How oxygen masks brought down a plane
When oxygen masks drop from the airplane ceiling, they’re not connected to a big tank of gas. Instead, a chemical reaction supplies oxygen to passengers. But...
How did the Earth and moon form?
The Earth formed over 4.6 billion years ago out of a mixture of dust and gas around the young sun. It grew larger thanks to...
Could we really deflect an asteroid heading for Earth
A NASA spacecraft the size of a golf cart has been directed to smash into an asteroid, with the intention of knocking it slightly...
Loss of ancient grazers triggered a global rise in fires, shows Yale study
From 50,000 years to 6,000 years ago, many of the world’s largest animals, including such iconic grassland grazers as the woolly mammoth, giant bison,...
Ancient human relative walked like a human, but climbed like an ape
Scientists have discovered a two-million-year-old fossil vertebrae from an extinct species of ancient human relatives. The recovery of new lumbar vertebrae from the lower back...
X-rays may save Henry VIII’s revered ship, the Mary Rose
The crown jewel of Henry VIII’s 16th century fleet was its flagship, the venerable Mary Rose. More than 500 years after its launch, the vessel...
Scientists discover water bear fossil in a 16-million-year-old amber
Good luck finding an animal tougher than a tardigrade. These tiny creatures are famous for their ability to survive in the most extreme conditions, including...
Archaeologists discover salt workers’ residences at underwater ancient Maya site
The ancient Maya had stone temples and palaces in the rainforest of Central America, along with dynastic records of royal leaders carved in stone,...
Scientists find new force behind past mass extinction event
A team of scientists has identified an additional force that likely contributed to a mass extinction event 250 million years ago. Its analysis of minerals...
Scientists find a new mineral that should not be on the Earth surface
Scientists have discovered a new mineral on the surface of the Earth. There’s just one catch: it shouldn’t be here. The mineral — entrapped in...