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New Research

The recently discovered ancient snake species probably burrowed underground, while another of a similar age likely lived on the surface.

How Did Some Reptiles Lose Their Limbs to Become Snakes? An 80-Million-Year-Old Fossil Helps Uncover the Winding Evolutionary History

Researchers have long suspected that the first of these slithering creatures lived in water, on land or underground. New research hints that more than one environment might be correct

Scientists studied the sweat bee species Megalopta genalis​​​​​​, native to Central and South America.

In This Bee Species, Why Do Some Daughters Leave Home While Others Stay ‘Bee-hind’ to Help Mom?

Biologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute investigated a flexible social bee species, which helps shed light on the evolution of more complex organizational structures among other insects

The gold treasures found on the ship collectively weigh more than 21 ounces.

New Research

This Medieval Byzantine Shipwreck Boasts More Gold Treasures Than Any Other Vessel Found Beneath the Mediterranean

The vessel sank in the Adriatic Sea in the seventh or eighth century C.E. Its cargo included a gold signet ring likely associated with the emperor Heraclius and gold belts encrusted with rubies, emeralds and pearls

An overview of the excavated track surface with a mix of deeper hippopotamus and antelope footprints and shallower hominin tracks visible

Ancient Fossil Footsteps Found in Kenya May Hint That an Early Human Relative Was Larger Than Previously Thought

The trackway sheds light on how some hominins moved around their environments and with one another

An A.I. model from Anthropic helped disprove a longstanding conjecture in mathematics.

A.I. Disproves a Decades-Old Mathematical Idea, the ‘Biggest Conjecture’ That the Tech Has Played a Role in Yet

A mathematician announced that he used one of Anthropic’s A.I. models to find a counterexample to a problem called the Jacobian conjecture. While experts consider it a milestone, the work raises questions about the future of mathematical research

Male chimpanzees were more likely to exchange friendly touches with other males—like Little Jake and Little Joey shown here.

Chimpanzees and Bonobos Use Hugs, Kisses and Friendly Pats to Keep the Peace, Just Like Humans, a New Study Suggests

Since all three ape species diverged from a common ancestor that lived roughly six million to eight million years ago, the findings hint that friendly touching to diffuse tension has deep evolutionary origins

This map shows modern languages and their risk of dying out. 

Three Millennia Ago, Humans May Have Spoken Thousands More Languages Than We Have Today, During a Linguistic ‘Golden Age’

A new study suggests linguistic diversity reached its peak between 1000 B.C.E. and 1000 C.E. before declining

Getting the device to transition between air and water seamlessly was one of the most challenging aspects of the work.

This Robot Can Flap Its Wings to Both Fly and Swim. It Might One Day Help Scientists Study Diving Birds and Survey Ocean Habitats

The bioinspired device, which weighs roughly half a pound and measures around three feet wide, was also modeled after aquatic birds like puffins, gulls and loons

A mother floating belly-up next to her calf

Why Are These Whales Floating Upside-Down? They Might Just Be Moms Who Need a Break From Feeding Their Babies

Each year, southern right whales migrate thousands of miles from their feeding grounds to breed, give birth and raise their young. Taking rests and regulating their calves’ nursing schedules might help mothers conserve energy while they’re far from food

Overall, the 16 participants of the study were “largely positive” about their interactions with griefbots, the scientists write in the paper.

Would You Chat With an A.I. ‘Ghost’ of a Deceased Loved One? New Research Suggests That the Tech Can Provide Comfort and Closure

Commercial “griefbots” are becoming more popular, and many experts have questions about their psychological and ethical impacts. A new study aims to ensure that the bots are designed responsibly

Researchers discovered burned, ashy layers surrounding a standing stone that was placed in the cave 2,000 years ago.

Aboriginal Spiritual Leaders Performed ‘Magic, Healing, Cursing’ Rituals in This Australian Cave for 25,000 Years, New Research Finds

Archaeologists collaborated with members of the GunaiKurnai Aboriginal community to explore layers of ash from burned grasses dating back thousands of years inside Cloggs Cave

Handedness refers to both hand preference and hand dominance. 

People Aren’t Born as Righties or Lefties—They Develop Hand Dominance With Practice, a New Study Suggests

Humans do have a biological preference for using one side of their body, which might prime them for using limbs on that side for complex motor tasks like writing—and honing those skills over time

Fruit grows on a native avocado tree in southern Mexico

Ancient Genes Reveal That Big, Bright Avocados Were Carried Through the Americas Thousands of Years Ago

People brought large avocado seeds from South America to Central America, kicking off a burst of diversity for the fruit

Mount Rainier, an active volcano about 60 miles away from Seattle, has sent fast-moving mudflows known as lahars down its slopes before. Scientists just calculated a date for the most recent one.

A Massive Flow of Rock and Mud Tumbled Down Mount Rainier Centuries Ago. Scientists Pinpointed Its Date to Better Understand the Volcano’s Complex Threats

In a recent study, researchers dated a historic lahar called the Electron Mudflow to the summer of 1507, establishing a way to determine when past geologic events around the Puget Sound occurred

An artistic rendering of LHS 1140 b and its host star, with another smaller exoplanet orbiting nearby.

Could Life Exist on This Nearby World? In a First, Astronomers Find an Atmosphere on an Earth-Like Exoplanet in the Habitable Zone

While the celestial body seems to host three features that could make a livable environment—an atmosphere, a rocky composition and a temperature that could allow liquid water to sit on the surface—researchers have not currently detected any residents

An amateur astronomer thought he found an impact crater on Google Maps. Then, an expedition to the site confirmed that he was right.

Cool Finds

An Amateur Astronomer Using Google Maps Spotted a Strange Indentation. It Turned Out to Be a Meteorite Crater From 390 Million Years Ago

Scientists confirmed the astronomer’s suspicions with an expedition to the site in Quebec. The discovery offers a rare case of a reported new crater turning out to be real

Keith Thomas is now able to grasp, lift and drink from a cup on his own. 

A Man With Paralysis Has Regained Feeling and Movement in His Hands After an Experimental Brain Implant

After months of training, the patient can now move his arms and hands and feel the sensation of touch

The exumed remains were reburied in caskets in 2022.

Thousands of Kidnapped Africans Died on an Island in the Atlantic After Being Rescued From Slave Ships. Evidence in Their Teeth Traces Their Journeys

Remains in the graves of St. Helena, where the British military housed “liberated” enslaved Africans, contain isotopes from inland Angola and Zimbabwe

Commercial whalers hunted southern right whales to the brink of extinction. Though the species has rebounded, its recovery has been uneven.

Poop From Southern Right Whales Reveals That the Animals Might Be More Resilient to Climate Change Than We Thought

Scientists long believed that these whales, which swim throughout the Southern Hemisphere, mainly feasted on krill and small crustaceans called copepods, which are disappearing from the warming ocean. A new study suggests that the cetaceans have a more varied, flexible diet

Princess Ita was buried with this dagger.

Did These Ancient Egyptian Princesses Wield Weapons and Train in Martial Arts, Just Like the Men of Their Time?

A new analysis of their bones suggests they were buried alongside arrows, maces and daggers because they had repeatedly used those weapons in life

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