New Research

An artist's conception of the view from Farout.

Meet Farout, the Solar System's Most Distant Minor Planet

Observations suggest the object is 300 miles in diameter, pinkish-red and 3.5 times as far away from the sun as Pluto

The reticulated siren.

Biologists Describe Legendary, Two-Foot-Long Salamander for the First Time

The reticulated siren was known locally as a 'leopard eel' until two researchers tracked it down and revealed its true identity

Corona image from the Parker Solar Probe

Solar Probe Sends Back First Image and Data From the Sun

The Parker Solar Probe survived its first swoop around our star and will get even closer on its next two dozen trips

Arctic Ice Is Retreating and Reindeer Are Going With It

Herds in Canada, the U.S. and Russia have dropped by over half in 20 years—and some may not recover

A City Frog's Love Song Attracts More Mates Than Countryside Croaks

Fewer predators and heightened competition for mates allowed urban tungara frogs to add more notes and frills to their calls, with big results Read more: h

Fruit Flies First Began Feeding on Our Fresh Produce About 10,000 Years Ago

It turns out the insects love marula fruit found in south-central Africa, which attracted them to human caves

Satellite Data Detects Hundreds of New Sources of Ammonia Pollution

Detailed data shows livestock operations and fertilizers plants are major sources of the pollutant

Lonesome George

Lonesome George the Giant Tortoise's DNA Reveals Cancer-Fighting and Longevity Genes

The iconic reptile and last Pinta Island tortoise passed in 2012, but a new look at his DNA is helping researchers understand genetics

No, Wait, This Is the Real Ava, a Bronze Age Woman From the Scottish Highlands

New DNA evidence drastically changes the image of the young woman buried in Caithness 4,250 years ago

Evidence Suggests Humans Reached "Roof of the World" 40,000 Years Ago

Over 3,000 stone tools show human presence in Tibetan plateau 20,000 years before previously thought

Dads Also Pass on Mitochondrial DNA, Contrary to Long-Standing Belief

A new study, which found paternal mitochondrial DNA in 17 individuals, upends the commonly accepted theory that mtDNA comes exclusively from the mother

Extragalactic Background Light

This Is How Much Starlight the Universe Has Produced

4,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 photons over 13.7 billion years

Meet your new zombie overlord.

These Wasps Hijack Spiders' Brains And Make Them Do Their Bidding

Larvae of the newly discovered species in Ecuador hijacks the spider to build a super-tough incubation chamber

Artist’s impression of Elasmotherium.

Modern Humans Emerged As Ancient 'Siberian Unicorns' Died Out—But Their Demise Wasn't Our Fault

A new study has found that the ancient rhinoceros went extinct 39,000 years ago—not 100,000 years ago, as experts previously believed

Could a Freeze-Dried Vaccine Spell the End of Polio Worldwide Forever?

The vaccine does not require refrigeration, meaning aid workers could get it to children in hard-to-reach regions of the world. So far, it works in mice.

It Takes 1.71 Days to Poop Out a Lego

Six intrepid volunteers swallowed the heads of LEGO figurines for the unusual study

Early Mammals Were Thought to Be Small and Unseen in the Age of Dinosaurs. An Elephant-Sized Fossil Complicates That Story

At a time when proto-mammals and other creatures were getting smaller, this dicynodont bulked up with the thunder lizards

Whales Change Their Tune Every Few Years

After becoming increasingly complex over a period of years, the songs are ditched in favor of simpler ditties, a new study has found

Lasius niger queen and worker ants each got their own individual two-dimensional barcode tags. The tags allowed researchers to track their movement in the colony.

Ants Take Sick Days, Too

A new study has found that when some members of the colony are exposed to pathogens, they spend less time in the nest

Brown Recluse Silk Is Stronger Than Steel Because It's Constructed Like a Cable

Thousands of nanotendrils come together to form the flat, super-strong spider silk

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