Earth & Environment
Why dance tracks dominate TikTok while love songs rule Spotify
What makes a song become a hit today?
While listeners certainly play a role, new research suggests that streaming platforms and their algorithms also have...
US is less prone to oil price shocks than in past decades
Oil is a global market, so when prices rise in one place, they rise everywhere. The current war against Iran has already raised oil...
Scientists grow chickpeas in “moon dirt,” opening the door to farming on the Moon
As NASA prepares for future missions that could send astronauts back to the Moon, scientists are trying to answer an important question: what will...
Elephants steer clear of humans much more than other wildlife, study finds
Wild animals do not all react to human activity in the same way.
A new study from Botswana shows that some species are much more...
Antarctica has lost ice the size of 10 Los Angeles cities in 30 years
A new 30-year study has revealed how Antarctica’s ice is slowly retreating along parts of its vast coastline.
Scientists led by researchers at the University...
Did the first land plants accidentally trigger two ancient ocean extinctions?
Hundreds of millions of years ago, the first plants began spreading across Earth’s land. This major turning point helped transform the planet into the...
Fossil bite marks reveal ancient predator hunts 280 million years ago
New research suggests that large land predators were already hunting big plant-eating animals more than 280 million years ago, much earlier than scientists once...
Mars Express reveals a landscape filled with ancient craters on the red planet
A new image captured by the Mars Express orbiter offers a striking view of one of the most heavily cratered regions on Mars.
The image...
Wildfire smoke may trigger more severe strokes
Air pollution is often thought of as a long‑term environmental problem, but new research suggests that even short bursts of polluted air may have...
Study finds doctors more likely to die at home
Many people wonder whether doctors make different choices about medical care at the end of life.
Because physicians understand diseases, treatments, and hospital systems better...
‘Forever chemicals’ may speed up aging in middle-aged men
Chemicals known as PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are found in many everyday products, from non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing to food packaging and...
How long do civilizations last
It is one of the most famous questions in science, and it was asked, as legend has it, over lunch.
Enrico Fermi, the physicist who...
FEATURED
Ancient DNA sheds light on Europe’s first people
Long ago, way before your grandparents, their grandparents, and even their grandparents' grandparents were born, humans were on the move.
They left Africa and began...
This Thanksgiving − and on any holiday − these steps will help prevent foodborne...
Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with friends and family around the dinner table. No one wants to cause their family or friends to...
Compound extreme heat and drought will hit 90% of world population
The frequency of extreme compounding hazards is projected to intensify tenfold globally due to the combined effects of warming and decreases in terrestrial water storage.
Ancient humans survived on the Tibetan Plateau for 160,000 years
A new study has found that the Denisovans, an extinct group of ancient humans, lived on the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau for around 160,000 years.
This...
Earth was stressed even before dinosaur extinction
Earth was already experiencing carbon cycle instability before the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, shows new study.
New evidence gleaned from Antarctic seashells...
A simple coating could help cut carbon emissions by 460 million tons a year
Ever thought about how much energy we could save if our power plants were just a tiny bit more efficient?
Well, researchers have, and they've...
What we can expect about the latest total solar eclipse on April 8
Just seven years after the last total solar eclipse in the United States, millions of Americans will once again be in the path of...
Mammals moved to the ground before dinosaurs disappeared, new study shows
Long before the asteroid hit Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs, many mammals had already started living on the ground, according to new research...