Earth & Environment
Why your dog tries to help and your cat just watches
If you’ve ever lost something at home, you may have noticed a funny difference between your pets.
Your dog might rush over, sniff around, and...
How a 600-million-year-old one-eyed creature shaped human sight
Long before humans, dinosaurs, or even fish existed, one of our distant ancestors looked very different from anything alive today.
Researchers now say that all...
Ancient amber reveals how ants lived and interacted in the age of dinosaurs
Tiny insects trapped in fossilized tree resin are offering scientists a rare window into life on Earth millions of years ago.
A new study of...
6 million years ago something slammed into modern-day Brazil
Giant impacts on Earth's surface can be cataclysmic events with far-reaching consequences. They can excavate massive craters like the Vredefort Crater.
There's also growing evidence...
Your tires may be broadcasting your movements without you knowing
A safety feature found in most modern cars could also be quietly exposing drivers to tracking, according to new research from the IMDEA Networks...
Ancient love stories: How Neanderthal–human relationships shaped our DNA
Our DNA carries the history of ancient migrations, encounters, and relationships between different human groups.
A new study suggests that intimate connections between modern humans...
Why complaining about your boss might actually bring coworkers closer
Most people have done it at least once—venting to coworkers about a frustrating boss after a long meeting or a tough day.
Gossiping about the...
Ancient eggshell engravings reveal early humans’ surprising math skills
More than 60,000 years ago, early humans in southern Africa were carving patterns onto ostrich eggshells—and new research shows these designs were far more...
Scientists find one of the smallest dinosaurs ever found in South America
Scientists have discovered a remarkably complete fossil of a tiny dinosaur that is helping to solve a long-standing puzzle about a strange group of...
Iron age mass grave reveals targeted killing of women and children in Europe
Archaeologists have uncovered chilling evidence of a large-scale massacre from about 2,800 years ago in what is now northern Serbia.
The discovery, made at the...
Breathing dirty air may quietly raise Alzheimer’s risk in older people
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and affects tens of millions of people around the world. It slowly damages memory, thinking...
40,000-year-old symbols may be humanity’s first step toward writing
Long before the first known writing systems appeared in ancient Mesopotamia, early humans were already carving mysterious symbols into tools, ornaments, and sculptures.
A new...
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More dogs in the neighborhood often means less crime
More people walking their dogs means less crime in high-trust neighborhoods.
If you want to find a safe neighborhood to live in, choose one where...
For a billion years of Earth’s history our days were only 19 hours long
It's tough accomplishing everything we want to get done in a day.
But it would have been even more difficult had we lived earlier in...
Ancient fish fossil unlocks 100-million-year-old secrets of skull evolution
Scientists have discovered something amazing about a really, really old fish fossil.
This fossil helps us understand how the skulls of animals with backbones, like...
Earth’s roof is slowly flowing: Satellites expose hidden motion beneath Tibet
A new satellite-based study is changing how scientists understand the forces shaping the Tibetan Plateau, one of the most dramatic and geologically active regions...
Scientists develop a new portable device to harvest water from air
Researchers at The Ohio State University have created a new type of water harvesting device that is simpler, more efficient, and more portable than...
Is the current standoff in Ukraine another ‘calm before the storm’ moment?
The Russian ground offensive in Ukraine is starting to show signs of slowing down, as President Vladimir Putin’s forces assume a more defensive posture...
Covid-19 pandemic results in 40,000 children losing a parent
In a new study from Stony Brook University, researchers found that around 40,000 children (est. between 37,000 and 43,000) had lost a parent due...
Africa’s forests are now releasing more carbon than they absorb, scientists warn
Africa’s forests, once powerful natural defenders against climate change, have begun releasing more carbon dioxide than they capture, according to a major new study.
The...