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In 2018, scientists described a new species of spider-like arachnid that lived 100 million years ago. Like modern spiders, it had spinnerets, a palpal organ for sperm transfer, and four paired walking limbs. Very much unlike modern spiders, however, it also had a tail. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign […]

GLP-1 receptor agonists, developed as treatments for type 2 diabetes, have become some of the most in-demand drugs on the market. Studies are published at least weekly on their effects, reporting both unexpected bonuses for health, and worrying side effects. With millions of people now taking them, and many more likely to in the near […]

Are bears getting soft on us? After centuries of living in close proximity with people, a population of brown bears has evolved to become unusually calm for a species famous for its mightiness and no-nonsense temper. The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus), also known as the Marsican brown bear, is a critically endangered subspecies […]

Quantum mechanics is weird. When you think you have reached the bottom of its weirdness, you always discover a new subbasement with even weirder stuff. The number one hater of this weirdness was none other than Albert Einstein; he believed that reality had to be deterministic. His famous quip, “God does not play dice with […]

For prehistoric hunter-gatherers, building a funeral pyre to cremate their dead was a real faff, and simply wasn’t worth all the effort or the investment in terms of the amount of valuable firewood required to burn a human body. However, new research shows that a Stone-Age community in Malawi did in fact honor a female […]

The blue whale might be the largest known animal ever to have lived on the planet, but it turns out it has a rival, at least when it comes to length. It’s tentacle-y, it’s deliciously peachy and red, it’s… the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata). The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please […]

The period between Christmas and New Year’s is a confusing time for many. After weeks of festivities and overindulgence, the calendar becomes a blur, and the days of the week melt into one another. The old year feels finished, but the new one hasn’t quite arrived. If you ever feel unsettled during this strange lull, […]

So. It’s December 31, and that means one thing: that the world – and specifically, Axial Seamount, the volcano lying on the seafloor off of the Pacific Northwest – has just a handful of hours remaining to prove last year’s scientists right by erupting before the end of 2025. Of course, as satisfying as such […]

Cancer touches most of us at some point in our lives, whether it’s getting a diagnosis ourselves or supporting a friend or family member through a treatment journey. Countless hours of scientific research each year are dedicated to developing innovative new therapies and improving survival rates, and 2025 was no exception.  As Health & Medicine […]

The gentle giants that are the sea cows – meaning manatees and dugongs – are some of the most iconic animals out there, but they’ve also become vulnerable to extinction through the actions of humans – and it’s not even the first time this has happened. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. […]

In a first for nature and the planet, an insect has been given official legal rights. The revolutionary move comes from Peru, where the world’s oldest bee species is responsible for pollinating over 80 percent of Amazonian flora. In recognition of their service, Peru has awarded the bees and their ecosystems inherent rights including: The […]

Faces are a central part of human interaction and sometimes the main source of information about the people we meet. Throughout history, faces have been the subject of fascination and fear, providing insights into someone’s identity and emotional state while also being a focus for social judgments and prejudices. And, according to a new review, […]

Saltwater crocodiles are not to be messed with – they’re the largest of all the living reptiles, have the strongest bite of any animal, and are notoriously unfussy about what they use that bite on. Still, even the most fearsome of apex predators haven’t mastered it all; these crocs might be good at swimming in […]

The year is 1962. The place: Scarasson, a glacial cave in the French Alps. Climbing out of the abyss for the first time in more than two months is a lone man, eyes covered in dark goggles to protect them from the light of the Sun. He has no idea what the date is; he […]

When and where did sharks first become so massive? The discovery of enormous shark remains from northern Australia has just changed everything we thought we knew about these supersized predators. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. We’ve long thought that gigantic lamniform […]

Landslides are – well, the clue is rather in the name: it’s “defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope,” explains the United States Geological Survey, or USGS. They’re a type of what’s known as “mass wasting” – a very general term referring to any movement of rock […]

On the relatively remote Japanese islands of Amami Ōshima and Tokunoshima, hops a very unusual bunny. The Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi), a dark-furred and ancient-looking animal, is unique to these islands and is a veritable living fossil. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full […]

Antarctica is known for being a rather inhospitable place, what with its extreme cold, violent winds, and low levels of water – it is technically a desert. Much of continent also sits at high altitude, making it a difficult environment for creatures to survive. But despite its harsh conditions, Antarctica is not completely devoid of […]

There are three rules to live by in life. Be kind. Wash your hands. And never, ever, store tomatoes and potatoes together. I know, you’re sick of being told what to do. “It’s my right,” you may be thinking, “to put the tomatoes with the potatoes.” And hey, I can’t stop you, but I can […]

We humans like to think of ourselves as the most advanced and sophisticated creatures ever to walk the Earth, but the truth is that we’re remarkably similar to apes. And as genetic discoveries continue to shorten the evolutionary distance between us and our simian relatives, the terms that we use to differentiate ourselves have had […]