Earth & Environment

Ancient amber reveals how ants lived and interacted in the age of dinosaurs

Tiny insects trapped in fossilized tree resin are offering scientists a rare window into life on Earth millions of years ago. A new study of...

6 million years ago something slammed into modern-day Brazil

Giant impacts on Earth's surface can be cataclysmic events with far-reaching consequences. They can excavate massive craters like the Vredefort Crater. There's also growing evidence...

Your tires may be broadcasting your movements without you knowing

A safety feature found in most modern cars could also be quietly exposing drivers to tracking, according to new research from the IMDEA Networks...

Ancient love stories: How Neanderthal–human relationships shaped our DNA

Our DNA carries the history of ancient migrations, encounters, and relationships between different human groups. A new study suggests that intimate connections between modern humans...

Why complaining about your boss might actually bring coworkers closer

Most people have done it at least once—venting to coworkers about a frustrating boss after a long meeting or a tough day. Gossiping about the...

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...

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These types of dogs may bite children most

These types of dogs may bite children most

In a new study, researchers have found dog breeds and physical traits that pose the highest risk of biting with severe injury. They want parents...

1 in 5 shelter dogs carry ticks or heartworms, shows study

Ticks and mosquitoes are a headache for pet owners, and now it looks like they're causing trouble for shelter dogs too. A new study shows...

Why social media has changed the world — and how to fix it

Are you on social media a lot? When is the last time you checked Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram? Last night? Before breakfast? Five minutes ago? If...

Scientists find aging happens in sudden spurts during your 40s and 60s

If you've ever felt like your body is suddenly going through a lot of changes all at once, you're not imagining it. A new study...

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...

Civilizations could use gravitational lenses to transmit power from star to star

In 1916, famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein put the finishing touches on his Theory of General Relativity, a geometric theory for how gravity alters...

How to make building blocks for a lunar habitat

By 2028, NASA intends to land the "first woman and first person of color" on the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission. This...

US war on terror has cost $8 trillion, 900,000 lives in last two decades,...

Nearly 20 years after the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan, the cost of its global war on terror stands at $8 trillion and 900,000...