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Stories from Sara Hashemi

A fateful meeting between ancestors of tomatoes and potatoes allowed for the growth of tubers, the edible part of potatoes today, according to a new study.

The Potato May Have Evolved From a Tomato Ancestor Nine Million Years Ago, Genetic Study Suggests

A genome analysis indicates wild tomatoes and a potato-like plant called Etuberosum hybridized to create the modern potato

Seeing a potentially infectious person might kickstart the body's immune system, according to a new study.

The Mere Sight of Someone Sick Triggers an Immune Response, Study Suggests

Researchers equipped study participants with virtual reality headsets and observed how their brains and immune systems reacted to avatars with signs of illness

Scientists filmed the way killer whales hunt together. These images show one of the animals turning toward the other after a tail slap delivers a shock to herring.

Killer Whales Hunt Fish in Highly Coordinated Pairs and Perfect Their Movements With Practice, Drone Videos Reveal

Footage taken off the coast of Norway reveals that orcas team up to maximize their prey, according to a new study

Researchers found fragments of fossils representing prehistoric mollusks, crustaceans and worms among rocks at the Grand Canyon.

Trove of Fossils Uncovered in the Grand Canyon Offers a Rare Glimpse Into Cambrian Life, With Toothy Worms and Slug-Like Mollusks

Rocks found along the Colorado River in Arizona turned out to contain fossilized fragments of soft-bodied creatures, suggesting the site may have been an “evolutionary hotbed”

The Perseid meteor shower in 2023. Although the prolific shower is not currently at its peak, astronomers recommend catching a glimpse before the moon gets too bright.

How to Watch This Week’s Stunning Dual Meteor Shower and More Upcoming Celestial Events

You can catch meteor showers and a special lunar display early this week, and keep an eye out for the popular Perseids

Early detection cancer tests are showing signs of promise, but some researchers still have reservations.

Cancer DNA Can Be Detected in the Bloodstream Up to Three Years Before Diagnosis, Study Suggests

For a few individuals, scientists found genetic material from cancerous tumors in blood samples taken years before they were diagnosed through traditional methods

A screenshot from the CCTV footage reveals the moment when the ground moved.

CCTV Footage Captures the First-Ever Video of an Earthquake Fault in Motion, Shining a Rare Light on Seismic Dynamics

A clip recorded in Myanmar in March reveals a curved path of the fault slip, which can help scientists better understand the physics of such events

The ice cores were collected from East Antarctica's Dome C and are now being held in a freezer room at the British Antarctic Survey.

Scientists Will Melt the World’s ‘Oldest Ice’ to Reveal Its Secrets and Uncover a Climate Record of 1.5 Million Years

The ice cores could offer clues about a period known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition that has long puzzled scientists

Scientists observed the faint companion star, shown in blue, by using a speckle imager mounted on the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii to capture several short exposures.

Astronomers Say They’ve Finally Spotted Betelgeuse’s Companion Star, Long Predicted to Exist but Never Seen

The discovery, if confirmed, could explain Betelgeuse’s mysterious six-year oscillations in brightness

The push and pull between the Earth and its moon impacts our planet's rotation.

Today Will Likely Be Shorter Than Usual, and It Will Happen Again in August. Here’s Why

Because of the moon’s position, Earth is rotating just over a millisecond faster than usual on a few days this summer

An artist's reconstruction of the giant ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus (left), featured in the study, and researchers examining part of the creature's flipper at Sweden's Lund University (right).

Fossil Flipper Reveals Ichthyosaurs Hunted in Lethal Silence With Unique Adaptations for Stealth

An analysis of a roughly 180-million-year-old fossil fin reveals serrations and flexibility that might have served to dampen sound as the predator swam

The meteorites could open up a new avenue to understand Mercury, pictured, which is notoriously hard to study due to its proximity to the sun.

Scientists Have Never Confirmed a Meteorite From Mercury. Could These Space Rocks From the Desert Be the First?

Two meteorites found in the Sahara show tantalizing similarities to the innermost planet, and while researchers say they are likely not direct samples, “one cannot rule out” the idea

Researchers working in the Peruvian Amazon have discovered an unusual partnership between the ocelot (left) and opossum (right).

Video Reveals an Unlikely Bond Between Ocelots and Opossums in the Amazon, Walking Together Like ‘Old Friends’

Researchers captured the footage by surprise, with cameras initially set up to record bird behavior

Scientists sequenced ancient proteins in a tooth from a prehistoric rhino relative that had been preserved in Canada's High Arctic for up to 24 million years.

Scientists Recover Ancient Proteins From Animal Teeth Up to 24 Million Years Old, Opening Doors to Learning About the Past

Two new papers analyze fossils found in Canada and Kenya, respectively—vastly different environments for the preservation of genetic material

Yersinia pestis, the bacteria that causes the plague

An Arizona Resident Died From the Plague. Here’s What to Know About the Rare Disease

The patient had the pneumonic plague, the rarest and deadliest form of the disease. Human cases remain very uncommon in the United States, though plague is endemic to the western part of the country

A NASA astronaut captured this odd weather phenomenon, called a red sprite, from the International Space Station.

Mysterious ‘Red Sprite’ Appears in NASA Astronaut Photo From the Space Station. What Is This Strange Electrical Flare?

Red sprites are among a class of enigmatic weather phenomena that appear over thunderstorms, known as Transient Luminous Events

Researchers found small Homo erectus fossils among other animal remains. 

A Massive Underwater Fossil Find Includes Remains From Ancient Human Ancestors

More than 6,000 animal fossils were found in Indonesia, and two of them belong to Homo erectus

Lead author Judith Pardo-Pérez where the fossil, nicknamed Fiona, was discovered.

A Rare, Pregnant Ichthyosaur Fossil Discovered in Chile Is Revealing More Secrets About the Early Cretaceous World

The fossil helps scientists better understand not just the animal, but our planet’s geology

The "blob" south of Greenland has cooled over the last century, despite warming surface temperatures across the rest of the planet.

Scientists Shed Light on the Mysterious ‘Cold Blob’ in the North Atlantic Amid a Search for Its Cause

In two recent studies, researchers suggest a weakening ocean current system is to blame for a persistent cold spot in the Atlantic Ocean, though other factors may also be at play

A view of one of Tuvalu's islands captured in June 2023. The nation is highly threatened by climate change.

More Than One-Third of Tuvalu’s Population Has Applied for a ‘Climate Visa’ to Relocate to Australia

The world-first climate visa agreement will grant permanent residency status to 280 Tuvaluans per year as the island nation grapples with sea-level rise

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