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The noble false widow spider (Steatoda nobilis) is an invasive species that has come to populate much of Europe, western Asia, as well as North and South America. It was first formally described in 1875. The spider possesses a neurotoxin in its venom which, as well as giving humans a nasty bite, can allow it […]

Looking towards the central region of the Milky Way, there is an unexpected surplus in the most powerful light that exists: gamma rays. The source of this gamma-ray excess is uncertain. Two hypotheses have been put forth. One possibility is that dark matter particles collide with each other there and emit gamma rays. Alternatively, known […]

As the summer of 1953 drew to a close, Springfield, Missouri, was terrorized by a gang of cobras. Although it’s described today as “the oddest and most hilarious” story in the city’s history, the incident sparked several months of panic and confusion at the time. It took over 35 years to solve, but the cause […]

Comets tend to have two tails. One is known as the dust tail, and it tends to be more curved, while the other, known as the ion or plasma tail, is straighter, pointing away from the Sun. The tails can also be long, with ion tails often extending for hundreds of millions of kilometers. We […]

The origin of water on Earth is a complex affair. Was it trapped in the rocks that formed our planet or was it brought by comets and asteroids afterwards? We do not know for sure, but we can move the question even further. Did the water form with the Sun and the planet, or is […]

A problem with JWST’s infrared camera detector causes light to bleed from one pixel to another, undermining the quality of its images on some categories of targets. However, work led by two PhD students has provided a solution, which is already being used to multiply the data available from some observations previously considered disappointing. It’s […]

Popcorn-like parasites, ghostly crustaceans, and creepy worms are among the 14 new species that have recently been found in the world’s oceans.  Scientists estimate there are around 2 million living marine species, although just a tiny fraction of those have been officially named and described.  In a push to close this knowledge gap, researchers have […]

A study looking at ancient texts may have found evidence of a galactic supernova in a poem praising Saladin, the first sultan of Egypt and Syria, written between December 1181 and May 1182 CE. In October 1604, astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler spotted a new star in the sky and began tracking it. Over the […]

Take a dip under the waves and you never know what you might discover. From dancing sea pigs to manta rays deep-diving, the world’s oceans hold all kinds of surprises. For researchers off the coast of Papua New Guinea, it was the discovery of a shimmering new fish species: Eviota bella. The rest of this […]

Astronomers analyzing observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the W. M. Keck Observatory have discovered further unusual features of our third interstellar visitor, and confirmed the presence of a rare “anti-solar tail”. On July 1, 2025, astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) spotted an object making its way through our Solar System. […]

The origin of the word “hamburger” has very little to do with pork (unless you’re eating a particularly poor-quality “beef” patty). Instead, it traces back to the bustling German port city of Hamburg. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. Nestled in the […]

For evidence of evolution’s sheer barminess, look no further than the humble octopus. It’s boneless, beaked, and many-brained; it has blue blood, three hearts, and eight arms; it can change color and shape at will, and comes equipped with an ink sac for defense (or, presumably, calligraphy).  It is, in total, so weird that people […]

Greenland, the world’s largest island, is shrinking and shape-shifting. Since the peak of the last Ice Age about 20,000 years ago, the melting of its ice sheets has been easing pressure on the landmass, causing its tectonic plate and deep bedrock to deform. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in […]

Scientists have confirmed the existence of over 6,100 planets beyond the Solar System in the Milky Way. Something that has become clear pretty much from the very beginning of the search for exoplanets is that there are truly some oddballs when it comes to worlds beyond the Solar System. Newly discovered TOI-4507 b is proudly […]

Rocks from Canada, Greenland, and Hawai’i have less of the already rare isotope potassium-40 than those from the rest of the Earth. The scientists who discovered this fact consider it evidence that these rocks are formed from material that existed on Earth before the collision that led to the Moon’s formation. One collision, early in […]

The solar maximum might be behind us, but the Sun continues to show off its power. Multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have occurred in the last few days, and they are all aimed at Earth. They are unlikely to combine themselves into a single cannibal one, but they are still expected to produce a moderate […]

A paralyzed man in his 40s is now able to feel and use objects through the hands of another person, after receiving a brain implant that connects him to a “human avatar”.  The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. Keith Thomas became paralyzed […]

In a world-first breakthrough, scientists have shown that 10 weeks of brain exercises using a game-like app are enough to significantly upregulate the production of vital chemical acetylcholine, something that no prior treatment has ever been able to do. “The training restored cholinergic health to levels typically seen in someone 10 years younger,” said senior […]

The first almost complete set of hand bones from the ancient human relative Paranthropus boisei has been found, revealing a strong grip and potential for tool use. The find raises the possibility that one of the most significant styles of tools, dating back millions of years, could have been made by Paranthropus, rather than members of […]

Not too long ago, Swiss cheese was on the brink. Its iconic hole-ridden body was filling in: the caverns that had for so many centuries dotted the alpine mainstay were shrinking, or worse – disappearing altogether.  A solution was needed – but the problem was deeper than it first seemed. Before scientists could figure out […]