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New Research

Surprising bright spots lurking in Ceres’ Occator crater, as spotted by the Dawn spacecraft

New Research

We Finally May Know the Cause of Ceres’ Bright Spots

It’s not aliens

A scientist says a multispectral analysis of the Mona Lisa shows hidden portraits beneath the famous painting.

New Research

A French Scientist Says the Mona Lisa is Hiding a Portrait of Another Woman

Some art experts, however, are skeptical

The informally named al-Idrisi mountains meet the smooth surface of Sputnik Planum in this image.

New Research

New Images Capture Pluto’s Mountains, Badlands and Craters in Breathtaking Detail

These images are “the best close-ups of Pluto that humans may see for decades,” according to NASA

New Research

This Is How Dolphins ‘See’ Humans With Echolocation

A news study capture images of what dolphins ‘see’ underwater

New Research

One-Fifth of Americans Are Online Almost Every Moment

Admit it. You’re among their ranks.

The cute-yet-contentious tardigrade

New Research

Tardigrades Stir Up Controversy and Showcase Science in Action

Rival scientists quickly challenge recently published research about water bears’ mysterious genomes

New Research

Finally There’s a Scientific Theory for Why Some Words are Funny

The science behind Dr. Seuss

An ultra-marathoner runs the Ultra tour de Mont Blanc

New Research

An Unexpected Effect of Ultra-Marathons: Brain Shrinkage

Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent

A close-up of what might be one of the oldest depictions of a human dwelling.

New Research

Does This Carving Depict a Paleolithic Campsite?

A chunk of stone may be marked with one of the oldest drawings of a human campsite

Twelve decades worth of averaged yearbook portraits

New Research

Yearbook Photos Show How Smiles Have Widened Over the Decades

An analysis of roughly 38,000 high-school senior portraits shows Americans’ frowns turning upside down

Screenshot from "Fairy Lights in Femtoseconds: Tangible Holographic Plasma (SIGGRAPH)"

New Research

This Holograph Can Be Touched and Manipulated

Tiny interactive displays use lasers to create touchable plasma

Though the new method can't produce these large sparklers yet, it may be an important part of future diamond production.

New Research

Weird New Type of Carbon Is Harder (and Brighter) Than Diamond

Dubbed Q-carbon, the material is magnetic, emits a soft glow and can be used to grow diamonds faster and cheaper than ever before

The rainforest edge at the Amazon river in Peru

New Research

Amazon Tree Census Makes Clear Just How Many Species are in Trouble

More than half of the Amazon’s trees could qualify as threatened species

This is an artist's impression of sauropod dinosaurs on the Isle of Skye.

New Research

Hundreds of Dinosaur Tracks Discovered Along the Scottish Coast

Giant sauropods once roamed the Isle of Skye

Male or female? Turns out there's no distinction.

New Research

There’s No Such Thing as a Male or Female Brain

When it comes to sex traits, brains are consistently inconsistent

New Research

Europeans Only Started Digesting Dairy 4,000 Years Ago

They can enjoy that cheese thanks to ancient nomadic herders

Clouds of smoke pour from a smokestack

Age of Humans

Which Countries Are Most Open to Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

A new study shows large gaps between concern about climate change and the willingness to act

Study co-author Adam Townsend examines his research subject.

New Research

Chocolate Fountains are Great for Physics Lessons

Delicious, delicious physics

A juvenile Saccoglossus kowalevskii, a species of acorn worm, with it’s pharyngeal region in blue.

New Research

This Gross-looking Worm Gives Clues About Humans’ Ability to Breathe and Talk

Humans share about 70 percent of their genome with the lowly acorn worm, according to recent research

New Research

A New Rose Is Part Plant, Part Color-Changing Machine

Innovation has never looked so pretty

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