Today's Science News

December 18, 2025

The Feathery Dinosaurs That Couldn’t Fly - Close inspection of “exceptionally preserved” fossils suggests that some dinosaurs shed their ability to take off The post The Feathery Dinosaurs That Couldn’t Fly appeared first on Nautilus .

December 17, 2025

A built-in odometer: new study reveals how the brain measures distance - Scientists study path integration in mice, revealing how the brain tracks distance and time, with implications for understanding Alzheimer’s disease.

Physicists 3D-printed a Christmas tree of ice - New method uses no freezing technology or refrigeration equipment—just water and a vacuum.

An Explosion of Twin Dead Stars May Signal the First Superkilonova Ever Seen in Space  - Learn about what may be the first ever superkilonova ever observed, emitting gravitational waves that hint at the collision of two dead stars.

AI learns to build simple equations for complex systems - Duke University researchers created an AI framework that simplifies complex systems into understandable rules, enhancing scientific discovery and predictions.

Some Compostable Dishes Contain Gluten and Can Transfer It into Food - Learn why consumers should be aware of biodegradable dishware, which can contain natural ingredients, and allergens.

What a 1.5-Million-Year-Old Face Reveals About Early Human Migration - Learn how a digitally reconstructed 1.5-million-year-old fossil from Ethiopia is reshaping ideas about what early human migrants out of Africa actually looked like.

The Moss in Your Christmas Decorations Could Be Storing DNA From Rare Species - Learn how scientists found that moss is hiding years of valuable animal and plant DNA, even some from rare species.

Stress-related brain signals drive risk of cardiovascular disease in people with depression and anxiety - A study indicates that depression and anxiety elevate cardiovascular disease risk due to stress-related brain activity and inflammation, highlighting the need for integrated mental and heart health approaches.

The Silver Lining in Disappointment - It triggers a reaction in the brains of mice that helps them change their behavior The post The Silver Lining in Disappointment appeared first on Nautilus .

James Webb Space Telescope confirms 1st 'runaway' supermassive black hole rocketing through 'Cosmic Owl' galaxies at 2.2 million mph: 'It boggles the mind!' - "The forces that are needed to dislodge such a massive black hole from its home are enormous."

160-Million-Year-Old Fossils Rewrite the Story of Dinosaur Flight - Learn how rare fossil feathers preserved molting patterns, revealing new findings of dinosaur flight.

Light Powers the World's Smallest Programmable Robot, at About 0.3 Millimeters Long - Learn more about these tiny robots that can alter their surroundings and monitor our health.

10 years into the Disney 'Star Wars' era: Grading the ups and downs of a galaxy far, far away - Ten years on from 'The Force Awakens', we look back at what's gone right and what's gone wrong.

Pumas in Patagonia started feasting on penguins — but now they're behaving strangely, a new study finds - Pumas in Patagonia, Argentina are eating penguins in a national park — and it's changing how the big cats are interacting with each other.

US Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as new NASA administrator - More than a year after his initial nomination, the U.S. Senate has voted to confirm billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator.

Spot the males: New gene-editing method could transform mosquito control - Researchers used gene editing to create color-coded male and female mosquitoes, improving sex separation methods for effective mosquito control and disease prevention.

We Overestimate the Prevalence of Online Trolls - This misconception can prompt us to feel pessimistic about our peers—and the world The post We Overestimate the Prevalence of Online Trolls appeared first on Nautilus .

Watch Blue Origin launch 1st wheelchair user to space on Dec. 18 - Aerospace engineer Michi Benthaus will become the first wheelchair user ever to reach space on Thursday (Dec. 18), and you can watch her historic launch atop a Blue Origin rocket live.

Saturn’s biggest moon might not have an ocean after all - Reanalysis of Titan reveals no vast ocean beneath its surface, instead suggesting slushy layers, impacting the search for extraterrestrial life.

Watch Rocket Lab launch 4 experimental 'DiskSats' for the US military tonight - Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch four "DiskSats" for the U.S. Space Force at midnight on Thursday (Dec. 18), and you can watch the action live.

