Earth & Environment
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...
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...
FEATURED
The hidden dangers of nail salon chemicals people should know
That distinctive nail salon smell—sharp, sweet, and a bit tingly in your nose—is actually air pollution.
This air pollution can cause various health problems for...
Why quitting a job you used to love is OK
People who are passionate about their work, but then become less engaged in it, may stay at the job due to an exaggerated fear...
How the disappearance of great white sharks is changing the ocean forever
The sudden disappearance of great white sharks from South Africa’s False Bay is causing major changes in the ocean ecosystem, according to a new...
A journey of a woolly mammoth through time: Elma’s tale
Once upon a time, about 14,000 years ago, a woolly mammoth named Elma wandered through the lands that we now call Alaska and northwestern...
Baby formula is arriving from overseas. Will it curb the crisis?
A military cargo plane delivered 78,000 pounds of baby formula to Indianapolis from Europe on Sunday, with another shipment expected to arrive from Germany...
Will warmer weather help contain COVID-19? Not really, new research says
In two new studies, researchers suggest that the warm summer months will not strongly slow the novel coronavirus as it spreads around the globe.
They...
Earth may have been a water world 3 billion years ago
Earth's oceans may have been 1 to 2 times bigger than previously thought and the planet may have been completely covered in water, shows...
Mystery solved: Why moon landings leave strange dust patterns
Scientists have finally solved a long-standing mystery about the strange patterns of dust left behind by rockets landing on the moon.
These patterns, which appear...