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A meteorite 100 times bigger than the dinosaur-killing space rock may have nourished early microbial life

Stephanie Pappas published 2 November 24

On a young Earth, giant meteors might have been a harbinger of life, not death.

380 million-year-old remains of giant fish found in Australia. Its 'living fossil' descendant, the coelacanth, is still alive today.

Richard Cloutier, Alice Clement, John Long published 2 November 24

Researchers have discovered a new extinct species of coelacanth that lived 380 million years ago.

New memory chip controlled by light and magnets could one day make AI computing less power-hungry

Skyler Ware published 2 November 24

A new type of ultrafast memory uses optical signals and magnets to efficiently process and store data.

Northern sea robin: The bizarre fish with crab legs it uses to taste the seafloor

Hannah Osborne published 2 November 24

The northern sea robin is a strange-looking fish with legs that it uses to "taste" the seafloor.

Huge lithium deposits are in Nevada. Here's why.

Evan Howell, Eos.org published 2 November 24

Nevada is becoming a major producer of lithium, thanks to topography, climate, and geologic serendipity.

What really caused encephalitis lethargica, the mysterious disease described in the movie "Awakenings"?

Jonathan Rogers published 2 November 24

Revisiting a disease that affected a million people might provide answers we need for the future.

Planet Earth

Hang Son Doong: The world's biggest cave, so 'outrageous in size' it fits 2 jungles and the 'Great Wall of Vietnam'

By Sascha Pare published 1 November 24

Vietnam's Son Doong cave is so large, you could squeeze 15 Great Pyramids of Giza inside it and fly a Boeing 747 airplane through some of its passages.

Earth is racing toward climate conditions that collapsed key Atlantic currents before the last ice age, study finds

By Sascha Pare published 31 October 24

Global warming during the Last Interglacial period caused so much Arctic ice to melt that Atlantic currents collapsed — and scientists say these are the conditions we could be heading toward.

• 2 New memory chip controlled by light and magnets could one day make AI computing less power-hungry
• 3 Northern sea robin: The bizarre fish with crab legs it uses to taste the seafloor
• 4 Huge lithium deposits are in Nevada. Here's why.
• 5 What really caused encephalitis lethargica, the mysterious disease described in the movie "Awakenings"?

Watch sun erupt in 1st images from NOAA's groundbreaking new satellite

By Samantha Mathewson published 2 November 24

NOAA shared new images taken by the world's first operational space-based coronagraph, CCOR-1, captured during a solar storm outburst.

Watch the 'Halloween comet' ATLAS burn up as it flies into the sun

By Brett Tingley published 31 October 24

Watch Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) make a death dive into the sun in this eerie footage from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft.

archaeology

'Mind-blowing' discovery reveals 5,000-year-old cultic building in Israel

By Margherita Bassi published 1 November 24

The remains of a 5,000-year-old structure that likely had cultic purposes is one of the oldest public buildings ever found in Israel.

Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement hidden in Saudi Arabian oasis

By Owen Jarus published 30 October 24

A Bronze Age settlement hidden on the Arabian Peninsula reveals secrets about the slow growth of urbanization in the region.

Can viruses cause cancer?

By Marilyn Perkins published 2 November 24

The far-reaching impact of certain viruses on the body can make cells grow out of control, causing cancer.

Natural selection is unfolding right now in these remote villages in Nepal

By Emily Cooke published 1 November 24

Physiological traits that help Tibetan women survive at high altitudes are being selected for within the population, meaning they may be becoming more common, new research hints.

How does licorice interfere with medications?

By Clarissa Brincat published 1 November 24

Eating licorice regularly, in large quantities or with certain medications can cause serious side effects. But why is that?

Oldest tadpole on record was a Jurassic giant

By Sierra Bouchér published 30 October 24

The fossilization of the tadpole's "delicate structures," like its eyes and gills, allowed for a detailed analysis of the rare find.

From black cats to white spirit bears, 'superstitions, lore and myths can shape your subconscious' − biases that have real effects

By Elizabeth Carlen, Tyus Williams published 27 October 24

What may be scariest about a spooky black cat is the way superstition and tradition shape people's perceptions and biases about animals based only on their color.

Babirusa: The prehistoric 'deer' pigs with huge antler teeth

By Lydia Smith published 26 October 24

Babirusas are believed to have diverged from their pig ancestors between 26 million and 12 million years ago after getting isolated on Sulawesi when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.

Human Behavior

How many nuclear bombs have been used?

By Sierra Bouchér published 26 October 24

The first nuclear bomb test, conducted in 1945, set off an international arms race that included nuclear testing. But how many nuclear bombs have been detonated during tests and in active war?

What's the scientific explanation for 'ghost encounters'?

By Patrick Pester published 19 October 24

People all over the world believe they've seen or heard a ghost, but there's no scientific evidence for spirits, hauntings or the paranormal. So what's behind these "encounters"?

28 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated 18 October 24

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Physics & Mathematics

High school students who came up with 'impossible' proof of Pythagorean theorem discover 9 more solutions to the problem

By Sascha Pare published 28 October 24

In a new peer-reviewed study, Ne'Kiya Jackson and Calcea Johnson outlined 10 ways to solve the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry, including a proof they discovered in high school.

Keeping time: The history, origin and meanings of B.C. and A.D.

By Robert Coolman, Owen Jarus last updated 24 October 24

The use of "anno domini" and "before Christ" to mark time began in the early days of Christianity, when clerics needed to know when Easter would fall.

What is the largest known prime number?

By Charles Q. Choi last updated 23 October 24

There are infinitely many prime numbers, but the biggest one we know of goes by the name M82589933 and contains more than 24 million digits.

Chemists broke a 100-year-old rule to make extremely unstable molecules

By Skyler Ware published 1 November 24

Scientists have just broken a 100-year-old chemistry rule and synthesized a type of 3D, unstable molecule called an anti-Bredt olefin.

Periodic table of elements quiz: How many elements can you name in 10 minutes?

By Alexander McNamara published 14 October 24

Can you name everything from Ac to Zr? Test your knowledge of the periodic table and see if you can top the leaderboard

Watch atoms fuse into world's 'smallest bubble' of water in 1st-of-its-kind 'nanoscale' video

By Harry Baker published 10 October 24

A new study captured never-before-seen footage of hydrogen and oxygen atoms combining to form a miniature water droplet out of "thin air." The newly improved reaction could one day help astronauts make water in space.

Watch this terrifying robotic torso spring into life

Startup Clone Robotics has created an ultra-creepy humanoid torso with artificial muscles that are activated through a battery-powered hydraulic system and covered in ghostly-white "skin."

Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot can now 'play fetch' — thanks to MIT breakthrough

By Roland Moore-Colyer published 31 October 24

The future of smarter robots may lie in combining neural networks with advanced computer vision.

Drones could use 'robotic cat's eyes' to track targets more precisely than ever before

By Keumars Afifi-Sabet published 30 October 24

A new computer vision system inspired by the design of a feline eye could give future drones and other military robots the ability to track targets in low-visibility and dynamic environments.