Science news

190-year-old DNA reveals a hidden pangolin species

DNA from a nearly 190-year-old museum specimen has helped scientists confirm a distinct Himalayan pangolin species hiding in plain sight in…

Manhattan-sized ice island breaks off Greenland’s Petermann Glacier

A Manhattan-sized ice island has broken away from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier after years of growing fractures weakened its floating ice …

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is ready to hunt thousands of alien worlds

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is now enclosed inside its Falcon Heavy fairing and nearly ready for launch. Its mission could uncover thousan…

One asteroid strike may explain two mysteries of Mars’ moon Deimos

A single asteroid impact may explain two of Deimos’s most puzzling features: its huge southern depression and unusually smooth, dusty surfa…

Childhood trauma may leave a lasting “scar” inside brain cells

Early-life stress may physically alter how DNA is packaged in the brain, leaving stress-related genes primed to activate more easily years …

Your genes may decide whether a low-carb diet sends cholesterol soaring

A low-carb diet may raise LDL cholesterol much more sharply in people who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol, particularly whe…

Three forgotten kings could rewrite the history of ancient Assyria

Three forgotten Assyrian kings may have been hiding in plain sight for more than 2,700 years. By piecing together clues from tablets, inscr…

Your brain may not actually “make” decisions

A neuroscientist is challenging the idea that the brain contains a central system that actually “makes” our decisions. What we experience a…

Forces deep inside Earth helped Antarctica freeze before the Arctic

Scientists may have solved the mystery of why Antarctica froze millions of years before the Arctic. Slow-moving waves deep inside Earth gra…

Shingles vaccine linked to 24% lower dementia risk

Older adults who received the Shingrix shingles vaccine were 24% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over four years in a study of mo…

Atomic catalyst unlocks the hidden value of plant waste

Scientists have created a highly efficient catalyst that breaks down stubborn lignin from plant waste into useful chemicals under relativel…

Scientists find hidden “highways” guiding animal evolution

A sweeping analysis of thousands of animal genomes suggests that chromosomes do not evolve randomly but instead follow a limited number of …

NASA finds Earth microbes could survive on the Moon

NASA scientists found that microbes brought by astronauts could survive in cold, shadowed niches around the Moon’s South Pole, potentially …

Depression may shut down the brain’s ability to make new neurons

A major study found that adults with depression show disrupted production of new neurons in the hippocampus, potentially weakening the brai…

Newton’s 300-year-old law just passed its biggest test yet

A massive test of gravity across the cosmos found that it behaves almost exactly as Newton and Einstein predicted, even across galaxy clust…

Common medications may change your gut for years

Common medications may reshape the gut microbiome long after the last dose is taken. In a study of more than 2,500 people, researchers foun…

Bird flu is spreading. Your backyard feeder could make it worse

Backyard bird feeders could become unexpected hotspots for H5N1 as Australia’s bird flu outbreak spreads, bringing species together in ways…

A ghostly ribbon of stars reveals hidden dark matter

A faint ribbon of stars around a distant galaxy has become the first globular cluster stellar stream ever identified beyond the Milky Way. …