Archaeologists found 15 skeletons in a rock shelter in southwest Libya, including two naturally mummified women who died roughly 7,000 years ago.

7,000-Year-Old Skeletons From the ‘Green Sahara’ Reveal a Mysterious Human Lineage

Researchers recently sequenced the genomes of two naturally mummified women found in Libya

The Israel Antiquities Authority and volunteers are excavating the site north of the Zohar Valley.

Cool Finds

This Ancient Pyramid Found in the Judean Desert May Have Been a Ptolemaic Tax Collector’s Station

The official structure, stuffed with significant coins and Greek papyri, was likely later transformed into someone’s grave

The "wooly devil" has fuzzy foliage and maroon flowers made up of conspicuous ray petals.

Meet the ‘Wooly Devil,’ the First New Plant Genus Discovered in a National Park Since 1976

A volunteer spotted the tiny, fuzzy plant with maroon florets while exploring the remote northern corner of Big Bend National Park in Texas

A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog calls for a mate, puffing out its cheeks.

See 25 Incredible Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

Cast your vote for your favorite of the photographs, which are all contenders for the People’s Choice award, through January 29

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These Stunning Photographs Highlight Five of Arizona’s Most Unique Species

See a sampling of the spectacular fish, wildlife and vegetation that bring the American Southwest to life.

A man spotted the scar while looking at Google Earth satellite imagery earlier this year.

A Man Noticed a Strange Shape on the Ground on Google Earth. It Turned Out to Be the Mark of an Undetected Tornado

Geoscientists in Australia suggest a strong tornado swept across the Nullarbor Plain in November 2022 and made the 6.8-mile-long scar on the landscape—without anyone noticing

Biocrust in Utah

Our Sustainable Future

Inside the Effort to Save Earth’s Biocrusts

Think twice before stepping on that crunchy top layer of soil. It may be a vital ecosystem that you can help protect

Phoenix, Arizona, has experienced a record 100 days in a row over 100 degrees Fahrenheit as of Tuesday. Forecasters say no relief is in sight.

Phoenix Shatters Heat Record With 100 Consecutive Days Above 100 Degrees

Forecasts show no relief from the extreme heat over the next few weeks, which promises to extend the streak far beyond the previous high of 76 days set in 1993

An artist’s rendering of the creature called Gaiasia jennyae

Before the Dinosaurs, This Massive Salamander-Like Predator Ruled Earth’s Swamps

Fossils unearthed in present-day Namibia tell an intriguing story of tetrapod evolution

Officials still don't know where the six-foot-five structure came from.

Cool Finds

Mysterious Monolith Appears Outside of Las Vegas

The reflective metal structure was found on a hiking trail in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge

A couple sits atop Tourkovounia Hill in Athens as clouds of Saharan dust cover the capital city.

Skies Over Athens Turn a Martian Orange Amid Saharan Dust Storm

Strong winds brought desert dust and heat across the Mediterranean this week, sparking health advisories and fires in Greece

Rangers look for tiny footprints in the sand and dig trenches to find the moles, which spend most of their lives underground.

Tiny and Rare, a Blind Mole That ‘Swims’ Through Desert Sand Is Spotted in Australia

Typically seen just five to ten times per decade, the elusive species has now been found for the second time in six months

The darker areas across Titan's equatorial regions represent its dunes, as taken by the Cassini rover.

Titan’s Massive Dunes May Be a Comet and Moon Graveyard From the Early Solar System

A new modeling study suggests the dark dunes on Saturn’s largest moon are made of tiny particles created by crashing comets and moonlets billions of years ago

Scientists studied the Lala Lallia star dune in the Sahara Desert in eastern Morocco.

Scientists Unravel the Mysteries of Earth’s Towering Star Dunes—Massive, Moving Mountains of Sand

Using new technologies, researchers revealed an enormous star dune in Morocco formed more quickly than thought, and it’s on the move

Granite blocks lie at the base of the Pyramid of Menkaure in Giza, Egypt, which is 4,500 years old.

Should Egypt Renovate This Ancient Pyramid?

Officials have announced plans to rebuild the granite blocks they say once covered the Pyramid of Menkaure

This reconstruction shows the 4,000-year-old structure in its original form.

New Research

Archaeologists Discover 4,000-Year-Old Wall Built Around Oasis in Saudi Arabia

The nine-mile-long structure surrounding the Khaybar Oasis may have once protected against raiders

Tamarix aphylla can survive in salty environments by excreting saline water from its leaves.

This Desert Plant’s Salty ‘Sweat’ Can Collect Water From the Air

The athel tamarisk’s hydration trick could improve on human techniques to harvest water in dry environments, researchers say

A leaf-eared mouse called Phyllotis vaccarum

Biologists Find 13 Freeze-Dried Mouse Mummies Atop Andean Volcanoes

These cold, arid and oxygen-poor summits are akin to conditions on Mars, prompting questions about how the rodents got there—and how they survived

Rocks, an undated oil painting by Skinner, reflects the artist's penchant for juxtaposing the earthy tones of the Western desert with icy blue shadows and sky. 

Celebrating a Hidden Artistic Visionary of the American West

Charlotte Butler Skinner spent decades chronicling glorious mountains and deserts, in the company of Dorothea Lange and other influential friends

Shells of turtles and tortoises can accumulate uranium isotopes.

Turtle Shells Keep a Record of Humans’ Nuclear History

Scientists can measure uranium isotopes in tortoise and turtle shells to understand the environmental impact of past nuclear events, a new study reports

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