Earth & Environment

Scientists discover a dinosaur with hollow skin spikes unlike any seen before

Paleontologists have discovered a remarkable new dinosaur in China—one that carried unusual skin spikes unlike anything ever seen before in dinosaurs. The find adds a...

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...

Safer plastics ahead: Scientists make polyurethane without toxic chemicals

Polyurethane is one of the most widely used plastics in the world. It appears in everything from furniture foam and insulation to coatings, adhesives, and...

Why one of Earth’s most common ocean bacteria is surprisingly fragile

One of the most abundant living organisms on Earth may also be one of the most vulnerable. A group of ocean bacteria known as SAR11,...

A pocket-sized dinosaur solves a 70-million-year mystery

Paleontologists have identified a new species of dinosaur so small it could almost fit under your arm—and yet it is helping scientists solve a...

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...

How to spot the warning signs of financial abuse

Financial abuse is one of the most common yet least visible forms of abuse in family and domestic violence. It happens when one person controls,...

Think bottled water is cleaner? It may contain more microplastics than the tap

Many people choose bottled water believing it is cleaner and safer than tap water. But new research suggests that this assumption may not always...

430,000-year-old wooden tools found in Greece rewrite early human history

Archaeologists have uncovered the earliest known hand-held wooden tools ever used by humans, and the discovery is changing what we know about early technology. Found...

Baby dinosaurs were a key food source for Jurassic predators, study finds

A new study suggests that the babies of the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth were once a crucial food source for meat-eating...

Ancient DNA solves a 12,000-year-old medical mystery

Scientists have uncovered the oldest known genetic diagnosis of a rare inherited disease, thanks to advances in ancient DNA research. By analyzing the DNA of...

A 40-million-year-old ant hidden in Goethe’s amber still has stories to tell

More than 200 years after Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s death, his curiosity about nature is still leading to new discoveries. Scientists in Germany have now...

FEATURED

Yellowstone bison now a single, thriving herd after 120 years of conservation

After more than a century of conservation efforts, researchers have discovered that the bison in Yellowstone National Park now form a single, large breeding...

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...

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...

Scientists dig deep to reveal Earth’s hidden layer

It's an idea worthy of a Jules Verne novel; a mysterious layer at the centre of our planet. Now researchers from The Australian National University...

‘Reverse fuel cell’ could convert waste carbon into valuable products 10 times faster

Researchers develop enhanced device to transform CO2 into valuable chemicals 10 times faster than previous versions. Fuel cells turn chemicals into electricity. Now, a University of...

Rethinking the Megalodon: not as bulky as we thought!

Gigantic shark was slimmer than depictions in movies. When you think of the Megalodon, you probably imagine a massive, terrifying shark, right? But a new...

A new ally in the fight against ticks: ant pheromones

As spring unfolds and nature lovers step outside to enjoy the warmer weather, they're not alone. The black-legged ticks, notorious carriers of Lyme disease,...

Small oxygen boost may have triggered major evolutionary leap

New research suggests that a small increase in Earth's oxygen levels could have triggered the Cambrian explosion, a rapid burst of evolution that occurred...