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New Research

New Research

Blame Tailgaters for Your Traffic Woes

Keeping an equal distance between cars ahead and behind may eliminate “phantom” traffic jams

A drone image of a breeding colony of Greater Crested Terns. Researchers used plastic bird decoys to replicate this species in an experiment that compared different ways of counting wildlife.

New Research

When It Comes to Counting Wildlife, Drones Are More Accurate Than People

Technology could be a conservation gamechanger, but we need to interrogate its impact on wildlife

Thousands of years ago, a herd of Columbian mammoths trudged across present-day Oregon to an ancient lake, recording their interactions in the muddy sediments.

New Research

Rare Mammoth Tracks Reveal an Intimate Portrait of Herd Life

Researchers piece together a 43,000-years-old tableau of an injured adult and concerned young

How Vampire Bats Can Survive on a Diet of Blood

Their diet may seem unusual, but a unique genome and gut bacteria help the critters get the nutrients they need

If you look closely at the lower right of galaxy NGC 613, the baby supernova pops into existence at the end of one of the galaxy's spiral arms.

New Research

Amateur Astronomer Captures Supernova’s First Winks of Light

Scientists say the chances were less than one in a million

An Atlantic sixgill pup found off the coast of Belize.

New Research

Scientists Identify New Species of Elusive Deep-Sea Shark

DNA analysis has shown that Atlantic-dwelling sixgill sharks are distinct from their relatives in the Indian and Pacific oceans

When it comes to ancient remains, isotope analysis could help scientists separate dogs from wolves.

New Research

Dogs and Humans Didn’t Become Best Friends Overnight

First, we feared and ate them, a new isotope analysis reveals

These Arabica coffee beans could help support biodiversity—as long as they're grown in the shade.

New Research

Coffee Growing Can Be Good For Birds No Matter What Bean You Choose

Whether you swing arabica or robusta, your coffee can support biodiversity—as long as it’s grown in the shade

Tombs in the ancient city of Hierapolis, in modern-day Turkey.

New Research

How the Roman “Gates of Hell” Killed Animal Sacrifices but Let Human Priests Escape Unharmed

In ancient times, the gates seemed to respond to supernatural powers, but it’s actually all about science

The flattie spider has the fastest-leg driven turn on the planet. Researchers say this finding has practical applications.

New Research

Meet the Spider With One of the Fastest Spins on the Planet

These spiders can twirl around faster than a blink of an eye to strike its prey

Cool Finds

Life-Size Camel Carvings Found in the Saudi Desert

Archaeologists estimate the reliefs are 2,000 years old but are unsure what culture made them

Eye worm extracted from Beckley

New Research

Woman Pulls Parasitic Cattle Eye Worm From Her Own Eye

This was the first-known time the parasite has made the jump from cows to humans

Jedek speakers

Cool Finds

Unknown Language Discovered in Malaysia

About 280 people north of the Malay Peninsula speak the language, which is called Jedek

New Research

Praying Mantises Don Tiny Goggles to Help Us Understand 3-D Vision

Unlike humans and other animals, the insects rely on movement to judge distances to their prey

A tessera or a Roman six-sided die from the Vidy Roman Museum

How Centuries-Old Dice Reveal Changing Attitudes About Fate

Dice made in Roman times were lopsided and irregular, but they became more consistent during the Renaissance

The genetics of the little skate changes our understanding of vertebrate evolution, from ocean to land-dweller.

New Research

What a Walking Fish Can Teach Us About Human Evolution

New research on the little skate reveals the genes it shares with land animals—and a common ancestor from 420 million years ago

New Research

Study Reveals Deep Shortcomings With How Schools Teach America’s History of Slavery

Southern Poverty Law Center’s recent report identifies key problems when it comes to educating students on slavery—and offers guidance on how to fix them

Early Briton Had Dark Skin and Light Eyes, DNA Analysis Shows

The study of ‘Cheddar Man’ adds to a growing body of research that highlights the complexities of human skin color evolution

A laser delivers a burst of ultraviolet light to compress water ice and create superionic ice

New Research

Scientists Make Weird Type of Ice Halfway Between Solid and Liquid

The strange form of ice could help explain the odd magnetic fields seen around Uranus and Neptune

Researchers estimate more than a trillion planets could exist in the elliptical galaxy at the center of this image.

New Research

Astronomers Spot Signs of Planets Outside the Milky Way

Researchers estimate that more than a trillion planets may lurk beyond our galaxy’s bounds

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