New Research

The Taj Mahal Gardens Have a Special Relationship to the Solstice

On the day the sun climbs the highest in the sky, careful alignments within the gardens and buildings of the beautiful mausoleum appear

These Birds Take Turns So No One Gets Too Tired Flying in Formation

“Reciprocal altruism” in a migrating flock of birds means that the more exhausting lead position is deliberately and equally shared

Being able to control "clock neurons" could help with combatting jet lag and fatigue.

Scientists Discover “Reset” Button for Circadian Rhythm

Could a simple reboot turn exhaustion into a thing of the past?

A male houbara bustard putting on an infinitely sexy "booming" display to impress the ladies.

Old Male Bustards Have Less Desirable Sperm

Male birds don’t just lose their female-wooing prowess as they age, but also their ability to sire healthy chicks

Vatican with the Tiber River and St. Peter's Basilica

Two of the Vatican’s “Ancient” Egyptian Mummies Are 19th Century Fakes

Specimens once thought to be the remains of children or animals are likely a product of the 1800’s “mummy mania”

An oil painting dated 1609 that is the portrait engraved by Martin Droeshout for the First Folio edition of Shakespeare's plays published in 1623.

New Research May Solve a Mystery Behind Shakespeare’s Sonnets

The first printing of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets was dedicated to a “Mr. WH”—has a scholar finally identified him?

These Dolphins Mourn Their Dead

A new study looks into a sad ritual at sea

Why We Can Thank Bats for Bedbugs

Scientists have proven through genetics that bats were the first hosts to the pesky parasite before passing them on to ancient humans

How You Shop Can Reveal Your Identity to Thieves

Women are more easily identified from their shopping patterns than men

Meet the Friendly Virus That Might Actually Be Good For You

Many people carry it, but it doesn’t make you sick and could actually fight against viruses like HIV and Ebola

Scientists Finally Know How Baleen Whales Hear

A beached whale, a supercomputer, a scientific mystery solved

A skull shows evidence of trepanation, an early form of neurosurgery that called for a hole cut into the skull.

Scientists Try Out 2,300-Year-Old Brain Surgery Techniques

Experiments conducted by a Siberian research team shed light on the neurosurgical methods evident in three Iron Age skulls

There's a Big Rift in Opinion Between Americans And Scientists

New study shows that citizens and scientists only agree some of the time

An artist’s interpretation of an alien planet and its star

Planets Formed Close to Their Stars Are Named for Vulcan, the Roman God of Fire

Closer to their stars than Mercury is to the Sun, these hot worlds deserve an explanation

Why “Expensive” Medicines Might Actually Work Better

Perceived cost might influence drugs’ benefits

Resin, similar to the kind shown here, is used by the newly discovered caterpillar to build its cocoon.

A Newly Discovered Caterpillar Makes a Deadly Fortress of Its Cocoon

Scientists have found a caterpillar in a Borneo forest that uses toxic tree resin to build an extra-safe home for its metamorphosis

Are You Binge-Watching Because You're Depressed?

A new study found that people who were depressed binge-watched TV more—and used TV binges to deal with negative emotions

The garden center spider combs and pulls on its silk to create electricostatically-charged threads

Spiders Spin Electrically Charged Silk To Make It Sticky

The garden center spider doesn’t put sticky glue on its web; it uses a complex spinning process to build prey-snaring silk threads

Being Politically Correct Can Actually Boost Creativity

In mixed-gender groups, being PC makes everyone more comfortable and lets ideas flow

An artist's illustration of Kepler-444 and its five planets

These Five Earth-sized Planets Are Super Old

Kepler-444 is 11.2 billion years old and its five planets could tell us about planet formation in the early universe

Page 177 of 254