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A Chin-Stroking Mystery: Why Are Humans the Only Animals With Chins?

It's an evolutionary conundrum, and scientists are still divided over the answer

A human embryo at the four-cell stage.

New Research

British Scientists Get Permission to Genetically Modify Human Embryos for Research

The scientists plan to use genetic engineering techniques to study infertility

The moon rises over the Sahara Desert. New research links a rising moon to lower humidity and a decreased chance of rain.

New Research

The Moon's Tidal Forces May Affect How Much It Rains

The higher the moon, the lower the chance of rain

Slogans like the one on this propaganda poster for Mao Zedong, "Urgently Forge Ahead and Bravely Advance with Great Leader Chairman Mao,” take on a new smell now that it’s revealed that Stalin may have studied his poop.

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Stalin May Have Studied Mao’s Poop in a Secret Lab

Get a whiff of this stranger-than-fiction story of political paranoia and Soviet science

A beached sperm whale on January 13, in Wangerooge, Germany

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At Least 17 Sperm Whales Washed Up on North Sea Shores

The cause of the cetacean tragedy is still a mystery

Earth as seen on July 6, 2015 from a distance of one million miles by a NASA scientific camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft.

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The Curious History of The International Flat Earth Society

The recent resurgence of this ancient idea reminds us that flat Earth believers have a long history

Omo hanging with her herd

Cool Finds

Rare White Giraffe Survived Her First Year

The 15-month old calf has so far survived possible predation from lions, leopards, hyenas and human poachers

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Argentina Battles a Plague of Locusts, Surging After Mild Winters

Farmers and officials are racing to get massive swarms under control

Cu Rua photographed in 2011 during a health check

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Beloved Giant Turtle Dies, Leaving Only Three Alive on Earth

The recent death of Cu Rua pushes the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle to the brink of extinction

The Doomsday Clock represents humanity's proximity to total catastrophe.

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The Doomsday Clock's Hands Will Stay Put for Now

Experts agree—when it comes to nuclear weapons and climate change, it's still three minutes until midnight

Those distinctive stripes might not be camouflage after all.

New Research

Zebra Stripes Might Not Be Camouflage

The animals’ distinctive appearance is still a beautiful mystery

A new flavor wheel groups together different flavor attributes of coffee.

Cool Finds

Describe Your Coffee With Science

There's an art—and a lot of science—to a consistent cup of coffee

A centenarian and her descendants

New Research

There Are Now More Americans Over Age 100 and They're Living Longer Than Ever

Scientists are still trying to understand the longevity secrets of those most advanced in age

New Research

Are We Living in the Plastic Age?

Scientists argue that this material may best define our current period within the Anthropocene

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Scientists Rediscover a Tree Frog Thought to Be Extinct for Over a Century

Last seen in 1870, Jerdon’s tree frog is alive and (mostly) well in India

Icebergs melting in Disko Bay, Greenland

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It's Official: 2015 Was the Hottest Year in Over a Century

A strong El Niño helped global temperatures reach new highs

The Znamya 2 mirror-solar sail, deployed.

Cool Finds

How a Russian Space Mirror Briefly Lit Up the Night

In 1993, the 65-foot-diameter satellite, called Znamya, briefly lit the Earth like a giant orbiting night light

An artist's rendering of Planet Nine, looking back toward the Sun. This depiction is of a gaseous planet, like Uranus and Neptune, with lightning brightening the clouds on the dark side.

New Research

Evidence Stacks Up for a Planet Beyond Pluto

A new paper provides the strongest evidence yet for a real Planet X

New Research

Missouri Mathematicians Discover New Prime Number

At more than 22 million digits, it’s the longest prime yet

Fish caught for drying in a village in Bangladesh

New Research

Overfishing Has Been Even Worse Than We Thought

Official counts previously overlooked fish as bycatch, small-scale fishing and illegal fishing

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