News

We’re sure we don’t need to tell you that math is awesome. It’s surprising; it’s useful; and in fields like geometry, it can be really, really pretty. But for some people, that’s not enough. The study of shapes isn’t just cool and nice to look at, they say – it has to be magic as […]

The outbreak of a currently unknown disease in northwest Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen hundreds of people sickened and more than 50 killed since mid-January, health officials have reported. ADVERTISEMENT In a February 16 bulletin, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that “two clusters of cases and deaths from an unknown disease […]

A private spacecraft on a pretty badass mission has sent back even more footage of the far side of the Moon, on its way to land in the Mare Crisium region of our satellite on March 2. During this latest approach, a NASA instrument placed on board the spacecraft set a new record. ADVERTISEMENT Blue […]

The fate of the Colorado River is hanging in the balance after President Trump halted payments for a 4 billion-dollar program designed to keep its water flowing.  ADVERTISEMENT It’s all tied up with one of the executive orders signed by President Trump on the first day of his second term, “Unleashing American Energy,” which aims […]

Protons sit in the nuclei of all atoms, but they are not fundamental particles: They are made of three quarks held together by the strong nuclear force. The strength of this interaction is actually more intense than electromagnetic force and immensely more intense than the gravitational pull between particles. A new study has mapped this […]

Over 14,000 new samples of food crop seeds are being added this week to a “doomsday” vault located on an island in Svalbard, Norway. These seeds are part of an effort launched in 2008 to back up thousands of the planet’s essential plant species, ensuring a biodiverse future food supply. You know, saving for a […]

For months now, we have been teased by the planets in the night sky. Uranus and Neptune need a telescope to be seen, but Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus can be seen with the naked eye. All of these six have been out in the night sky, and last week they were finally joined by […]

Earth was a very different place during its Cryogenian period, around 700 million years ago. It was covered head-to-toe in kilometers-deep dice as huge frozen rivers churned across the planet’s rocky surface. Now, new research has described how the destructive power of these ancient glaciers may have set the stage for life by acting like […]

Invasive species are a serious problem, but what’s the best way to deal with them? One solution might be to stick ‘em in a stew and gobble them right up. What is an invasive species? ADVERTISEMENT Invasive species are non-native species that cause harm. Introduced either on purpose or accidentally to areas where they don’t […]

The Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah is home to the Mussentuchit Member, a site where the first fossil eggshell from the Cenomanian age (~100 million years ago) was described 50 years ago. The diversity of fossil eggs – known by the fun word “oodiversity” – had been limited to just one unstable taxon, Macroelongatoolithus carlylei. […]

From the man who smuggled deadly parasite eggs into the US by injecting them before ejaculating them out upon his return to the doctor who saved lives by pumping hydrogen gas into his own anus, history is replete with heroes of science who went the extra mile for their work and conducted experiments on themselves.  […]

Fancy a new nationality? You might be in luck – at least, until your adopted country sinks under the ocean. As the tiny island nations of the Pacific come increasingly under fire from climate change, one – Nauru, the Micronesian nation located about 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) northeast of Australia – is reaching for a […]

Humans were living in rainforests as early as 150,000 years ago, reshaping long-held theories about our species’ history. This revelation challenges the idea that jungles were only inhabited in recent times and suggests that these environments may have played a previously unrecognized role in the human story. ADVERTISEMENT In a new study, archaeologists from the […]

The ancient Egyptians are known for their love of bling, and excavations near the coastal city of Marsa Alam have now revealed new details as to how gold was extracted in the days of the pharaohs. Uncovering a 3,000-year-old gold mining camp and processing facility, archaeologists have gained an unprecedented glimpse into the technologies with […]

Homes were not always so square. Long before our abodes were defined by right-angled corners and straight walls, houses came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes in West Asia, the land where many of the earliest complex settlements emerged. ADVERTISEMENT It was often thought that early human societies primarily built rounded structures, which […]

Walk across the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park and you might spot something strange. Here, enormous boulders can be seen tailed by what look like tire marks on a racetrack in the form of trails carved into the dry lakebed. These “sailing stones” can weigh up to 320 kilograms (700 pounds) at the […]

You’ve just sat through a 12-hour flight surrounded by screaming babies, barely edible food, and a disappointing selection of in-flight entertainment, but the worst may still lay ahead: jet lag.  ADVERTISEMENT Whether you’re trying to avoid falling asleep at the dinner table or staring at your hotel room ceiling at 4 am, it’s a burden […]

It might be easy to forget that diseases and conditions can cause problems in the world of wildlife just as they can in the human medical sphere. In Kruger National Park, a giraffe has been spotted that may be infected with a type of papillomavirus. ADVERTISEMENT Photographed by wildlife photographer Marius Nortje, the images reveal […]

Astronaut and keen astrophotographer Donald “Don” Pettit has performed a tricky pants maneuver in space. Pettit has racked up over 500 days in space and is currently doing a stint on board the International Space Station (ISS).  ADVERTISEMENT While on board, during his various missions, he has taken spectacular space photos and explained why some images […]

Fossil guide Joe Thompson was looking for dinosaur fossils on a beach on the Isle of Wight when he came across something perhaps even more extraordinary: A purple, three-toed dinosaur footprint almost 1 meter (3 feet) long.  ADVERTISEMENT “Anything that’s that old and that exciting – it gives you such a rush, especially a huge, […]