Like Kindergarten Buddies, Male Dolphins That Keep Friendships Can Live Longer - Learn more about the strong and intricate bonds dolphins have that help keep them more youthful.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Ready to Roll for Miles in Years Ahead - After nearly five years on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover has traveled almost 25 miles (40 kilometers), and the mission team has been busy testing the

These Butterflies Change Visual Systems with Seasons - There’s more than what meets the eye in a color-swapping insect The post These Butterflies Change Visual Systems with Seasons appeared first on Nautilus .

Colorful Phytoplankton Blooms Can Cover Ocean Area the Size of Minnesota — Here's Why - Learn more about the large phytoplankton bloom that occurs each year in a “biological desert.”

Camera on NASA Mars probe snaps its 100,000th photo of the Red Planet - The HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter just notched a big milestone, snapping its 100,000th photo of the Red Planet.

Ancient Face Reconstructed from Ethiopian Fossils Rewrites the Story of Human Migration - A 1.5-million-year-old skull from Ethiopia, known as DAN5, reveals unexpected primitive features in Homo erectus, challenging previous notions of linear evolution and emphasizing complex population dynamics.

Massive Stars Make Their Mark in Hubble Image - This NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image features a glittering blue dwarf galaxy called Markarian 178 (Mrk 178).

NASA’s Two-in-One Satellite Propulsion Demo Begins In-Space Test - NASA is working with commercial partners to create high-performing, reliable propulsion systems that will help small spacecraft safely maneuver in orbit,

Fall 2025 Environmental Monitor Available Now - https://www.fondriest.com/news/fall-2025-environmental-monitor-available-now.htm The post Fall 2025 Environmental Monitor Available Now appeared first on Lake Scientist .

10 years later, 'The Force Awakens' stands as the blueprint for a 'Star Wars' that never was - Back in December 2015, the Force awakened in Star Wars, but it quickly went back to sleep.

Spiders on Jupiter? Scientists uncover secret origins of arachnid-like 'demon' lurking on gas giant's moon. - A new study reveals the likely origin of a mysterious spider-like pattern first spotted on Jupiter's moon Europa in 1998.

SpaceX launches Starlink missions in dual-coast spaceflight doubleheader (videos) - SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets, each carrying Starlink satellites, from Kennedy Space Cener in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Dec. 17, 2025.

Titan May Not Host a Massive Ocean After All - But the moon’s slushy interior could still harbor pockets of life-sustaining water The post Titan May Not Host a Massive Ocean After All appeared first on Nautilus .

Detectorists find Anglo-Saxon treasure hoard that may have been part of a 'ritual killing' - These Anglo-Saxon accessories were recovered from the side of a hill in England and may be from a hoard, a ritual deposit or a collection of stolen items.

Comet 3I/ATLAS Has A Green Glow In New Color Images From Gemini North - Gemini North captured new images of Comet 3I/ATLAS after it reemerged from behind the Sun on its path out of the Solar System.

Trump admin threatens to break up major climate research center - Major research institution dismissed as a source of "climate alarmism."

NASA’s Push Toward Commercial Space Communications Gains Momentum - NASA’s commercial partners are actively demonstrating next-generation satellite relay capabilities for spaceflight missions, marking a significant step toward

NASA Study Suggests Saturn’s Moon Titan May Not Have Global Ocean - A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface.

Surprise! Saturn's huge moon Titan may not have a buried ocean after all - "We're not certain if having widespread liquid pockets instead of a global ocean makes Titan more or less habitable."

Saturn's largest moon may be riddled with 'slushy tunnels' that contain alien life, new study hints - Decades ago, a spacecraft suggested Saturn's largest moon, Titan, had an ocean.

ESA's XMM-Newton Examines Comet 3I/ATLAS Prior to Closest Earth Passage Friday - Everyone’s favorite interstellar comet posed for one more portrait recently.

New Landsat Science Team Announced - The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with NASA, has named the new Landsat Science Team that will support the world’s longest-running Earth observation mission for a planned 2026-2030 term.

