Live Science: The Most Interesting Articles, Mysteries & Discoveries

Planet Earth

A man wiping sweat from his face under the hot sun.

For the first time, scientists have named a heat wave

By Stephanie Pappas published 15 August 22

For the first time, authorities have given a heat wave a name. Scientists hope that naming extreme heat events will help the public protect itself.

A poison frog (Dendrobates tinctorius) sits on a leaf in the tropical rainforest. It's a small frog with a yellow head and alight blue body.

Why is there so much biodiversity in the tropics?

By Martin McGuigan published 15 August 22

Ecologists say there are three explanations for the abundance of species in the tropics.

Space and Physics

The Nadir crater, seen on seismic imagery from West Africa. The bottom of the crater, lined in green dots, sits at approximately the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene, when the dinosaurs died out.

Did dinosaurs have to deal with multiple enormous asteroids? Crater in West Africa hints yes.

By Stephanie Pappas published 17 August 22

A 66 million-year-old impact crater has been discovered off the coast of West Africa, raising questions about just how many deadly space rocks the dinosaurs had to deal with.

Global color view of Mars. A large, round, rusty-red planet. There are numerous craters all over on the planet. There is a small white circle at the top (ice cap). In the top-right quadrant of the planet there is a very large darker patch. On the bottom half there is what appears to be a long canyon that is in the shape of a smile.

Mars: The Red Planet

By Adam Mann published 16 August 22

Reference Mars is a rusty, red world and one of the most explored planets in the solar system.

Reference

History

Here we see the Aztec calendar stone known as the Stone of the Sun. It is a round shape, with a face in the middle with it’s tongue out. In concentric circles going out from the middle there are several layers, each with intricate patterns.

The Aztec Empire: History, maps, religion and fall

By Tom Garlinghouse published 16 August 22

The Aztec Empire flourished in the Valley of Mexico between A.D. 1325 and 1519 and was the last great civilization before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century.

A statue of Roman emperor Augustus. He has short hair and is wearing a decorated breast plate with his cape draping around from his back, around his waist, and then over his left arm. He has one pointed finger in the air and in his other hand he is holding a rod.

The 5 craziest ways emperors gained the throne in ancient Rome

By Tom Metcalfe published 15 August 22

Being the emperor of Rome was a risky business. But merely gaining the imperial throne could be difficult, too.

Health

oatmeal with blueberries, bananas and walnuts in a ceramic bowl

GERD diet: The best and worst foods for acid reflux

By Lou Mudge published 17 August 22

reference Struggling with acid reflux? Find out how the GERD diet could help to ease symptoms

reference

nuts and seeds are a good source of vitamin E

Vitamin E: Sources, benefits & risks

By Anna Gora published 17 August 22

Vitamin E is vital to keeping healthy and preventing various diseases. Here's everything you need to know about the 'vitamin of youth'.

Gilead scientists engaging in research activity in laboratory

Advancing Transformational Innovation in HIV Research: A Pillar of Gilead’s Efforts to Help End the Global HIV Epidemic

By Sponsored published 16 August 22

Sponsored Learn about Gilead’s innovative approach to continuous scientific discovery as part of the company’s leadership and commitment that aims to help end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.

Animals

Jakapil Kanikukura, a new species of armored dinosaur from Argentina, weighed as much as a housecat and had a line of armored spikes going down its neck and back.

Small, prickly dinosaur discovered in South America reveals an unknown lineage

By Stephanie Pappas published 12 August 22

An armored dinosaur that weighed as much as a housecat has been discovered in South America. Though it resembles a primitive relative of ankylosaurus, it came from late in dinosaur history.

A close-up image of a jumping spider next to a dew drop.

Sweet dreams, spidey: Arachnids experience REM sleep, and may even dream

By Jennifer Nalewicki published 12 August 22

Spiders likely sleep and dream like humans do.

illustration shows t. rex skull with its true eye socket shape compared to skull with circular eye socket, which can hold a far larger eyeball

Not just tiny arms: T. rex also had super small eyes to accommodate its big bite

By Nicoletta Lanese published 11 August 22

T. rex may have evolved thin eye sockets to help handle its bite force.

Strange News

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image shows auroras above the poles of Jupiter.

Extreme physics of 'supercritical' matter may be surprisingly simple

By Stephanie Pappas published 12 August 22

At 'supercriticality,' the difference between the liquid and gas phases of a material seems to disappear. New research finds that this weird tipping point may be simpler than scientists thought.

Big group of people celebrating a birthday. There are 6 people in total, all cheering and throwing confetti in the air. Three are wearing party hats. In front of them is a table with birthday decorations, such as a chocolate cake and drink cups.

What is the birthday paradox?

By Charles Q. Choi published 30 July 22

If you're in a random group of people, what are the chances that two of the people will have the same birthday?

The holes appear as a closely aligned, regularly repeating pattern. Tiny piles of sediment are piled around them.

Strange 'alien' holes discovered on the ocean floor

By Ben Turner published 29 July 22

The holes form a straight line and appear at regularly repeating distances, and they are surrounded by tiny mounds of sediment.

Culture

What's the most popular color in the world?

By Tia Ghose published 25 July 22

The most popular color can vary by culture, gender and time.

A very crowded Istiklal Street in the Beyoglu District of Istanbul, Turkey

How many people can Earth support?

By Martin McGuigan published 11 July 22

The number of people the planet can sustain depends on both the natural constraints of our environment and human choices.

Aerial view of Paris streets and the Eiffel Tower at sunset.

What is Paris syndrome?

By Joe Phelan published 5 July 22

Some people who visit Paris develop extreme symptoms — such as nausea, vomiting and hallucinations — when their expectations of the city do not jibe with reality.

Tech

This Lenovo Chromebook is 37% off on Amazon - ideal for students heading back to school

By Lloyd Coombes published 17 August 22

Looking for a new Chromebook? Lenovo’s 14e is available for under $200 in this Amazon deal.

Back to school deals: Student laptops, software, printers, science kits & more

By Lloyd Coombes published 16 August 22

Looking for the best back to school deals for laptops, software, printers, headphones, and more? Here are our favorites for school and college students.

Best laptops for students - Student with long hair is sitting in the library wearing glasses and headphones. Surrounded by books, he's looking at his laptop and writing notes in pencil.

Best laptops for students 2022: Go back to school in style with these sleek student laptops

By Mike Jennings published 9 August 22

Buying Guide Go back to school in style with our guide to the best laptops for students.

Buying Guide

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