Earth & Environment
Whale hunting in south America began 5,000 years ago—far earlier than we thought
The history of whale hunting is much older—and more global—than researchers once believed.
A new study shows that Indigenous communities living along the southern coast...
How a 400-year-old shark keeps its vision sharp for life
In a quiet office at the University of California, Irvine, Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk watches a grainy video on her computer.
A massive Greenland shark drifts slowly...
This system reveals how super-Earths are born
One of the best things about being able to see thousands of exoplanetary systems is that we’re able to track them in different stages...
Why the Los Angeles fires were so destructive
Twelve months after devastating wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles, researchers are still uncovering lessons from one of the most destructive urban fire...
Your receipt could soon be made from trees, not toxic chemicals
Every day, most of us touch thermal paper without giving it a second thought.
It shows up as shopping receipts, delivery labels, movie tickets, and...
Walking on two legs began earlier than we thought
Scientists may have just pushed back the timeline for when our ancestors first started walking upright.
A new study suggests that Sahelanthropus tchadensis, a species...
The sticky problem of lunar dust gets a mathematical solution
Apollo astronauts discovered an unexpected enemy on the Moon. Fine dust, kicked up by their movements and attracted by static electricity, coated everything.
It found...
How air pollution may raise depression risk in older people
Air pollution is often talked about as a threat to our lungs and hearts, but scientists are now finding that it can also affect...
How a 4,000-year-old sheep solved a long-standing plague mystery
The Black Death is one of the most infamous pandemics in human history, killing roughly a third of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages.
That...
Tattoos, toxins and the immune system – what you need to know before you...
From minimalist wrist designs to full sleeves, body art has become so common that it barely raises an eyebrow.
But while the personal meaning of...
When humans disappeared, these birds evolved different beaks
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the UCLA campus, students weren’t the only ones affected.
A small brown bird called the dark-eyed junco also felt...
When disasters strike, home batteries could be a lifeline
Extreme weather is placing greater strain on Australia's power grids.
In 2022, the record-breaking Northern Rivers floods blacked out almost 70,000 households.
A powerful storm in...
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Hugging your partner may lower your stress hormone cortisol
Scientists from Ruhr University found that women instructed to embrace their romantic partner prior to undergoing a stressful experience had a lower biological stress...
Ray Dalio: My alpha and beta investment strategies explained
Ray Dalio is credited with being the first hedge fund manager to separate alpha and beta.
Alpha is the return over and above the market return. Beta...
WashU scientists help recover gases from moon rock time capsule
Apollo 17 astronauts Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan collected the sample from the site of an ancient landslide in the moon's Taurus-Littrow Valley.
The astronauts...
Scientists bring Australia’s mighty marsupial lion back to life with new fossil model
A new and improved model of Thylacoleo carnifex, Australia’s ancient marsupial lion, is now on display at the Naracoorte Caves in South Australia.
This updated...
When Earth’s magnetic shield faltered: a glimpse into cosmic ray bombardment 41,000 years ago
Earth is constantly shielded from harmful cosmic radiation and solar particles by its magnetic field.
However, scientists have discovered that this protection isn’t always as...
Air pollution linked to rising lung cancer risk in non-smokers
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer, with 2.5 million people diagnosed worldwide in 2022. While smoking remains the...
As Yelp turns 20, online reviews continue to confound and confuse shoppers
reviews have become a big problem that threatens to delegitimize online reviews altogether.
For example, a recent study estimates that fake reviews compel consumers to...
The science behind the flavors of your Thanksgiving meal
Americans will eat millions of pounds of turkey, cranberries, potatoes, pies and other favorites for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Cordelia Running, an assistant professor at...