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Reseachers observed sodium atoms breaking up into crystal particles that resemble tornado-like structures after entering a quantum state.

MIT Physicists Formed Quantum Tornadoes by Spinning Ultra-Cold Atoms

The experiment documented what happens when atoms cross from classical physics to quantum behaviors

In the largest-ever study of horse bones to date, researchers examined equine remains from 171 unique archaeological sites including castles and medieval horse cemeteries.

The Horses of Medieval Times Weren't Much Bigger Than Modern-Day Ponies

A study of the remains of 2,000 specimens reveals the steeds were around 4 feet 10 inches tall

University of Manchester paleontologist Joe Davis sprawls out next to the 32-foot-long skeleton.

Naturalists Accidentally Discover Britain's Largest Ever, Near-Complete Marine Reptile Fossil

The skeleton measures more than 32 feet in length, with a 6.5-foot-long skull that weighs about a ton

Dogs may even be able to suss out which sounds are words and which are just nonsense.

Good News

Dogs Can Tell the Difference Between Human Languages

Canines in the study could differentiate between Spanish, Hungarian and nonsense words

The gene-edited pig heart recipient, who was ineligible for a human heart transplant, is doing well three days after the surgery. 

In a First, Man Receives a Heart From a Gene-Edited Pig

The swine-to-person cardiac transplant offers hope for thousands in need of organs

With more reports on the rise, doctors and public health experts are emphasizing that vaccines against covid-19 and influenza are the best way to protect against cases of severe infection.  

Covid-19

What Is 'Flurona'? Cases of Co-Infections Increase Amid Peak Influenza Season and Omicron Variant Surge

In the United States, most infections are being reported in young children and teens

Preliminary evidence suggests that rapid tests like Abbott BinaxNOW and Quidel QuickVue struggle to detect the omicron variant during an individual’s first few days of infection. 

Should You Add a Throat Swab to Your At-Home Covid-19 Test?

Mounting evidence suggests the extra step might catch Omicron infections earlier than a nasal swab alone, but the FDA warns against it

China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), also known as the Chinese Artifical Sun, has operated since 2006.

China's Artificial Sun Just Broke a Record for Longest Sustained Nuclear Fusion

Superheated plasma reached 126 million degrees Fahrenheit for 17 minutes

The fish's movements, orientation, and location in the tank were translated into instructions for the wheels of the vehicle. The fish moves the car forward, backward, left and right.

Watch This Goldfish Drive an Aquarium on Wheels

The car was designed to move depending on the fish's location in its tank, showing animals can understand how to navigate foreign environments

Researchers counted fewer than 50 individual plants, which all grow in an unprotected area of the forest.

The First Newly Identified Plant Species of 2022 Was Named After Leonardo DiCaprio

Scientists credit the actor with helping save the Ebo Forest—the plant's home–from logging

Beavers can create shallow pools of water when they build dams, changing the landscape. 

Beavers Are Reshaping the Arctic Tundra. Here's Why Scientists Are Concerned

Ponds made by the large rodents are causing permafrost to thaw, releasing methane and carbon dioxide once stored in the frozen Earth

Scientists identified a link between the severity of air pollution events and the amount of land that burned in nearby regions in the preceding week.

Health Risks of Smoke and Ozone Rise in the West as Wildfires Worsen

High levels of two dangerous pollutants are occurring with increasing frequency, researchers say

A close-up shows Tianwen-1's gold body, a solar array that powers the craft, and various antennas in full with Mars as its backdrop.

China's Mars Orbiter Takes Selfies From Outer Space

The images were snapped using a camera deployed from the spacecraft, which floated away into the vastness of the cosmos

The telescope has five layers that dissipate heat from the sun. The sunshield's outer layer can reach 230 degrees Fahrenheit, and the last can drop to -394 degrees.

The James Webb Space Telescope Just Cleared Its Most Challenging Hurdle

The tennis court-sized sunshield fully unfurled itself this week, accomplishing the riskiest and most complicated aspect of the telescope's deployment

More than a quarter of American ICU beds are currently occupied by Covid-19 patients.

U.S. Sets Record With Over 1 Million New Daily Covid-19 Cases

Experts credit the recent surge to the spreading omicron variant and a lag in case reporting over the holidays

The Natural History Museum added two new species of carnivorous dinosaurs called spinosaurids last year.

Meet Some of the 552 Species Described for the First Time by London's Natural History Museum

Species of menacing dinosaurs, shiny beetles and an abundance of teeny invertebrates were new to science in 2021

Richard Leakey's most notable find came in 1984 when he uncovered a near-complete Homo erectus skeleton dated about 1.5 million years ago. The skeleton dubbed Turkana Boy is 40 percent complete and is the most near-complete fossil skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.

Famed Paleoanthropologist and Wildlife Conservationist Richard Leakey Dies at 77

His team's discovery of early human skulls and skeletons cemented Africa as the cradle of humanity

If found to be made of metal and a planetesimal, Psyche could reveal what the inside of planets like Earth looks like underneath the layers of mantle and crust, and further help researchers understand how the Solar System formed.

This Metal-Rich, Potato-Shaped Asteroid Could Be Worth $10 Quintillion

In August, NASA is sending an orbiter to the space object, which may be the partial remains of planet-forming material made of nickel and iron

Panda cub Xiao Qi Ji somersaults through the fresh powder.

See Pandas, Elephants, Cheetahs and More Enjoy a Snow Day at the National Zoo

At least six inches of snowfall covered Washington, D.C. this week causing closures and delays for residents, but the zoo animals were out to play

Exploding meteors, also called airbursts, happen with a chunk of space rock smashes into Earth's dense atmosphere. 

Boom Heard in Pittsburgh on New Year's Day Was Likely an Exploding Meteor

The energy released during the blast is as powerful as 30 tons of TNT

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