Earth & Environment
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...
Biodegradable electronics may create microplastics, scientists warn
Electronics designed to disappear after use sound like a perfect solution to the world’s growing e-waste problem.
Known as transient or biodegradable electronics, these devices...
Your laundry is polluting the ocean—Scientists say this new filter can help
Every time we wash our clothes, tiny plastic fibers are released into the water.
These fibers come mainly from synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon...
Engineers find a way to watch desalination membranes clog in real time
As freshwater shortages worsen around the world, desalination—turning seawater into drinkable water—is becoming increasingly important.
But the technology that powers most desalination plants has a...
Scientists discover the youngest armored dinosaur ever found
For more than two decades, a small dinosaur from China has left scientists scratching their heads.
Known as Liaoningosaurus paradoxus, this strange fossil looked like...
Hot, humid weather may increase risk of kidney failure
People living in Australia's hot and humid northern regions are more likely to suffer from kidney failure than those living in cooler and less...
This brainless animal folds itself like origami, study finds
How does a living thing fold itself into complex shapes without a brain, nerves, or muscles?
A new study of one of Earth’s simplest animals...
Scientists discover 125,000-year-old elephant tracks in southeastern Spain
For the first time, scientists have uncovered fossilized footprints of large land animals preserved in ancient coastal sand dunes in the Spanish region of...
Not just cold and conflict: Roman troops at Hadrian’s Wall battled parasites
Nearly 2,000 years ago, Roman soldiers stationed on the edge of the empire faced more than cold winds, enemy raids, and homesickness.
New research shows...
Ancient “living rocks” absorb carbon day and night in South Africa
Along the coast of South Africa, strange rocky formations quietly grow in places where life seems unlikely to survive.
These structures, known as microbialites, look...
Why brown bears in central Italy are smaller and calmer than anywhere else
Living close to humans doesn’t just change landscapes—it can also change animals themselves.
A new genetic study shows that brown bears living near villages in...
FEATURED
Scientists discover new pterosaur species in sub-Saharan Africa
With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, a new species of pterosaurs has been identified from the Atlantic coast of Angola.
Scientists find a new way to protect the Earth from asteroids
In 2013, Chelyabinsk meteor caused extensive ground damage and injuries when it exploded on impact with Earth's atmosphere.
The meteor is not a big one....
Scientists find more smog-causing chemicals in Los Angeles than expected
Los Angeles has long struggled with air pollution, and despite progress over the decades, smog is still a major issue in the region.
Now, scientists...
If neutron stars have mountains, they should generate gravitational waves
A neutron star is 2 solar masses compressed into a ball only 12 kilometers wide.
Its surface gravity is so immense it compresses atoms and...
What’s next for the startups that banked with Silicon Valley Bank
For two days after the run on Silicon Valley Bank, hundreds of startups faced the prospect of losing millions and even billions of dollars of uninsured deposits in the bank.
Large study shows there is no “gay gene”
In a new study, researchers found that there is no single “gay gene” that could determine one’s sexual orientation.
They found a person's attraction to...
Social medias and the ‘like’ can make you depressed, new study shows
In a new study, researchers found that people who use social networks passively and tend to compare themselves with others are in danger of...
Scientists uncover earliest cattle herds in northern Europe in the Netherlands
Archaeologists have discovered the earliest evidence of cattle herds in northern Europe at the site of Swifterbant in the Netherlands.
By using zoological, botanical, and...