Earth & Environment
Wildfire smoke may harm sperm quality, new study finds
As wildfires become more common across the U.S. and Canada, their effects may reach beyond breathing problems and heart health—new research suggests they may...
Would cockroaches really survive a nuclear apocalypse?
Popular culture loves to joke that cockroaches would be the last survivors on Earth if humanity ever faced a nuclear apocalypse.
The 2008 Pixar film...
When the Red Sea vanished—and came back in a giant flood
More than six million years ago, one of the most dramatic environmental events in Earth’s history unfolded in the Middle East.
The Red Sea, now...
Fossil ear bones rewrite the story of freshwater fish
A new discovery of tiny fossilized fish bones has forced scientists to rethink the origins of some of the world’s most successful freshwater fish.
These...
Scientists turn food waste into natural plastics for everyday packaging
Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time.
More than 400 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally every year,...
Scientists discover Europe’s oldest blue pigment in Germany
Archaeologists in Germany have uncovered something that could change our understanding of early human creativity.
At a site in Mühlheim-Dietesheim, researchers found traces of a...
Teen dinosaur fossil reveals secrets of dome-headed dinosaurs
A rare dinosaur fossil from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert is giving scientists new insight into one of the most mysterious groups of dinosaurs.
The fossil belongs...
The phone call wasn’t another birthday wish. It was about her mother’s heart.
Jasmine Hutchison wanted a classic 21st birthday celebration.
She’d never been all that interested in drinking alcohol but still wanted to go out to a...
Why the Moon’s “two faces” may have very different interiors
For centuries, humans could only wonder what the far side of the moon looked like.
Unlike the near side, which always faces Earth, the far...
Air pollution can make sleep apnea worse
A new multi-national study, presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress, has revealed that air pollution may worsen symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
OSA...
You’re likely not as immune to scams as you think—here’s why
What do Tiger Woods, Ben Stiller, Australian pensioners and dating app users have in common? Despite being from different walks of life, they have...
What noise does a fish make? New tool reveals the answer
For decades, ecologists have listened to the underwater world using sound recorders.
These devices capture rich soundscapes filled with cracks, snaps, and thumps, most of...
FEATURED
Is there a quick fix for ocean acidification?
The ocean is getting more and more acidic.
Can we solve it by emptying a giant bottle of antacid into the ocean?
Acidification is threatening the...
People arrived in North America thousand years earlier than thought
Stone tools and other artifacts unearthed from an archeological dig at the Cooper's Ferry site in western Idaho suggest that people lived in the...
New dinosaur discovery in China reveals rare long-necked species
Scientists in China have discovered a new species of dinosaur that lived around 165 million years ago.
The new species, named Jinchuanloong niedu, was a...
Solving a 200-year-old volcanic mystery: The hidden eruption of 1831
Researchers have finally solved a centuries-old mystery about a massive volcanic eruption in 1831 that caused global chaos.
Until now, no one knew which volcano...
House cats play a role in the spread of COVID-19
A recent study has shown that cats can catch COVID-19 virus and spread it to other cats and even their surroundings.
Mammals in the time of dinosaurs held each other back, shows study
A new study about mammal fossils reveals extraordinary results: it was not dinosaurs, but possibly other mammals, that were the main competitors of modern...
Scientists solve billion-year-old mystery of how continents formed
Scientists have long wondered how Earth’s continents first formed.
Now, a team of geologists from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has made an exciting...
Arctic’s ‘Last Ice Area’ could disappear sooner than expected
The Arctic’s "Last Ice Area" (LIA), a critical habitat for animals that depend on sea ice, could vanish within a decade after the central...