Planet Earth

Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find

By Kristina Killgrove published

A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.

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Planet Earth
This photograph shows a view of the Zahara-El Gastor reservoir in Zahara de la Sierra in the southern province of Cadiz, during a drought episode on December 29, 2023.

Collapse of key Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for hundreds of years, study finds

By Sarah Wild published

Scientists modeled Europe's future if a key Atlantic current were to collapse and found that the continent faces a much drier future.

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Rivers & Oceans
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Space

Ethereal structure in the sky rivals 'Pillars of Creation' — Space photo of the week

By Jamie Carter published

The twin telescopes of the Gemini Observatory mark 25 years of discovery as students name distant nebula Ua ʻŌhiʻa Lan.

Astronomy

New 3I/ATLAS images show the comet getting active ahead of close encounter with Earth

By Brandon Specktor published

NASA and ESA both shared new images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS this week, as the agencies gear up for the mysterious object's closest approach to Earth on Dec. 19.

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Comets
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archaeology

Ash Pendant: The only known depiction of a pregnant Viking woman

By Kristina Killgrove published

The Ash Pendant was discovered in a Viking Age burial mound in Sweden and may have been used by a female shaman.

Vikings

The 'hobbits' may have died out when drought forced them to compete with modern humans, new research suggests

By Owen Jarus published

A reduction in rainfall may have played a sizable role in the extinction of Homo floresiensis, the archaic human species nicknamed the "hobbit," a new study finds.

Human Evolution
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World of science

Health

white, pink and orange illustrations of leukemia in white blood cell

Science history: Female chemist initially barred from research helps develop drug for remarkable-but-short-lived recovery in children with leukemia — Dec. 6, 1954

By Tia Ghose published

In December 1954, Gertrude Elion and colleagues described a new compound they had developed that sent children with leukemia into remission. It would guide a new approach to "rational drug design."

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Cancer

CDC panel, stuffed with vaccine skeptics, votes to end recommendation for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination

By Nicoletta Lanese, Tia Ghose published

The CDC's vaccine committee has voted to roll back a universal recommendation that newborns be vaccinated against hepatitis B, which is one of public health's major success stories.

Viruses, Infections & Disease

Could aging eggs be 'rejuvenated'? New tool may help pave the way to fertility-extending treatments

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Scientists invented a new experimental system to study how age-related changes in egg cells make them more prone to chromosomal errors.

Fertility, Pregnancy & Birth
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Animals

18,000 dinosaur tracks discovered along ancient Bolivian coastline — and they set a new record

By Sascha Pare published

Researchers have counted 16,600 fossilized dinosaur footprints and 1,378 swim tracks at a site in Bolivia that showcase a variety of behaviors and different theropods from the Cretaceous period.

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Dinosaurs

Anacondas became massive 12 million years ago — and it worked so well, they haven't changed size since

By Skyler Ware published

The snakes stayed large and thrived even when cooling temperatures and shrinking habitats killed off other giant reptiles millions of years ago.

Snakes

What's the difference between a newt and a salamander?

By Alice Sun published

Salamanders and newts are both long-tailed amphibians, but what's the difference between them?

Animals
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Human Behavior

Time may be a psychological projection, philosopher argues

By Adrian Bardon published

Is time real, or an illusion? The best answer may be neither: Both physics and philosophy suggest that time is a projection of the mind onto a timeless reality.

Human Behavior

There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you

By Kit Yates published

Opinion How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility.

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Opinion
scientist holding test tubes with illustration of money symbols and a sand timer on a blue background

Citation cartels, ghost writing and fake peer-review: Fraud is causing a crisis in science — here's what we need to do to stop it

By Kit Yates published

Opinion Thousands of scientific papers are retracted every year because of fraudulent activity, with both authors and journals gaming a system to gain academic acclaim through deceit, dishonesty and false representation.

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Opinion
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Physics & Mathematics

Law of 'maximal randomness' explains how broken objects shatter in the most annoying way possible

By Skyler Ware published

A new mathematical equation describes the distribution of different fragment sizes when an object breaks. Remarkably, the distribution is the same for everything from bubbles to spaghetti.

Mathematics

World's largest neutrino detector starts up — with incredible results

By Rory Harris last updated

Deep underground in southern China, there is a 20,000-ton tank of liquid that can detect neutrinos. Named JUNO, the detector's first results are in — and they're very promising.

Particle Physics
Gamma-ray intensity map superimposed in the corner of an image of a galaxy.

Did a NASA telescope really 'see' dark matter? Strange gamma-rays spark bold claims, but scientists urge caution

By Elizabeth Howell published

A new study says observations from the NASA Fermi space telescope suggest a halo of dark matter around the center of our galaxy, but more information is needed to confirm the result.

Dark Matter
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Chemistry

Scientists invent way to use E. coli to create and dye rainbow-colored fabric in the lab

By Mason Wakley published

Scientists have used a novel method to create sustainable, rainbow-colored fibers using bacteria in the lab.

Chemistry
an animation of a spinning buckyball molecule

Science history: Chemists discover buckyballs — the most perfect molecules in existence — Nov. 14, 1985

By Tia Ghose published

Over a feverish 10-day period, scientists synthesized and described a new class of carbon molecules, called buckminster fullerenes, after the iconic 20th-century inventor.

Chemistry

Why does boiling water have bubbles, except in a microwave?

By Victoria Atkinson published

Bubbles are usually the first sign that water’s coming to the boil, but heating it in a microwave seems to skip this important step. Here’s what’s going on.

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Chemistry
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Technology

A laptop with a bright image of a digital printed circuit board on the screen.

New 'physics shortcut' lets laptops tackle quantum problems once reserved for supercomputers and AI

By Owen Hughes published

Physicists have transformed a decades-old technique for simplifying quantum equations into a reusable, user-friendly "conversion table" that works on a laptop and returns results within hours.

Computing
Two prototypes of the ultrasonic system used to “shake” water out of an atmospheric water harvester.

MIT invention uses ultrasound to shake drinking water out of the air, even in dry regions

By Owen Hughes published

A new device cuts down the time it takes to harvest water from the atmosphere from days to minutes, MIT researchers say.

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Engineering
Vector of a man working with a robot sitting at table. Symbol of future cooperation and technology advance

When an AI algorithm is labeled 'female,' people are more likely to exploit it

By Damien Pine published

People who played the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” were less likely to cooperate when the other player was a male human or AI, and exploited female players.

Artificial Intelligence
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