Earth & Environment
Scientists discover a key gene that helps shape the taste and quality of tea
Tea is one of the most popular drinks in the world, but the size of the young buds at the top of the tea...
Ancient Roman glass cups hold secret messages from their creators
In early 2023, art historian and glassblower Hallie Meredith stood inside a quiet gallery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art when she noticed something...
Scientists recover the world’s oldest RNA from a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth
For the first time in history, scientists have extracted and decoded RNA molecules from the remains of an Ice Age woolly mammoth.
The breakthrough, achieved...
Air pollution increases cardiac arrest risk, study shows
A new study conducted by the Politecnico di Milano in Lombardy has revealed alarming findings about the link between air pollution and cardiac arrest...
Why we fear rare disasters more than everyday dangers
People often panic over rare but dramatic disasters like plane crashes, terror attacks, or nuclear accidents—while ignoring more common dangers such as car crashes...
Common industrial chemical may cause Parkinson’s disease
Scientists from the University of Rochester and other research groups have found new evidence that a common chemical used in industries may be linked...
The AI boom feels eerily similar to 2000s dotcom crash—with some important differences
If last week's trillion-dollar slide of major tech stocks felt familiar, it's because we've been here before—when hype about innovation last ran headlong into...
Dinosaur eggshells provide a new way to tell time in the fossil record
Scientists have discovered a groundbreaking way to measure time in the distant past—by dating fossilized dinosaur eggshells.
This new technique could transform how researchers determine...
Ancient wallaby’s strong legs paved the way for kangaroo evolution
Australia’s kangaroos and wallabies are famous for their powerful hops, but how did they develop such extraordinary legs?
New research from Flinders University has uncovered...
Why self-driving car companies hide crash data—and how they could share it safely
Self-driving cars have been tested on public roads for decades, from San Francisco to Pittsburgh and beyond.
Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology promises safer roads and...
Continents slowly “peel away” to create ocean volcanoes, study finds
A team of Earth scientists has discovered that continents are slowly peeling apart from below—sending fragments deep into the oceanic mantle, where they can...
The ground is sinking fast in Arizona’s Willcox Basin — Here’s why
In Arizona’s Willcox Basin, just over an hour east of Tucson, the ground is sinking, wells are drying up, and deep cracks are splitting...
FEATURED
A deeply troubling discovery’: Earth may have already passed the crucial 1.5°C warming limit
Global temperatures have already exceeded 1.5°C warming and may pass 2°C later this decade, according to a world-first study I led.
The worrying findings, based...
Why baby pterosaurs, not adults, dominate the fossil record
For two tiny flying reptiles, death came suddenly and violently 150 million years ago.
Now, thanks to remarkable fossils discovered in southern Germany, paleontologists have...
How dinosaur extinction helped shape our fruit-eating ancestors
The extinction of giant dinosaurs millions of years ago may have played a big role in shaping the environment that led to the evolution...
Economic downturn looms, but may not swing election
Could an economic slowdown sway the outcome of this year’s presidential election?
Don’t bet on it, said Steven Kyle, associate professor of applied economics and...
Whales blow bubble rings at humans—and it might be a friendly hello
For the first time ever, scientists have documented humpback whales blowing perfect bubble rings during close and curious encounters with humans.
Much like someone blowing...
Climate change is rising winter waves in California, study finds
Climate change has become a hot topic around the globe. Everyone talks about how our planet is heating up. This global warming affects us...
Want to “age in place” someday? Take action now
There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.
If you’re old enough to remember watching the Wizard of...
Cambridge Dictionary names ‘quarantine’ Word of the Year 2020
‘Quarantine’ has defeated 'lockdown' and 'pandemic' to be crowned Word of the Year 2020 after data showed it to be one of the most...