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Ursid meteor shower 2024: Where and when to see the final meteor shower of the year
By Gretchen Rundorff published
Here's everything you need to know to catch the Ursids, the last meteor shower of 2024.
Space photo of the week: The sun's corona blooms during back-to-back solar eclipses
By Jamie Carter published
Composite images reveal how the sun's corona changed from one total solar eclipse to another in 2023 and 2024, just as solar activity began to peak.
Could monkeys really type the complete works of Shakespeare?
By Marilyn Perkins published
The infinite monkey theorem is a fun thought experiment, but does it actually apply to our finite world?
Alien life may look nothing like life on Earth — so how should we go about looking for it?
By Chris Impey published
Alien life might look unlike anything we've ever seen on Earth. Trying to find evidence of these unknown organisms will require some creativity.
Chungungo: The mini sea otter that lives on rocky cliffs and mates for life
By María de los Ángeles Orfila published
Marine otters live on rocky coasts with extreme swells and strong winds, with their dens built into crevices and caves.
How do cats get their spots?
By Ashley P. Taylor published
Scientists have identified some of the involved genes behind cats' spots, but there's still a piece missing.
Science news this week: Cleopatra curiosities and quantum leaps
By Pandora Dewan published
Dec. 14, 2024: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
35,000-year-old 'tortoise shell' carving may be Holy Land's oldest evidence of ritual behavior
By Tom Metcalfe published
A carved boulder found deep in a cave in Israel may have been used for rituals more than 35,000 years ago.
Just a fraction of the hydrogen hidden beneath Earth's surface could power Earth for 200 years, scientists find
By Sascha Pare published
Trillions of tons of hydrogen gas are likely buried in rocks and reservoirs beneath Earth's surface, but researchers aren't sure where it is yet.
The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight! How to see the year's last big display of 'shooting stars' before it's too late.
By Jamie Carter last updated
The Geminid meteor shower peaks overnight on Dec. 13 and 14. Up to 120 "shooting stars" per hour will rain down on Earth, but a near-full moon may hamper viewing.
Simple vaping 'quitline' can help over 40% of young people quit, study finds
By Liam Drew published
A study used several strategies to help young adults go from vaping every day to not vaping at all.
'Like they were demon possessed': Geomagnetic super storms are causing tractors to dance from side to side across US farms — and the sun is to blame
By Harry Baker published
Powerful solar storms in May and October painted auroras across large parts of North America. But some U.S. farmers also witnessed unusual activity from their high-tech machinery, which started boogying back and forth as a result of the geomagnetic disturbances.
The gut 'remodels' itself during pregnancy, study finds
By Emily Cooke published
The inner lining of the small intestine nearly doubles in size during pregnancy and breastfeeding, according to new research in mice and human tissue.
Nearby exoplanet has grown a tail 44 times longer than Earth — and it's acting like a giant 'stellar windsock'
By Harry Baker published
Researchers have detected a giant tail of gas leaking from an exoplanet near Earth. The giant structure, which is up to 350,000 miles long, is being blown away from the alien world by stellar gusts, allowing researchers to use it like a windsock.
Marble Caves: Chile's ethereal turquoise caverns with 'mineral ice cream' on the walls
By Sascha Pare published
The Marble Caves sit on the shores of a turquoise glacial lake in southern Chile. Light bounces off the water onto the walls, creating a magical, ever-changing display inside the caverns.
Stealth destroyer 1st to carry hypersonic missiles that travel 5 times the speed of sound — with testing imminent
By Peter Ray Allison published
The Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers will mounted with experimental hypersonic weapon systems, but what makes this technology so lethal?
China aims to be 1st to bring samples back from Mars
By Stephanie Pappas published
China's planned mission to bring rock samples to Earth from Mars would beat both NASA and the European Space Agency to the punch.
Why does Earth look flat if it's really round?
By Kelly R. MacGregor published
It's all about perspective: The higher you go, the more you can see the curve.
Burials of 28 people Andrew Jackson enslaved found at his Hermitage plantation in Tennessee
By Kristina Killgrove published
Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, enslaved hundreds of people. Archaeologists have discovered where 28 of them were buried.
Cold Moon 2024: Watch the final full moon of the year rise with Jupiter this weekend
By Jamie Carter last updated
The Cold Moon — the 12th and final full moon of 2024 — will rise on Sunday (Dec. 15). It will ascend higher into the night sky than any other full moon this year to sit alongside the planet Jupiter.
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