Will Sullivan

Will Sullivan

 

Will Sullivan is a science writer based in Washington, D.C. His work has appeared in Inside Science and NOVA Next.

Study participants who reported eating during shorter time frames were more likely to die from heart disease during the period of the study.

Intermittent Fasting Linked to Higher Risk of Death From Heart Disease, Preliminary Study Finds

New research challenges the idea that restricting eating to a limited time frame is beneficial—though the work has some notable limitations, such as a reliance on self-reported eating habits

The new image of the Milky Way's black hole, seen in polarized light. It shows the organized magnetic fields that surround the black hole itself, from which no light can escape.

Astronomers Capture Dazzling New Image of the Black Hole at the Milky Way's Center

The first image of the black hole taken in polarized light, the new view shows the supermassive structure's magnetic fields and hints that it could be hiding an enormous jet

Japanese tits have previously been observed combining different calls into phrases to convey meanings. The birds may also use their wings to signal to their partner that they should enter the nest first.

These Small Birds Flutter Their Wings to Say 'After You' to Their Partner

A new study of Japanese tits provides the first evidence of non-primate animals using gestures to convey messages

Indonesia's Lake Toba, formed by a volcanic eruption around 74,000 years ago. In the new study, researchers uncovered fragments of glass from the eruption at an archaeological site in northwest Ethiopia, pointing to the volcano's global impacts.

Stone Age People Survived a Supervolcano Eruption by Adapting to Dry Periods, Archaeologists Suggest

Humans living in northwest Ethiopia around 74,000 years ago switched to eating more fish following the eruption, a behavior that might have enabled migration out of Africa

Surgeons perform the pig kidney transplant. The surgery took place last week, and the patient is recovering well and is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon.

Doctors Take Another Step Toward Animal-to-Human Organ Transplants With the First Pig Kidney Transplant

The experimental procedure was done on a man experiencing end-stage kidney failure last week who had been on the transplant waiting list for two years

Archaeologists uncovered a trove of artifacts, including this scorched axe, from a Bronze Age settlement called Must Farm.

Incredibly Well-Preserved Bronze Age Village Reveals a Snapshot of Early British Life Before a Fire

Residents fled when flames burned through the Must Farm settlement, and now, archaeologists have unearthed its buildings and objects that were preserved in a riverbed

Humans produce about 400 million metric tons of plastic waste each year. Some chemicals in plastics have been linked to health problems for humans and animals.

Plastics Contain Thousands More Chemicals Than Thought, and Most Are Unregulated, Report Finds

A new database catalogs 16,000 chemicals found in plastics and identifies more than 4,200 that are potentially hazardous to human health and the environment

Aboard the International Space Station, astronauts experience near-weightlessness—and fluid accumulates in their heads as a result, which could potentially be one cause of headaches.

Most Astronauts Experience 'Space Headaches' While on the ISS, Study Finds

Surveys of 24 astronauts who traveled to the International Space Station found that nearly all of them reported headaches, and many of these occurred past the first week in space

SpaceX's third test flight of its Starship rocket was conducted Thursday morning. For the first time, the rocket made it to orbit.

Starship Reaches Orbit in Third Test Flight, a Success for SpaceX and the Future of Lunar Travel

As it returned to Earth, the spacecraft likely broke apart or burned up, and the booster was lost in the Gulf of Mexico

Beluga whales are one of five species of whale that undergo menopause. The new study finds that females in these five species live decades longer than females of similarly sized species.

Whales That Go Through Menopause Live Longer and May Help Care for Grandchildren

Alongside humans, five species of toothed whales are known to experience menopause. A new study suggests they evolved the trait to increase their lifespan

For rabbits and hares, females typically weigh more than males, according to a new study.

For Most Mammal Species, Males Actually Aren't Larger Than Females, Study Finds

New research upends a long-held theory that male mammals tend to be bigger than their female counterparts

A Neanderthal skull on display at the Natural History Museum, London. Many modern humans have inherited around 1 to 2 percent of their DNA from Neanderthals and their close relatives, Denisovans.

Modern Indian People Have a Wide Range of Neanderthal DNA, Study Finds

Genomes of Indian people today reveal links to a prehistoric migration and a group of Iranian farmers, as well as several new sequences from the Neanderthal genome

The Department of Defense's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office was created in 2022 to investigate reports of unidentified anomalous phenomena.

U.S. Has 'No Evidence' of Alien Technology, New Pentagon Report Finds

A review of government investigations into unidentified anomalous phenomena since 1945 found that "most sightings were ordinary objects and phenomena and the result of misidentification"

Some researchers say that "bringing back" woolly mammoths could help protect frozen tundras by slowing the melting of permafrost.

Scientists Grow Elephant Stem Cells in Key Step Toward Woolly Mammoth 'De-Extinction'

The team's lofty goal of "resurrection" is still far from reality, but scientists say the advancement in understanding cells could help with elephant conservation

A view of the Korolevo archaeological site. Researchers used the decay of isotopes in rocks dug up from the site to determine the age of the stone tools.

Stone Tools Found in Ukraine May Be the Oldest Evidence of Early Humans in Europe

The 1.4-million-year-old rocks may have belonged to Homo erectus, and they shed light on migrations of human ancestors, a new study suggests

Scientists conduct sampling at Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, in April 2023. Last summer, a working group chose the lake as a representative location for the influence of human activity on the planet due to the history recorded in its sediment.

Scientists Reject Proposal to Define the Anthropocene, a Geological Age Marked by Human Activity

Experts had suggested a new epoch started in the mid-20th century, but the recent vote demonstrates how tough it is to pinpoint when humans' impact on the planet began

An artist's rendition of the Europa Clipper mission, set to launch to Europa in October. The mission could provide new insights about the life-supporting potential of the moon, which hosts a massive saltwater ocean beneath its icy surface.

Jupiter's Moon Europa May Have Less Oxygen Than Previously Thought

The new findings could have implications for whether Europa's vast ocean contains the conditions necessary to support life

An orca hunting sea lion pups on an Argentinian beach in 2006. Before the recent study, killer whales had only been observed hunting white sharks in groups.

Single Orca Spotted Killing a Great White Shark for the First Time Ever

In less than two minutes, the marine mammal attacked a juvenile white shark and ripped out its liver in an encounter off the coast of South Africa last year

NASA SpaceX's Crew-8 from left to right: Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeanette Epps. Set to launch to the ISS on Saturday, the crew will not be impacted by the leak, NASA says.

A Leak on the International Space Station Is Growing, but It Poses No Threat to Crews, NASA Says

The leak, which is at the end of a Russian service module, will not affect the upcoming launch of Crew-8 to the station

An image showing the Odysseus lander on the moon's surface. A piece of a landing leg has broken off on the left of the image. The gear still protected Odysseus as it touched down.

Odysseus Moon Lander Is Powering Down After 'Very Successful' Mission

The history-making spacecraft landed on its side, but it spent nearly a week sending data and images back from the moon—and engineers may try to make contact again after the lunar night is over

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