Earth & Environment
Ancient eggshell engravings reveal early humans’ surprising math skills
More than 60,000 years ago, early humans in southern Africa were carving patterns onto ostrich eggshells—and new research shows these designs were far more...
Scientists find one of the smallest dinosaurs ever found in South America
Scientists have discovered a remarkably complete fossil of a tiny dinosaur that is helping to solve a long-standing puzzle about a strange group of...
Iron age mass grave reveals targeted killing of women and children in Europe
Archaeologists have uncovered chilling evidence of a large-scale massacre from about 2,800 years ago in what is now northern Serbia.
The discovery, made at the...
Breathing dirty air may quietly raise Alzheimer’s risk in older people
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and affects tens of millions of people around the world. It slowly damages memory, thinking...
40,000-year-old symbols may be humanity’s first step toward writing
Long before the first known writing systems appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, early humans were already carving mysterious symbols into tools, ornaments, and sculptures.
A new...
Scientists create a “cloud in a box” to unlock weather’s biggest mysteries
In a laboratory at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists recently witnessed something remarkable: the birth of a cloud inside a...
Why we may still be waiting for an alien signal
Since the first Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) experiment in 1960, scientists have been scanning the Milky Way for signs of advanced alien civilizations.
They...
Why dark pool trading could make stock market crashes more likely
A growing share of stock trading is moving away from traditional public exchanges into private electronic platforms known as “dark pools.”
While these venues offer...
Scientists discover new Spinosaurus species deep in the Sahara
Scientists have discovered a new species of the famous dinosaur Spinosaurus in the central Sahara Desert, revealing surprising details about how these unusual predators...
Could the world’s smallest possum be living on the Yorke Peninsula
A tiny, threatened marsupial not known to have inhabited South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula may exist as a relict population and still be clinging to...
Traffic pollution may increase breast cancer risk
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting women, and understanding what increases the risk has been a major focus of medical...
Why so many space rocks look like snowmen
Far beyond Neptune, at the cold edge of our solar system, millions of icy objects drift quietly in a region called the Kuiper Belt.
These...
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Inflation and small businesses: How 2024 changed the game
In 2024, inflation continued to be a pressing issue for small businesses around the world. Rising costs of goods, services, and labor made it...
Oops! Too much manganese in our tap water!
Did you know that there's a metal called manganese in your tap water?
Most of us don't think about it because it's usually in tiny...
Did long childhood shape the evolution of the human brain?
Humans have a uniquely long childhood compared to great apes, during which we develop the skills needed to navigate our complex social lives.
Scientists have...
Why did modern humans replace the Neanderthals?
Why did humans take over the world while our closest relatives, the Neanderthals, became extinct?
It's possible we were just smarter, but there's surprisingly little...
Why some icebergs are green
In a new study, researchers explain why some icebergs have green color instead of the normal blue.
The study was done by a team from...
Researchers predict the Oscars 2022, with mild spoilers
Ahead of the 94th Academy Awards, which will return to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 27, Penn Cinema and Media Studies...
How to enjoy a gluten-free Thanksgiving dinner
Thanksgiving is a holiday built around a meal. And the meal is a specific one, with the menu largely set in stone.
This can cause...
DeepSeek’s low-cost AI chatbot is a win for the whole industry, expert says
The Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent shockwaves throughout the AI world with the release of its less-resource-intensive AI chatbot, calling into question the amount...