Smart News Science

A close-up of the Dragon's Egg Nebula, with two mismatched stars inside.

A Stellar Collision Birthed the 'Dragon's Egg' Nebula, a Puzzling Structure in the Milky Way

The colorful cloud of gas and dust has a violent origin—and this explains the unusual traits of two massive stars within it, astronomers say

The tracks are located west of Ouray, Colorado, in the San Juan Mountains.

You Can Visit the World's Largest Continuous Dinosaur Trackway, Now on Protected Public Land

In the Late Jurassic, a long-necked dinosaur made a 270-degree turn while walking in present-day Colorado—and left behind a rare treat for paleontologists

The incident took place on the popular Redstone Trail in Nevada's Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Two Vandals at Lake Mead Toppled Rock Formations Made From 140-Million-Year-Old Dunes

Authorities are seeking information about the men, whose crime was captured on video on April 7

An artist's illustration of Gaia BH3 and its companion star's "wobbling" orbit.

Astronomers Discover a 'Sleeping Giant' Black Hole in Our Galaxy—the Second-Closest Known to Earth

Called Gaia BH3, the dormant black hole is 33 times more massive than the sun, making it the largest recorded stellar black hole in the Milky Way

Hibernating common eastern bumblebee queens survived for a week while submerged underwater in a lab.

Hibernating Bumblebee Queens Can Survive Underwater for Up to a Week, Study Finds

Researchers discovered the insects’ unexpected superpower during an accidental laboratory snafu

Bleached corals in the Great Barrier Reef during a previous mass bleaching event.

The World's Fourth Mass Coral Bleaching Event Is Underway—and It Could Become the Worst One Yet

The impacted reefs represent 54 percent of the planet's total, and that figure is currently increasing by 1 percent each week, NOAA scientists say

A two-spot octopus at the Aquarium of the Pacific in California. Female two-spot octopuses lay an average of 70,000 eggs.

Family Accidentally Ends Up With 50 Baby Octopuses After Their Pet—Thought to Be Male—Laid Dozens of Eggs

Now, the Oklahoma residents are working with aquariums and researchers that might take the babies

Captured at the zoo's in-house Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center, the CT scan reassured veterinarians that the chick was doing just fine.

Peek Inside a California Condor Egg Just Before It Hatched, With This CT Scan of the Baby Bird

Last month, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance welcomed its 250th California condor chick in its breeding program, and the CT scan helped determine the bird was well-positioned for hatching

French author Arsène Houssaye wrote the book in 1879, then gave a copy to French physician Ludovic Bouland.

A Book Bound With Human Skin Spent 90 Years in Harvard's Library. Now, the Binding Has Been Removed

In the late 19th century, a French physician took the skin, without consent, from a female psychiatric patient who had died

Workers install solar panels on the roof of King's College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

How King's College Added 438 Solar Panels to a 500-Year-Old Chapel

The project sparked debate over how to decrease carbon emissions while preserving the historic structure's architectural beauty

New research suggests that male bonobos exhibit aggressive behaviors such as chasing, charging, hitting and kicking more often than scientists thought.

Male Bonobos, Close Human Relatives Long Thought to Be Peaceful, Are Actually Quite Aggressive, Study Suggests

The new research found bonobos were three times more likely than chimpanzees to commit an act of physical aggression

The measles virus as seen through a transmission microscope. Rising numbers of measles cases in the U.S. threaten its eliminated status, according to a new CDC report.

U.S. Measles Cases Are Rising in 2024, CDC Warns

Health officials urge vaccination against the highly contagious virus, which has caused 121 infections in the country this year

Antarctic meteorite (HUT 18036) is found partially submerged in ice, as opposed to resting atop the surface. 

Meteorites Are Becoming Harder to Find as They Sink Into Antarctica's Melting Ice

The disappearing space rocks are burying valuable clues into the history and composition of our solar system, according to a new study

The nearly complete skeleton has been identified as a member of an extinct fox species, Dusicyon avus, which once roamed Patagonia’s grasslands.

New Research

Did Ancient South Americans Keep Foxes as Pets?

At a cemetery in Argentina, a 1,500-year-old fox buried alongside humans suggests a "close relationship" between the species, researchers say

A vineyard in central California that had been irrigated with PFAS-contaminated well water from firefighting foam used for years at a nearby airport.

EPA Sets First Federal Limits on Dangerous 'Forever Chemicals' in Drinking Water

Public water systems will have to test water and reduce levels of six types of PFAS if they aren't in compliance with the new rule

Avi Wigderson is the first recipient of both a Turing Award and an Abel Prize, math's top honor.

Mathematician Who Shed Light on Randomness in Algorithms Wins Top Prize in Computing

Avi Wigderson earned the 2023 Turing Award for wide-ranging work in theoretical computer science

The Lyrids are slated to peak on April 21-22, though the moon will be nearly full, which could make the meteors more difficult to see.

How to Watch the Brilliant Lyrid Meteor Shower This Month

Fiery streaks will illuminate the night sky from April 15-29, with the spectacle's peak occurring from April 21-22

A fish appears on the live stream from the Netherlands' Weerdsluis lock in Utrecht.

You Can Help Migrating Fish Traverse a Dutch Canal By Ringing This Digital 'Doorbell'

The live stream from the Netherlands, which lets viewers notify a boat lock operator when fish need to be let through, has become a popular pastime for people around the world

About 10 percent of the population is left-handed. Studies have identified a number of genes correlated with handedness that are related to microtubules, which help cells maintain their shapes.

Why Are Some People Left-Handed? Scientists Identify Rare Genetic Variants That May Be Linked to the Trait

The variants are present in fewer than 1 percent of people, but they were 2.7 times more likely to appear in lefties than in righties

Rangers look for tiny footprints in the sand and dig trenches to find the moles, which spend most of their lives underground.

Tiny and Rare, a Blind Mole That 'Swims' Through Desert Sand Is Spotted in Australia

Typically seen just five to ten times per decade, the elusive species has now been found for the second time in six months

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