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New Research

Astronauts struggle to adapt to weightlessness, even after months on the International Space Station, a study suggests.

Astronauts’ Memories of Earth’s Gravity May Influence How They Move and Hold Objects, Even After Months in Space

Examining the fine motor skills of space travelers can help improve safety for future missions, scientists say

Bruce is missing the top half of his beak. 

A Disabled Parrot in New Zealand Became Alpha Male Thanks to His Innovative Fighting Style

A kea parrot’s half-beak became an advantage instead of a disadvantage, researchers suggest in a new study

Scientists have long assumed that queen transitions in naked mole rat colonies were always chaotic and violent. But new research suggests another, more peaceful path also exists.

Naked Mole Rats Usually Duke It Out to Choose Their Next Queen. But These Unusual Rodents May Be Capable of More Peaceful Transitions of Power

In a laboratory experiment centered around a colony known as the Amigos, researchers observed a subordinate female take over reproduction without incident

Amud 7 was discovered in a cave in Israel in 1992.

Neanderthal Kids Grew Up So Fast—at Least Compared With Their Human Peers—Thanks to Genetic Adaptations to Their Environment

Scientists think Neanderthal children may have had faster growth rates because larger bodies tend to retain heat more effectively than smaller ones

The temple is composed of a circular basin 115 feet wide.

Cool Finds

This Ancient God’s Name Was ‘Mud.’ Archaeologists Discovered a Water-Filled Temple Possibly Tied to Him in Egypt

A structure blending Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles was discovered in the ancient city of Pelusium at the edge of the Nile Delta

The reseachers investigated preserved specimens kept at museums, like this Bufoceratias wedli from the Field Museum in Chicago.

Anglerfish Are Known for Their Built-in Fishing Rods. New Research Sheds Light on How These Lures Evolved in the Strange Creatures

A new study suggests the odd appendages first appeared in the fish’s ancestors around 72 million years ago. Today, females might use them not only to attract prey but also to communicate with potential mates

Andrena regularis, or the regular mining bee, is an important pollinator species.

Scientists Found 5.6 Million Burrowing Bees Beneath a Cemetery in New York. The Group Is One of the Largest on Record

Researchers in Ithaca estimated the number of ground-nesting bees emerging from a local cemetery in spring 2023, revealing just how abundant some understudied pollinators are

A gold lion ornament created by an Akan artist

New Research

Pirate Shipwreck Off the Coast of Cape Cod Sets the Historical Record Straight on West African Gold

Europeans spread rumors about degraded gold from their Akan trade partners. A new analysis of artifacts from the “Whydah Gally” shipwreck tells a different story

Researchers found this hand ax, which appears to have been shaped around a geological feature imprint.

Cool Finds

These Big-Brained Ancestors May Have Loved Crystals Just as Much as Modern Humans Do, According to New Research

Archaeologists in Israel unearthed prehistoric hand axes that Homo erectus crafted from stones including fossils and crystals, perhaps a sign that they wanted to connect with the cosmos

This colonnaded open hall—unearthed in the Maya city of Ucanal in 2024—may have been a council house.

Cool Finds

In Times of Trouble, the Maya Rejected Divine Kingship. This Newly Discovered Public Building Reveals How the Transition to Shared Power Unfolded

Archaeologists in northern Guatemala unearthed a colonnaded open hall that may have served as a council house, where local leaders and everyday people met to discuss political issues

Grand Canyon National Park welcomes more than four million visitors per year.

Scientists Still Don’t Know How or When the Grand Canyon Formed. New Research May Hint at Its Ancient Origins

Researchers say the ancestral Colorado River formed an ancient lake in northern Arizona roughly 6.6 million years ago, which spilled out westward onto the landscape that would eventually become the Grand Canyon

Entomologist Mark Moffett photographed cone ants climbing onto and cleaning harvester ants.

These Tiny Ants Crawled All Over Larger Ants and Licked Them Clean. Scientists Aren’t Sure How This Behavior Benefits Any of Them

After witnessing the interactions in an Arizona desert, a Smithsonian researcher suggests that the little ants picked off tasty treats and that the big ants got thoroughly groomed in hard-to-reach places

Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are working hard to eradicate nutria from the state.

Large Invasive Rodents Are Wreaking Havoc in California. New Research Suggests Someone Deliberately Introduced Them

Genetic testing revealed that nutria living in California since 2017 are most closely related to a population in central Oregon—too far for the creatures to have traveled on their own

A red aurora over Engaru, Hokkaido, Japan, similar to those documented throughout history, which helped the researchers reconstruct past solar activity

Medieval Writings and Tree Rings Helped Researchers Track a Solar Storm From 800 Years Ago and Reconstruct Past Solar Cycles

Diary entries by the Japanese poet Fujiwara no Teika, along with other historical sources from across Asia and Europe, played pivotal roles in a new study

Smell influences food intake in cats, according to a new study.

Does Your Cat Always Leave Behind a Half-Full Bowl of Food? New Research Points to Why Our Furry Friends Can Be Such Picky Eaters

A new study suggests that domestic cats get bored of monotonous meals. Switching up their food—or even just nearby scents—could help them join the clean plate club

This illustration shows the size difference between a European pond turtle and the foot of a straight-tusked elephant.

New Research

Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prize

New research based on fragments discovered at the Neumark-Nord site in Germany suggests Neanderthals may have transformed the shells into tools

The clitoris is larger than most people think, and much of the organ is internal.

Scientists Just Made the Most Complete Map of the Clitoris’s Sensory Nerve Network. Here’s What They Found

Cultural taboos around female sexuality have hindered research on the organ. But a new study provides pivotal insights that can inform important surgeries and health care

An artistic rendering of the successfully hunted straight-tusked elephant, which would have been an incredible source of food for Neanderthals

After Nearly 80 Years of Doubt, Scientists Say a Spear Lodged Between Elephant Ribs Offers Evidence That Neanderthals Hunted Big Game

In 1948, amateur archaeologists unearthed the remains, which should have shifted researchers’ views of Neanderthals. But poor documentation sowed skepticism in the scientific community

The researchers primarily studied California two-spot octopuses.

Octopus Sex Just Got Weirder. In Addition to Depositing Sperm, Males’ Specialized Mating Arm Can ‘Taste’ Female Hormones

The hectocotylus is both a reproductive organ and a sensory organ, a rare combination in animals, new research suggests

The original Shroud of Turin is housed at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, but replicas like the one shown here have been created for exhibitions and public displays.

Jesus’s Burial Cloth or Medieval Forgery? DNA Evidence Further Complicates the Debate Over the Shroud of Turin

A new analysis revealed traces of various plants, animals and humans on the controversial linen cloth. But outside experts are skeptical of the findings, which could complicate efforts to identify the shroud’s original wearer

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