Science
Scientific discoveries and research
Of gray whales that enter San Francisco Bay, nearly 18% die there, scientists find
Gray whales migrate from Arctic waters full of food to the lagoons of Baja Mexico—but as the climate crisis gathers pace, they have been sighted foraging in une...
From Jurassic Park to dreams of AI doom, pop culture shapes science more than we like to admit
The relationship between science and pop culture often looks like a one-way street: scientific discoveries inspire films, television and novels, particularly in...
How Artemis II's Earthset photo compares with the iconic Earthrise image from 1968
As NASA's Artemis II mission completed its lunar flyby, the astronauts sent back a stunning image of the colorful Earth setting behind the moon. This breathtaki...
Scientists build arsenic-lined crystal pore framework to boost rhodium catalyst performance
Rhodium is one of the most powerful catalytic metals known to chemistry. Small amounts of it can drive reactions that produce millions of tons of useful chemica...
How does spider venom damage human cells? Researchers uncover the killer mechanism of recluse spider toxin
Spiders are among Earth's most resourceful predators, nabbing prey by any means necessary. Orb weavers spin webs for capture. Wolf spiders ambush on the ground...
Embryo fossil found in South Africa is world's oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs
Between 280 and 200 million years ago, a group of animals evolved which would eventually give rise to mammals, including humans: the therapsids. They were first...
Advanced mirror technology now powers a breakthrough X-ray telescope
Scientists in Japan have developed a high-resolution X-ray telescope sharp enough to distinguish an object just 3.5 mm wide from one kilometer away, by combinin...
JAXA plans to bring back pristine early solar system samples from a comet
Japan's space agency, JAXA, has been knocking it out of the park with small-body exploration missions for decades. They had historic successes with both Hayabus...
Extinct ice age giants in Bender's Cave challenge existing climate records for the Edwards Plateau
A recent study by Dr. John Moretti of the University of Texas and local caver John Young uncovered the remains of Ice Age megafauna, revealing an entirely new e...
Scientists spot a solar flare with surprising spectral behavior
On August 19, 2022, solar astronomers using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) on the Hawaiian island of Maui caught the fading remnants of a C-class...
Astronomers find the strongest evidence yet for the universe's first stars
For decades, astronomers were only able to study the universe's very first stars using theoretical models. Now, observations from the James Webb Space Telescope...
A matter of taste: Did Neanderthals really like sapiens women?
Going by the headlines, the matter seems to be settled. El País announces that Neanderthal men "chose" sapiens women. Science journal speaks of a "partner prefe...