Dinosaur-killing asteroid may have created an underground oasis for life
The asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago is often remembered as one of the most destructive events in Earth's...
Scientists discover a key protein that makes rice more nutritious and tastier
Rice is one of the world's most important foods, providing a daily source of calories for nearly half of the global population.
It is also...
Ancient asteroid impacts may have helped life begin on Earth
A new study suggests that the intense asteroid bombardment that struck the young Earth billions of years ago may have played an important role...
Scientists discover the surprising secret behind how honeybees create queens
For many years, scientists believed that becoming a queen honeybee was mainly a matter of diet.
The idea was simple: feed a young larva large...
How a giant deep-sea creature can survive more than five years without eating
Deep in the ocean, where food is scarce and sunlight never reaches, lives a strange giant crustacean known as the supergiant isopod.
These armored creatures,...
Ancient Martian ocean? Vast clay deposits may hold clues to life on Mars
Scientists have discovered that huge clay deposits near the landing site of the upcoming ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover are much larger than previously thought.
The...
Scientists launch 10-year plan to build living cells from scratch
A team of scientists from across Asia has launched an ambitious project to create artificial living cells from non-living materials within the next decade.
If...
Scientists discover a surprising “jumping gene” on the Y chromosome
The Y chromosome is often described as the smallest and most fragile chromosome in mammals. Over millions of years, it has lost many genes...
Ancient seafloor creatures may hold the secret to the rise of complex life
Scientists have discovered that some of Earth's earliest complex life forms lived on the seafloor and depended on oxygen, challenging long-standing ideas about how...
These tiny California wildflowers may hold the key to saving plants from climate change
A small wildflower growing across California may help scientists understand how plants can survive a changing climate—and even offer clues for protecting other species...