it got so bad and how long it will last.More than 70% of the state is under "extreme" to "exceptional" drought conditions, and other parts of the U.S. Southeast are similarly affected. But why, and what are the impacts?
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Neanderthal toddlers grew faster than modern humans, probably because of the harsh environment they evolved inA new study of a Neanderthal toddler reveals that our closest evolutionary relatives' growth patterns differed from those of modern humans.
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'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic ocean current is much closer to collapse than scientists thoughtAn alarming study claims the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation is weakening more than believed previously. But experts say its findings are far from the final word.
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New blood test aims to spot liver scarring before it paves the way to cancerLiver scarring can pave the way to cancer down the line. A new blood test in development might help doctors spot it.
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A giant 'shadow' has been creeping across Mars for 50 years — and scientists aren't sure whyA dark patch in Mars' Utopia Planitia region has grown significantly since it was first photographed in 1976. Scientists have a loose understanding of what it is, but they can't properly explain its gradual growth.
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Bruce the parrot is missing his upper beak — but that hasn't stopped him from becoming an undefeated jousting championA kea parrot in New Zealand who lost the top part of his beak when young has developed a new way to fight other males that has made him unbeatable.
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Scientists identify main cause of extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancyA key gene tied to hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of vomiting in pregnancy, is also linked to a heightened risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists report.
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Naked mole rats wage bloody wars of succession to choose a new queen — but one colony did something scientists have never seen beforeWhen their queen dies, naked mole rat females usually wage bloody battles of succession. But peace may be possible, a new study suggests
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Lyrid meteor shower 2026: See spring's first rain of 'shooting stars' peak in moonless skiesExpect bright fireballs during the Lyrid meteor shower, which will peak in moonless skies on April 22, 2026.
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$3 million prize goes to duo whose research led to first sickle cell CRISPR therapyDr. Swee Lay Thein and Dr. Stuart Orkin won the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for their work toward a functional cure for the deadly blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia.
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700-year-old mummy from Bolivia contains earliest confirmed evidence of strep throat bacteria in the AmericasA DNA analysis of pathogens from a pre-Hispanic mummy revealed that the bacterium that causes scarlet fever and strep throat was present in the Americas prior to European colonization.
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New pain-relief opioid could be much less addictive than morphine, rodent study findsA new and potentially safer opioid has been tested in lab rats, and the results suggest it relieves pain with a lower risk of addiction than other drugs in its class.
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Experimental drug doubles one-year survival in pancreatic cancerA new drug that works by making tumors more susceptible to chemotherapy and the immune system has increased survival in those with advanced pancreatic cancer in a trial.
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Physicists witness faster-than-light darkness pinpricks, humans found to still be evolving, and the endangered polar bears that are getting fatter than everScience news this week April 18, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend
Science news this week -
Archaeologists discover perfectly circular ancient Egyptian temple that may have been used for sacred water ritualsThe temple included a network of water infrastructure, revealing the importance of the ancient city and the Nile.
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