New Research

Cancer cells in culture from human connective tissue, illuminated by darkfield amplified contrast.

Nearly Two-Thirds of Cancer-Causing Mutations Are Unavoidable, Study Claims

But it's complicated—and the medical community is not in agreement about the new findings

One of the world's most iconic deserts was once lush and green. What happened?

What Really Turned the Sahara Desert From a Green Oasis Into a Wasteland?

10,000 years ago, this iconic desert was unrecognizable. A new hypothesis suggests that humans may have tipped the balance

Bird-like versus lizard-like hips define the two major categories of dinosaurs

New Study Restructures the Dinosaur Family Tree

Detailed analysis of dino fossils suggests that <i>Tyrannosaurus</i> and its relatives may be on the wrong side of the tree

These are actually tadpoles.

Now You Can Measure Male Fertility With a Smartphone App

A new device helps men monitor their sperm count from the comfort of their own home

Scientists used this MRI scanner to compare the brains of blind and sighted people.

Blind People’s Brains Rewire Themselves to Enhance Other Senses

New study finds marked differences between the brains of blind and sighted people

Nearly blind, Typhlomys cinereus thrives in the high forests of southeastern China and Vietnam—with a little help from another sense.

This Echolocating Dormouse Could Reveal the Origins of One of Nature’s Coolest Superpowers

Mice, moths and even humans use clicks and echoes to "see" the world around them

A San man prepares his arrows for hunting in the Living Museum of the Ju’Hoansi-San, Grashoek, Namibia

San People of South Africa Issue Code of Ethics for Researchers

This much-studied population is the first indigenous people of Africa to develop such guidelines

Ancient Crustacean Named After David Attenborough

The name, ‘Cascolus ravitis,’ is an allusion to the legacy of the beloved naturalist

The ancient damselfly's courtship ritual was caught in amber 100 million years ago.

Flirtatious 100-Million-Year-Old Damselflies Found Frozen in Amber

Scientists are learning about how insects evolved from their ancient come-hither dance

From the same DNA, different genders can boast dramatically different characteristics. Dung beetles are helping scientists understand how.

What Dung Beetles Can Teach Us About Sexual Difference

When it comes to sex appeal, it's not all in your genes (it's also in your proteins!)

This new map shows Earth's magnetic field from space.

This Magnetic Map Shows Earth as You’ve Never Seen It Before

Behold a new, super high-res view of Earth’s magnetic field

What a ring around Mars may have looked like

Mars May Have Had a Ring in the Past and Could Have One in the Future

The red planet's moon may have broken apart into a ring of debris and reformed several times over the planet's history

A diver documents dead coral in the Great Barrier Reef near Lizard Island in May 2016 after a bleaching event.

Repeat Bleaching Destroys Massive Swaths of the Great Barrier Reef

Rising ocean temperatures have taken a toll on the World Heritage Area

A scanning electron microscope image of the water bear.

How the Remarkable Tardigrade Springs Back to Life after Drying Out

A particular protein helps these these tiny critters survive dehydration for over a decade at a time

So Is 'Mona Lisa' Smiling? A New Study Says Yes

Compared to other similar images, the masterpiece's mouth registered as happy to almost 100 percent of the participants

Shortly after the announcement of the TRAPPIST-1 system, NASA crowdsourced its Twitter followers for possible planet names. The actual process of naming new planets, however, is a bit more involved.

How Do New Planets Get Their Names?

Sorry, Planet McPlanetface: Asteroids, moons and other celestial bodies go through a strict set of international naming guidelines

False-color x-ray of the purported 1.6 billion-year-old red algae

At 1.6 Billion Years Old, These Fossils Could Be the Oldest Complex Life

Three types of ancient red algae-like fossils captivate scientists, but many questions remain

New research strengthens the theory that different climates influenced the shape of the human nose.

How Climate Helped Shape Your Nose

New research shows how the width of our nasal passages is literally shaped by the air we breathe

Check Out the Most Detailed Tornado Simulation So Far

A supercomputer created a simulation of the F5 "El Reno" tornado which devastated part of Oklahoma in 2011

A spider munches on its prey.

Spiders Eat Up to 800 Million Tons of Prey Each Year

For comparison, whales eat up to 500 million tons annually

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