Best Fallout gifts to spend your caps on - We've rounded up the best Fallout gifts across the wasteland ahead of season two of the hit TV show, available to stream this month.

Watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS make its closest approach to Earth in free livestream on Dec. 18 - The livestream will begin at 11 p.m. EST Dec. 18 (0400 GMT on Dec. 19), weather permitting.

To Boomers, An AI Relationship Is Not Cheating - A recent survey by found that over 28 percent of adults claim they have an intimate, even romantic relationship, with an LLM (Large Language Model), colloquially deemed Artificial Intelligence - "AI".

NASA Langley Research Center: 2025 Year in Review - The future of flight, space exploration, and science starts at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where we have been advancing innovation for more than 100 years.

The Year in Physics - Physicists spotted a “terribly exciting” new black hole, doubled down on weakening dark energy, and debated the meaning of quantum mechanics.

THE BIG PICTURE: Whirling Southern Star Trails over ALMA - The Atacama Desert's ALMA observatory captures star trails formed by Earth's rotation, highlighting astronomical research on distant objects while illustrating the alignment of Earth’s geometry with the southern celestial pole.

Reducing social isolation protects the brain in later life - New research reveals social isolation accelerates cognitive decline in older adults, highlighting its distinct impact from loneliness on mental health.

DAILY DOSE: Donald Trump’s “Genesis Mission” executive order “untethered from reality”; Epigenetic clocks go head-to-head across 174 diseases. - The Genesis Mission faces criticism for lacking clarity and funding while promising AI-driven breakthroughs, risking hype over tangible progress.

Crewed Russian spacecraft meets up with ISS | Space photo of the day for Dec. 17, 2025 - The Soyuz launched on Nov. 27, 2025 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Storms in the Southern Ocean mitigates global warming - Intense Southern Ocean storms enhance heat absorption from the atmosphere, challenging climate models and affecting future climate projections significantly.

James Webb telescope finds supermassive black hole hidden inside 'Jekyll and Hyde' galaxy - The discovery of a hidden supermassive black hole inside an ancient galaxy suggests that some of our universe's most extreme objects could be invisible unless observed in infrared wavelengths, James Webb telescope observations reveal.

Snakes' mind-bending 'heat vision' inspires scientists to build a 4K imaging system that could one day fit into your smartphone - The human eye can only detect wavelengths in the visible light range, but a new imaging system will let us "see" infrared radiation using smartphones.

Experiments on a private space station: Vast asks scientists for research proposals - The California startup Vast has opened a call for scientific research aboard its Haven-1 private space station, which is set to launch atop a SpaceX rocket next year.

Quantum mechanical molecular 'fingerprints' solve machine learning mystery - There is more than one way to describe a water molecule, especially when communicating with a machine learning (ML) model, says chemist Robert DiStasio.

Novel AI platform accelerates discovery of chemical catalysts for industry - CatDRX is a generative AI framework developed at Institute of Science Tokyo, which enables the design of new chemical catalysts based on the specific chemical reactions in which they are used.

Pompeii victims were wearing woolen cloaks in August when they died — but experts are split on what that means - Some of the victims at Pompeii were wearing woolen cloaks when they died, even though it was August, new research finds.

Latest Comet 3I/ATLAS news: Closest approach to Earth this week - Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025: Your daily feed for the holiday flyby of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by Earth.

Why Most Exoplanets Are Magma Worlds - In astronomy, there is a concept called “degeneracy”.

Analyze This: What are the chances of an asteroid hitting Earth? - The odds of a big space rock striking the planet are higher than you might think.

LLMs unleash AI's potential for autonomous and explainable materials discovery - Discovering new inorganic materials is central to advancing technologies in catalysis, energy storage, semiconductors, and more.

Diagnostic dilemma: An otherwise 'fit' man had a stroke after drinking 8 'high-potency' energy drinks a day - A man with few risk factors unexpectedly experienced a stroke, and his daily energy drink habit may have been to blame.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS wasn't supposed to be there — meet the astronomer who discovered it - Dr. Larry Denneau of the University of Hawaii is nothing like your typical astronomer.

