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New Research

A male Iandumoema smeagol, foraging in its cave.

New Research

Introducing Smeagol the Eyeless Arachnid

This newly discovered cave-dwelling daddy longlegs resembles the fictional Tolkien character

"Baby Louie," formerly of the Indianapolis Children's Museum, is now back home, at the Henan Geological Museum.

Big Baby Dinosaur Finally Goes Home

An infant oviraptorosaur smuggled out of China decades ago comes back to Henan Province with new stories to tell

A modified human skull from the early 6th century

New Research

Parents Have Been Reshaping Their Kids’ Skulls for 45,000 Years

A new find in Patagonia adds to the list of possible reasons for such extreme cranial modification

On the left are one type of Myxozoan-- spores of Kudoa iwatai--microorganisms recently reclassified as a member of the same group that includes jellyfish like the Aurelia aurita (moon jelly) on the right.

New Research

This Parasite Is Really a Micro-Jellyfish

Somewhere along its evolution this jellyfish-turned-parasite got really strange

New Research

This Is How Bats Can Land Upside Down

Bats spin like ice skaters to stick their landing

Humans enjoying the Curcubita fruits they helped save, after probably contributing to their wild cousins' demise

New Research

Domestication Saved the Pumpkin (and Squash)

The pumpkin in that holiday pie wouldn’t be here today without domestication

The first Denisovan tooth that was discovered in 2008

New Research

DNA from a Huge Tooth Confirms a New Ancient Cousin

The Denisovans may have co-existed and interbred with Neanderthals and Homo sapiens

New Research

A Victoria’s Secret Perfume Works Great as Mosquito Repellent

A scent named “Bombshell” is almost as good as DEET

George Harrison’s master tapes for "All Things Must Pass" (pictured here in 1970) are likely well preserved, but many similar audio tapes of the era could be deteriorating.

New Research

History and Culture of the 1960s to 1980s Is Disintegrating With the Tapes That Recorded It

But a new test and a bit of chemistry can help preserve the past

A new exoplanet was discovered by telescopes at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory

New Research

A New Earth-Sized Planet Is Getting Astronomers Riled Up

It could be a rare opportunity for scientists to study an exoplanet’s atmosphere

New Research

Cougars Are Returning to the Midwest

A team of scientists predicts that the big cat could establish new breeding populations in Arkansas and Missouri in the next 25 years

New Research

How Many Genes Does a Body Need?

Only about 15 percent of the human genome or 3,230 genes—that we know of

Humans may have raided wild honeybees' nests during the Stone Age -- this hive in a hollow log hive from Cévennes (France) reveals the details of the circular comb architecture ancient humans would have discovered.

New Research

Our Ancient Ancestors Probably Loved Honey Too

Residue scraped from pottery shows humans used bee products as long as 8,500 years ago

New Research

Mars’ Gravity Is Slowly Shredding Its Moon Phobos

Telltale grooves on the moon’s surface are an early sign of Phobos’ grim fate

Wall painting from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

New Research

New Scans Show There Might Be a Hidden Room in King Tut’s Tomb

More evidence shows that there could still be secrets in Tutankhamun’s resting place

Researcher Julien Louys holds the jaw bone of an ancient giant rat species discovered in East Timor (left) and the same bone from a modern rat (right)

New Research

Fossils Show Ancient Rats Were the Size of a Small Dog

And our ancient ancestors likely ate them

This image shows a Fuxianhuia protensa specimen from the Chenjiang fossil beds in southwest China. The ancient arthropod was just under 5 inches in length.

New Research

How to Fossilize a Brain

A new study shows that brains can can fossilize like bones

It's getting too hot in here

New Research

Could Climate Change Mean Less Sex and Fewer Babies?

Even if it does, perhaps that’s not a bad thing

The lush forests in Hawaii may have shaped its language

New Research

How Language Evolved from Climate and Terrain

Try shouting words into the wind, what sounds make it through?

New Research

Sleepwalkers Might Not Feel Pain, at Least Until They Wake up

By day, sleepwalkers may suffer chronic pain, but by night they can jump through windows without feeling a thing

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