Science news

A “ghost” great white shark just reignited a 160-year Mediterranean mystery

The capture of a juvenile great white shark in Spain has provided fresh evidence that the Mediterranean's elusive "ghost" population of gre…

This newly discovered ballista spider catapults ants into a deadly trap

Scientists have discovered a “ballista spider” that builds a spring-powered silk trap designed specifically to catch aggressive green tree …

Earth may have been seeding Venus with life for billions of years

A new study suggests Earth may have been sending tiny hitchhikers to Venus for billions of years. Researchers found that asteroid impacts c…

Einstein Probe may have caught a black hole tearing apart a white dwarf for the first time

Astronomers may have witnessed one of the rarest and most dramatic cosmic events ever seen: a long-sought intermediate-mass black hole ripp…

This common vitamin deficiency can mimic normal aging

Vitamin B12 is needed in microscopic amounts, but a shortage can have major effects on health and energy. The vitamin was first linked to a…

FDA-approved drug may finally help immunotherapy defeat rare liver cancer

Researchers found that a rare liver cancer evades immunotherapy by luring immune T cells away from the tumor and trapping them in nearby fi…

After 70 years of excavation, ancient Sardis becomes a UNESCO World Heritage site

After nearly seven decades of excavation, the legendary ancient city of Sardis has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrating years o…

NASA’s Lucy finds a wobbling peanut-shaped asteroid with signs of ancient water

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered that asteroid Donaldjohanson is a wobbling, peanut-shaped relic born from a violent collision and slowly …

The universe may be hiding conscious minds stranger than we can imagine

What if consciousness isn’t limited to brains like ours? Philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober argue that consciousness could ari…

Scientists discover ancient brain cells that help block distractions

Scientists have discovered a tiny group of neurons in an ancient brain region that acts like a built-in focus filter, helping the brain ign…

Scientists discover hidden “footprints of death” that may help viruses spread

Scientists have uncovered a surprising new twist in what happens when cells die. As dying cells break apart, they leave behind tiny “footpr…

Why South Africa’s leopards shrank to half their normal size

A hidden population of South African leopards has revealed a remarkable evolutionary story. Researchers analyzing entire leopard genomes di…

Early humans were bringing fire into caves 1.8 million years ago

A new study suggests early humans were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave as far back as 1.79 million years ago. Researchers foun…

The tea in your kombucha changes more than just the taste

Scientists discovered that kombucha’s flavor, chemistry, and antioxidant activity vary dramatically depending on the tea used to make it. G…

A rare interstellar visitor triggered a SETI search for alien technology

SETI scientists searched the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS for radio signals that could indicate extraterrestrial technology but found nothi…

Scientists finally solved how H5N1 bird flu hid in dairy cows

Researchers uncovered why H5N1 bird flu attacks cows’ udders instead of their lungs: the virus’s preferred receptors are concentrated in ma…

Hidden bird species discovered in Japan after DNA reveals a stunning secret

A bird long thought to be a single rare species in Japan has turned out to be two. Scientists discovered that the elusive Ijima’s Leaf Warb…

This four-winged dinosaur may have terrorized Earth's earliest birds

A newly discovered feathered dinosaur called Jian changmaensis may be the missing predator responsible for mysterious piles of crushed preh…