Earth & Environment
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...
Scientists turn mussel shell waste into a sustainable abrasive for jeans
A surprising new study suggests that discarded mussel shells—usually thrown away as food waste—could help make the fashion industry more sustainable.
Researchers from the University...
Rain, dust, and ‘badass’ microbes: How life takes hold on new lava
When a volcano erupts, it looks like the ultimate destroyer. Red-hot lava pours across the land, burning everything in its path and leaving behind...
How used coffee grounds can remove toxic metals
Millions of people start their day with a cup of coffee, but few think about what happens to the used coffee grounds afterward.
Most of...
The first alien civilization we encounter will be extremely loud
For decades, science fiction writers have tried their best to prepare us for eventual contact with aliens. Their efforts are dominated by several recurrent...
How cranberries can be a Christmas cracker for health this festive season
From festive sauces to brightly coloured juices, cranberries have long been part of our diets. Beyond their tart flavour and seasonal appeal, these red...
The ‘hobbits’ mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. New study reveals what happened to their...
About 50,000 years ago, humanity lost one of its last surviving hominin cousins, Homo floresiensis (also known as "the hobbit" thanks to its small...
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Lifestyle and environment play a bigger role in health than genes, study finds
A new study from Oxford Population Health has found that environmental factors like smoking, physical activity, and socioeconomic conditions have a much greater influence...
How ancient sea bugs protected themselves and breathed easier
Have you ever heard of trilobites?
Imagine bugs living in the sea hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the dinosaurs.
These ancient creatures had...
Jack Bogle: Don’t Try to Time the Market!
Market timing is the strategy of making buying or selling decisions of financial assets by attempting to predict future market price movements.
The prediction may...
What a reptile’s bones can teach us about Earth’s perilous past
An extinct reptile’s oddly shaped chompers, fingers, and ear bones may tell us quite a bit about the resilience of life on Earth, according...
Why do some gas stations charge more for fuel than others?
People who drive regularly are keenly aware of gas prices and their daily fluctuations.
Many things can influence the price per gallon, including the cost...
Earth can regulate its own temperature over millennia, MIT study finds
Our planet harbors a “stabilizing feedback” mechanism that acts over hundreds of thousands of years to pull the climate back from the brink.
Scientists create pocket-sized, sun-powered water harvester
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a handheld device that can suck water right out of the air and turn it...
New tool accurately predicts earthquakes across the U.S.
A team of over 50 scientists and engineers, led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has delivered a groundbreaking update in our understanding of...