Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.
Around 2,400 years ago, at Łysa Góra in Poland, a group of people took a bronze helmet, crushed it, broke it into pieces and threw it into a pit with iron adzes and a scythe. Such helmets are sometimes found in lavish graves of the Celtic warrior elite, from Champagne, France, to Dürrnberg, Austria.
A kerosene-based gel developed by Concordia researchers could make rocket and satellite fuels easier to store and control.
The mysterious force that cleared the cosmic fog at the dawn of the universe may not be what we thought, a new study suggests. The results hint that astronomers may need to rethink a major aspect of cosmological evolution, which led to the universe we clearly see today. Around 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the fledgling universe finally cooled enough to form atoms — mostly hydrogen. But these neutral, non-electrically charged hydrogen atoms shrouded the cosmos in a fog that made it opaque to ultraviolet (UV) light. Then, after the first stars flickered to life and gathered into galaxies, bursts of radiation ionized the neutral hydrogen. This turned the impenetrable fog of atoms into elec...
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a crucial missing link between a common gut bacterium and colorectal cancer, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two decades. The bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, produces a toxin that damages the colon’s protective lining, triggers chronic inflammation, and promotes tumor formation.
A remarkable 4,000-year-old defensive structure discovered in Morocco is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about ancient North African civilizations. The massive fortifications reveal unexpectedly sophisticated prehistoric societies and suggest that the region played a much greater role in Mediterranean history than previously recognized.
Among the ravenous carnivores and lumbering herbivores that roamed the Cretaceous landscape, another kind of dinosaur was evolving that started to eat something else: the plants that began to flower and produce fruit. The discovery by paleontologists from Stony Brook University, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and the North Dakota Geological Survey reveals that a new species, Infernogallus jamesi—a type of small oviraptorosaur—had chewing muscles for mashing soft food, making it the first known dinosaur that specifically ate fruit.
Archaeologists have discovered a ghostly human-shaped artifact at a fifth-century burial mound in Japan. The clay figurine's appearance suggests it represents a female shaman who once guarded a tomb.The artifact was unearthed at the archaeological site of Nishikaminomiya, northwest of Tokyo, according to a translated statement from Japan's Gunma prefectural government. At the site, archaeologists found nearly a dozen burial mounds known as "kofun" dated to the fifth and sixth centuries. This time period in Japanese history, which lasted from about A.D. 300 to 710, is called the Kofun period. Many tombs in this period had cylindrical clay sculptures called "haniwa" that were used as offerings...
Scientists have discovered a surprising mechanism that allows certain metals to resist cracking at temperatures as low as -253°C (-424°F), when similar materials typically become dangerously brittle. Instead of breaking, two experimental alloys reorganize their internal structures, creating new ways to absorb stress and remain flexible.
A research team has designed and synthesized a molecular cage with an internal cavity by connecting two curved π-conjugated molecules face-to-face at three points.
A Neanderthal who died 75,000 years ago may have been killed by a wooden spear deliberately aimed at the heart, revealing rare evidence of prehistoric violence. A circular hole in the shoulder blade suggests the weapon pierced the chest and caused a rapidly fatal injury. Surprisingly, the same individual had survived an earlier devastating facial injury, suggesting other Neanderthals provided care and support.
At a landmark Canadian trial focused on the government's obligations to fight climate change, the young plaintiffs suing Ottawa over alleged policy failures have sought to focus attention on their mental health.
The iconic nature documentary "Blue Planet" is set to return with a splash this weekend as Sir David Attenborough narrates the third installment of the BBC series. The six new episodes promise to take us deeper into the world's oceans than ever before, so wherever you are in the world, here are all the TV and streaming you need to dive right in.How to watch "Blue Planet III" — Quick Guide► Date: Sunday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. (UK)► TV: BBC One (UK)► UK stream: BBC iPlayer► Watch anywhere: Surfshark VPN (free trial)The new season promises to push the boundaries of underwater wildlife filmmaking, using next-generation camera technology including "splash drones" that can land, float and take off dire...
Staring at yourself in the mirror can create an illusionary effect, distorting your features to the point of appearing fantastical
Scientists have discovered a bizarre bacterial defense system that works almost completely backward from anything seen before. Unlike typical bacterial immune systems that keep a deadly toxin under control until a virus attacks, this unusual mechanism waits until an infection begins before producing the DNA that switches on its lethal weapon. The infected bacterium then destroys itself, preventing the virus from multiplying and spreading to neighboring cells.
Nearly 200 nations struck hard-fought agreements Friday at a U.N. biodiversity summit, but the outcome was accompanied by disappointment over missed opportunities to address humanity's destructive toll on nature.
Time changes are more disruptive to our health than you might think. Here are some tips for a smooth transition
Most deception in nature happens without much awareness from the creature involved. From a moth that has evolved to look like a hornet to orchid mantises that mimic flowers to lure in pollinators, deception is part of these animals' nature. But in his book "Liars, Cheats and Copycats: Trickery and Deception in Nature" (Columbia University Press, 2026), biologist James O'Hanlon turns to tactical deception aimed at manipulating what another animal believes — and whether we can consider this as lying.Live Science spoke with O'Hanlon about his book, and why so many scientists are reluctant to say "yes, animals can lie."Read an excerpt: Can animals lie? This sneaky bird might be proof.Olivia Maul...
Most trickery in nature happens without a shred of awareness behind it. An orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) doesn't know it looks like a flower, and a moth with eyespots on its wings has no concept of the predator it's startling. These are adaptations shaped by natural selection over countless generations, not conscious choices. But a smaller set of animal behaviors look like something else entirely — deliberate tactical, and aimed at manipulating another individual's beliefs, the same way human lies do.Figuring out which is which turns out to be one of the trickiest questions in animal behavior research, James O'Hanlon, zoologist and science communicator, told Live Science.In this excerp...
From ghosts to skeletons and even spiders, the cosmos is full of scary surprises
You may have heard that sharks are older than trees. And yes, sharks are truly ancient, with an evolutionary lineage dating back hundreds of millions of years. But are they really older than trees? Experts told Live Science that the answer depends on what we classify as a shark."It's all in the fine print," John Maisey, the curator-in-charge emeritus of fossil fish at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, told Live Science. "The takeaway is that the shark lineage within the fishes generally does go back further than trees. But it really depends on how you define what we mean by shark."The modern sharks we see today first emerged around 195 million years ago, during the Jurassic...