Earth & Environment
Air Pollution May Age Your Brain Faster Than Expected
Air pollution has long been linked to lung disease, heart problems, and early death. Now, researchers have found more evidence that the air people...
How early Earth’s unlikely chemical hero appeared
In early Earth's chemical soup, toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) was the unlikely hero ingredient.
Though a killer to all but a few lifeforms, HCN is...
How a new 30-inch pressure chamber is advancing deep-ocean exploration
Engineers at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have unveiled a powerful new testing chamber that can recreate the extreme pressures found in the deepest parts...
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...
Book publishing’s AI panic is here. And nobody knows what to do about it
The disruptive force of artificial intelligence is engulfing the world of book publishing.
In March, publisher Hachette Book Group pulled a forthcoming horror novel after...
Scientists develop cleaner, cheaper way to get lithium from hard rock
Lithium is one of the world's most important minerals because it is used in rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles, smartphones, laptops, and energy...
The Sun is changing and we don’t know why
Put your ear to the ground in the right place and you can hear a train coming from miles away.
Long before it appears on...
Prenatal Pesticide Exposure May Affect the Brain for Years After Birth
A new study has raised serious concerns about a pesticide that has been widely used around the world for decades.
Researchers found that children exposed...
Scientists Turn Pomegranate Waste Into Powerful Water Purifier
Pomegranate peels that are normally thrown away by food vendors could soon help clean polluted water, thanks to a new study by researchers at...
Strange Two-Legged “Crocodile Cousin” Shows How Weird Life Was Before Dinosaurs Ruled Earth
Long before dinosaurs became the dominant animals on Earth, the planet was filled with strange creatures that looked unlike anything alive today.
One newly described...
Hidden Chemicals May Be Secretly Driving the Global Obesity Crisis
Obesity has become one of the biggest health problems in the modern world. Over the past few decades, the number of overweight and obese...
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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...
Was the Moon captured?
The general consensus is that Theia crashed into Earth billions of years ago and led to the formation of the Moon.
The story doesn’t end...
Life on earth might really have started with clay
In mythologies and origin stories around the world, various cultures and religions point to clay as the vessel of life, the primordial material that...
These 165-million-year-old insects show early leaf mimicry strategies
Around 165 million years ago, some insects in what is now northeastern China developed an extraordinary trick: they evolved wings that looked almost identical...
Armor on butterfly wings could protect against heavy rain
A study of high-speed raindrops hitting biological surfaces such as feathers, plant leaves and insect wings reveals how these highly water-repelling veneers reduce the...
Scientists create first full 3D view of binary star-planet system
From above a planet about twice the size of Jupiter, this artist's conception shows the star that planet is orbiting and that star's binary...
When Earth’s magnetic poles took a very long time to flip
Earth’s magnetic field feels steady and dependable, but over geological time it is anything but fixed.
The magnetic north and south poles have swapped places...
Blind cavefish evolve super taste buds, shows study
Over thousands of years, a unique species of fish known as the blind cavefish has evolved to live in complete darkness, losing their eyesight...