New Research

Pluto, and its largest moon Charon, as seen from the New Horizons spacecraft.

Is Pluto Actually a Mash-up of a Billion Comets?

Researchers speculate the beloved dwarf planet could actually be a giant comet

Microraptors, dandruff and all.

Dinosaurs Had Dandruff, Too

Our ancient feathered friends shed skin in a similar way to modern birds and humans

Europe’s Oldest Known Tree Discovered in Italy

The Heldreich’s pine is 1,230 years old

Humans Make Up Just 1/10,000 of Earth's Biomass

Plants make up 80 percent, but human activity chopped that number in half over the last 10,000 years

Most Parents Want to Test Their Unborn Kids' Genes For Disease Risk

Despite the fact that they might not like what they learn

How a Copper Coin Mummified a Baby's Hand

The preemie was buried in a jar in an medieval cemetery with a coin to "pay" for passage into heaven

When it comes to diving, humans can't hope to keep up with flippered mammals. But an anatomist thinks she may have identified a crucial structure in dolphins that could help humans avoid the bends.

Dolphins Have a Mysterious Network of Veins That Could Be Key to Preventing the Bends

It might be possible to make an external device that protects divers from the deadly condition

The asteroid didn't just wipe out the dinosaurs—it wiped out the forests. Which meant anything that lived had to learn to live on the ground.

How the Ancestors of Birds Survived the Dino-Killing Asteroid

Forest cover was crucial to avian evolution, a new study on the mass extinction event asserts

The inscription unveiled when the tape was removed

Tape-Removing Gel May Be a Game Changer for Art Restoration

The newly developed hydrogel helps dissolve tape adhesive, one of the stickiest challenges for art conservation and restoration experts

Hitler's Teeth Confirm He Died in 1945

The first examination of Hitler's teeth permitted in 70 years shows the complicated dental work matches the Fuhrer's medical records

The oxygen distribution from MACS1149-JD1 appears green in this ALMA image.

Astronomers Find Signature From the Universe's Earliest Known Stars

The first lights may have winked to life just 250 million years after the Big Bang

For most humans, meditating in the snow would be highly uncomfortable. For Wim Hof, it's euphoric. Note: Wim Hof not pictured.

Science Explains How the Iceman Resists Extreme Cold

MRI scans reveal that Wim Hof artificially induces a stress response in his brain

Images of 2015 BZ509 captured by the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory.

Is This Backwards-Orbiting Asteroid an Interstellar Visitor?

The space rock could have been captured from another star system during the early days of our solar system

Who needs fuzz and pudge when you have this slimy smile?

The Adorable Chinese Giant Salamander Is Slithering Toward Extinction

The amphibians could actually be five separate species, some of which may already be extinct

Hundreds of Blue Whales Are Permanent Residents Off New Zealand's Coasts

Survey and genetic data show the whales of South Taranaki Bight are a unique population of non-migratory blue whales

Elephants walk across the road in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania.

One-Third of the World’s Protected Areas Are Threatened by ‘Intense’ Human Pressure

And that spells trouble for global biodiversity

Swabbing a chimp's nest.

Your Bed Is Dirtier Than a Chimp's

Human beds have far more bacteria associated with skin, saliva and feces than the nests of our primate cousins

Ceramic box base with a Chinese inscription that mentions  a  place, Jianning Fu, which dates from AD 1162 to 1278.  From the Java Sea Shipwreck.

An 800-Year-Old Shipwreck Helps Archaeologists Piece Together Asia’s Maritime Trade

A new date for the Java Sea shipwreck could shed light on the politics of Chinese trade routes

These Lizards Evolved Toxic Green Blood

The strange trait has developed four separate times and may protect the skinks from certain malaria strains

A denarius of Commodus

Greenland's Ice Provides a Year-By-Year Account of the Roman Empire's Economy

A new study finds that lead levels from Roman silver production rise and fall in relation to the Empire's political and economic changes

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