New Research

Are Rats Innocent of Spreading the Black Plague?

Human pests like fleas and lice may be responsible for spreading the pandemic that devastated Medieval Europe

Why Holding in a Sneeze Can Be Dangerous

A 34-year-old man squeezed while holding nose closed, leading to a tear in his throat and a stay in the hospital

Artists illustration of the K-138 system

Citizen Scientists Discover an Unusual Five-Planet Solar System

Users looking through data on Exoplanet Explorers flagged four sub-Neptune planets orbiting a distant star called K2-138

Scientists' Gender May Influence the Results of Experiments

A review of past research has found that subjects respond differently to male and female testers

New map of the Havre volcano

Scientist Autopsy the Aftermath of the Largest Underwater Volcanic Eruption of the Last Century

In 2012, miles of floating rock appeared in the Pacific. Now, scientists have studied the Havre seamount eruption that caused the mysterious pumice 'raft'

An etching of carts laden with corpses in the Piazza San Babila, Milan during the plague of 1630.

How Proteins Helped Scientists Read Between the Lines of a 1630 Plague Death Registry

New tech reveals bacterial contamination, what scribes were eating and how many rats were around

The Arecibo telescope, used to detect the Fast Radio Bursts

New Clues to the Origins of the Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts From Space

New analysis suggests that the bursts originate near massive black holes or neutron stars

The Oldest Known Butterflies Existed Before Flowers

A new study raises intriguing questions about the evolutionary trajectory of butterflies and moths

Eriauchenius milajaneae is one of the 18 new species of pelican spiders from Madagascar described by the scientists. This species was named after Wood’s daughter, and is known only from one remote mountain in southeast Madagascar.

Madagascar's Ancient 'Pelican Spiders' Are As Striking As They Are Strange

New research offers an in-depth look at the island's fascinating spider scene

A de-horned rhino lies in the sand at Hoedspruit endangered species centre in South Africa. Rhinos are particularly vulnerable during wartime due to illegal trade of their horns for weapons.

The Animal Cost of War

Even low-level human conflict can drive dramatic wildlife declines

Scientists Shine New Light on the Blackest Black Feathers

Birds of paradise feathers boast a unique structure that traps 99.95 percent of incoming light

The truth is in the tooth

New Research Dispels the Myth That Ancient Cultures Had Universally Short Lifespans

Teeth are key to identifying elderly remains

Climate Change Is Turning Green Sea Turtles Female. That's a Problem

Over 99 percent of turtle hatchlings in northern Australia are female due to increasing sand and sea temperatures

The mummified remains of a small child that bears evidence of an ancient Hepatitis B infection.

16th-Century Child Mummy Had Oldest Known Case of Hepatitis B

Long thought to suffer from smallpox, the genome of the 500-year-old mummy shows signs of HPB

Humans Like Helpers, But Bonobos Prefer Bullies

A new study has found that bonobos gravitate towards characters that push and steal toys

A male peacock spider, Maratus robinsoni

How Peacock Spiders Make Rainbows on Their Backsides

The adorable arachnids use specialized scales to break light into its component colors to produce some of nature's tiniest rainbows

A bat undergoing a UV light treatment

UV Light Could Help Stop the Bat-Killing White Nose Syndrome

Research shows the fungus is susceptible to UV light. The problem is getting bats into the tanning beds

A scientific illustration of the Upward Sun River camp in what is now Interior Alaska.

Genetics Rewrites the History of Early America—And, Maybe, the Field of Archaeology

The genome of an infant from Upward Sun River, Alaska offers tantalizing insight into the story of human migration

Drummers in Benin

Big Data Traces the World's Most Distinctive Musical Traditions

An analysis of 8,200 recordings from 137 nations shows nations in sub-Saharan Africa have the most unique rhythms and melodies

The Golden-crowned manakin (Paratype in Berlin's Natural History Museum)

Amazon Bird Revealed to be Extremely Rare Hybrid Species

The Golden-crowned manakin is the first-known hybrid bird species found in the Amazon rainforest

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