A huge coral colony stretching more than 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) along the outer reef of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands has been identified by researchers, making it one of the largest known coral colonies ever recorded.
In 2009, researchers working in the Liang Bua cave on Flores Island came across a leg bone. The 190,000–120,000-year-old fossil was identified as a bird bone and set aside. Like many bird bones before it, it was overlooked and left to collect dust.
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) is mostly concerned with where to look for technosignatures from another civilization. Between 2012 and 2015, SETI's Project Phoenix targeted about 1,000 sun-like stars for signs of intelligent life. But where to look might
Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects that could have formed directly from dense clumps of matter in the very early universe. If they exist, their dramatic origins would set them apart from the black holes we see today, which form when massive stars collapse. Some
The less internal noise you have, the more reliably you can tell similar sounds apart
Despite deer’s essential role in tick reproduction, looking to acorn numbers instead can forecast Lyme disease booms almost two years in advance
Want to fly to the moon and help build a permanent lunar base? NASA is accepting applications for a new astronaut class that will help grow the Artemis program.
A Florida chimpanzee sanctuary had to deliver food to one of its 200 apes by drone this week because the property was swamped by heavy rain. But the animals stayed safe, and the water finally was receding significantly on Saturday, the organization said.
Scientists have discovered that fasting for just 24 hours increases a beneficial gut bacterium that helps the intestines regenerate after radiation damage. The preclinical findings could pave the way for new treatments that protect healthy tissue during cancer therapy,
MIT scientists have developed nanoparticles that reprogram immune cells directly inside the body to attack cancer and harmful immune cells, eliminating tumors and reversing liver damage in mouse experiments. The breakthrough could make powerful immune therapies dramatically
A nuclear explosion might save Earth from a deadly asteroid, but new research suggests that hitting the wrong side could make the difference between success and disaster. Scientists found that an asteroid's irregular shape can dramatically affect how it responds to an X-ray
A major international study tracking more than 26,000 men found that very low testosterone levels were associated with an 18% higher risk of dying from cancer later in life. Surprisingly, testosterone itself showed no clear link to prostate cancer, although two other sex
Scientists investigating a 2,800-year-old Siberian tomb discovered roughly 1,000 cannabis seeds and chemical evidence suggesting ancient Scythians used the plant for its intoxicating effects. The remarkable find, surrounded by evidence of elaborate burial rituals and animal
Scientists have discovered that sleep disorders are associated with structural changes in brain regions that control attention, decision-making, and emotions, potentially explaining why disrupted sleep can affect everyday thinking and behavior. The findings, drawn from 57 brain
Scientists have created record-breaking X-ray flashes lasting just 300 attoseconds, concentrating enormous power into an incredibly tiny spot. The breakthrough could unlock a new way to observe electrons in action and potentially control the ultrafast processes that drive
A surprising new study suggests that a stronger flu shot could offer older adults significantly greater protection against Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at UTHealth Houston analyzed nearly 200,000 adults ages 65 and older and found that those who received a high-dose
Tropical ecosystems are famous for their teeming, exuberant diversity. In fact, the dramatic increase in biodiversity from the poles to the tropics—known as the latitudinal diversity gradient—is pervasive across branches of the tree of life, and fossil evidence suggests it has
A study of more than 17,700 US adults found that people who use cannabis in multiple forms have dramatically higher rates of daily consumption and addiction symptoms than those who stick primarily to one method. Nearly 67% of those who used almost every form met criteria for
Mysterious gas emissions and fresh volcanic fissures suggest that Mars may not be geologically dead after all, with hot magma potentially still active deep underground. The discovery could point to hidden pockets of warmth and chemical energy capable of supporting microbial
Scientists have discovered a surprising quantum limit that prevents electrons from being tracked with unlimited precision in both space and time. The breakthrough could pave the way for manipulating chemical reactions and developing electronics hundreds of thousands of times
Private retirement savings are an increasingly important topic in public debate. One popular idea is to phrase savings reminders in one of two ways: either you emphasize what someone stands to lose if they don't save, or you emphasize what they stand to gain if they do. To
At a press event on Saturday, the agency’s officials stressed that rovers and other infrastructure will be critical to ensuring human survival on the moon
Armed with dozens of motion-sensing cameras, William Grooms spent this past summer documenting wildlife across Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico. It was his first field season collecting photos for a two-year study to understand how forest structure influences
There are at least 14 million insect species on Earth, and they play highly diverse roles in sustaining the natural world. Insects provide many well-known benefits—what scientists often call "ecosystem services." For example, you can thank a bee or a hoverfly for pollinating
An academic abstract, a blog post and a public outreach article all place different demands on the writer. Readers' prior knowledge varies, as does the purpose of the text and what needs explaining. Mastering one kind of text therefore does not automatically mean being able to
In a new Nature Physics study, researchers demonstrated the Aharonov-Bohm effect in a quantum simulation of a lattice gauge theory using a hybrid trapped-ion quantum computer.
We typically think of the moon as a static, floating object that has remained the same for basically its entire lifetime, with an occasional asteroid impact serving as an exception. That understanding is grounded in physics—the moon should have cooled rapidly after forming when
