New Research

Matabele ant carries a wounded comrade home

This Ant Species Rescues Wounded Comrades on the Battlefield

Though it may be counterintuitive, a new study suggests saving the injured benefits the colony more than leaving them for dead

Gentoo penguin takes on a slope near its nesting colony.

A Penguin Colony's Rise and Fall, Recorded in Poop

A nearby volcano has decimated the gentoo colony on Ardley Island three times

An artist's rendition of Maven as it spies on Mars' atmosphere.

Mars Has Metal in Its Atmosphere

Metallic ions have a permanent presence in the red planet’s atmosphere—kind of like on Earth

You can't sit with us. You smell like poo.

Gut Check: Mandrills Sniff Poop to Avoid Peers With Parasites

Researchers have documented one of the first instances of social avoidance in a non-human animal

An artist's rendering of the new species Teleocrater rhadinus hunting a cynodont, a close relative of mammals.

Before There Were Dinosaurs, There Was This Weird Crocodile-Looking Thing

A new analysis of an ancient enigma offers clues as to how dino evolution unfolded

This snapshot shows Jupiter's swirling, banded atmosphere and signature vortices.

“Great Cold Spot” Discovered on Jupiter

The ancient storm was hiding in plain sight

Ingenious leafcutter ants have developed a successful symbiotic relationship with the fungi they farm. New genetic analysis helps pinpoint when, and why.

How Ants Became the World’s Best Fungus Farmers

Ancient climate change may have spurred a revolution in ant agriculture, Smithsonian researchers find

Are creatures like this at the bottom of animals' family tree?

Scientists Think Comb Jellies May Have Come Before All Other Animals

Sorry, sponges—there’s a new oldest ancestor in town

Computer-assisted reconstruction of the cavities

13,000-Year-Old Fillings Were “Drilled” With Stone and Packed With Tar

You can't handle the tooth

Califorctenus cacachilensis

Huge New Spider Species Discovered in Mexican Cave

<i>Califorctenus cacachilensis</i> is the width of a softball and represents a new genus of arachnids

New Survey Estimates Earth Has 60,065 Tree Species

Researchers from Botanic Gardens Conservation International compiled the list, finding that at least 10,000 tree species are at risk of extinction

Are orangutans aware that others have different minds than their own?

Monkeys May Recognize False Beliefs—Knocking Over Yet Another Pillar of Human Cognition

Apes may be aware of the minds of others—yet another remarkable finding about the cognitive abilities of non-human animals

Don't worry: It's beef.

New Study Fleshes Out the Nutritional Value of Human Meat

The caloric value of the human body is surprisingly low compared to other prehistoric food options

The view from GJ 1132b

Atmosphere Detected Around an Earth(ish)-Sized Planet

Just 39 light years away, GJ 1132b is 1.4 times the Earth's radius and has an atmosphere that may be composed of steam or methane

Heritage scientist Cecilia Bembibre captures the smell of a 18th-century bible at Knole House.

The Quest to Better Describe the Scent of Old Books

Describing a unique smell just got easier thanks to a pair of olfactory detectives

Artifacts Found in Indonesian Cave Show Complexities of Ice Age Culture

Pendants and buttons as well as carvings suggest the inhabitants of Wallacea were as advanced as Europeans during the Ice Age

Why Do So Many Hollywood Villains Have Skin Conditions?

A new study cautions that the scars and warts that afflict many movie villains could contribute to social stigmas

Birth weights declined near the Paradise Fossil Plant in Kentucky during the 1980s.

Coal-Fueled Power Plants Linked to Lower Birth Weights in Tennessee Valley

When nuclear power plants pressed pause, coal stepped in—and birth weights began to decline

The seven species studied

Slo-Mo Footage Shows How Scorpions Strike

Using high speed cameras, researchers uncovered the defensive patterns used by scorpions, including the super-fast death stalker

This Asiatic cheetah, caught on camera in the Naybandan Wildlife Refuge in Iran, is likely one of just dozens in the region.

Poaching Isn't the Cheetah's Only Problem

Humans isolate the rare cats with roads and fences—which can be as devastating as hunting them outright

Page 111 of 243