A quantum mystery that stumped scientists for decades is solved - A long-standing physics mystery has been solved with the discovery of emergent photon-like behavior inside a strange quantum material.

Enzyme disables bacterial toxin by cleaving key chemical ring structure - A research team at Leibniz-HKI has described a new enzyme that renders the highly toxic molecule malleicyprol harmless.

Low-temperature greenhouse gas conversion: Direct current reveals charge-driven mechanism - Catalytic dry reforming of methane (DRM) offers a promising strategy for the sustainable utilization of greenhouse gases, CH4 and CO2.

He ate a hamburger and died hours later. Doctors found a shocking cause - A rare tick-borne allergy linked to red meat has now been confirmed as deadly for the first time.

The perfect polymer? Plant-based plastic is fully saltwater degradable and leaves behind zero microplastics - Researchers led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have one-upped themselves in their quest to solve our microplastic problem.

A new test could reveal Alzheimer’s before symptoms appear - Scientists at Northern Arizona University are developing a promising new way to detect Alzheimer’s disease earlier than ever before—by tracking how the brain uses sugar.

A hidden star found where dust shouldn’t exist - A mysterious cloud of ultra-hot dust around Kappa Tucanae A may finally have an explanation: a hidden companion star.

A Siberian Snowman in Billings - Winds, waves, and ice near a remote town on the Chukchi Peninsula have sculpted a series of coastal inshore lagoons that resemble an icon of winter.

Chemists develop unique tool for studying RNA in live cells - An innovative three-color method for capturing images of mRNA inside live mammalian cells has been developed by UMass Amherst chemists.

A loud minority makes the Internet look far more toxic than it is - People think online platforms are overflowing with toxic and misleading content, but the reality is far calmer.

Scientists reveal why some brains stop growing too soon - Researchers used miniature human brains grown in the lab to uncover why certain genetic mutations lead to abnormally small brains.

The 3 Ways We Read Between the Lines - How humans infer meaning from spoken language is more complex than we thought The post The 3 Ways We Read Between the Lines appeared first on Nautilus .

Ancient Bee Nests Hiding in Regurgitated, Fossilized Bones - Ancient Bee Nests Hiding in Regurgitated, Fossilized Bones: A cave has revealed bee larvae tucked into fossils.

Ancient Bees Found Nested Inside Fossilized Bone — A Behavior Never Seen Before - Learn how environmental constraints and a lack of soil led ancient bees to reuse fossil cavities in a Caribbean cave, leaving the first known evidence of this behavior.

Ancient burrowing bees made their nests in the tooth cavities and vertebrae of dead rodents, scientists discover - Scientists made a unique discovery in a cave on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola: dozens of fossilized bee nests inside rodent bones that were deposited by owls thousands of years ago.

December 16, 2025

This 8,000-year-old art shows math before numbers existed - Over 8,000 years ago, early farming communities in northern Mesopotamia were already thinking mathematically—long before numbers were written down.

How Earth’s Atmosphere Reached the Moon - And what this might mean for colonizing other worlds The post How Earth’s Atmosphere Reached the Moon appeared first on Nautilus .

Wildfire smoke lofted miles high could have an unexpected effect on Earth's climate - New measurements demonstrate that smoke particles in the upper atmosphere are twice the size of lower-altitude ones.

The Mysterious Little Foot Fossil May Rewrite Hominin History, Representing a New Human Relative - Learn how a new analysis challenges the traditional classifications for ‘Little Foot,’ a famous fossil hominin from South Africa.

Why Worry-Prone Personalities May Face a Higher Risk of Dying Earlier - Learn how decades of research suggest that everyday patterns in how people cope, organize their lives, and respond to stress may quietly shape long-term health.

This Rare Deep-Sea Squid May Trick Predators and Prey by Sticking Its Head in Mud - Learn about the deep sea squid that was found buried in mud, sticking its tentacles out to blend in with the environment. 

Manta Rays Give Free Rides to Hitchhikers, Protecting Other Coastline Species - Learn how manta rays’ relationships with key marine species make protecting them from human harm essential.

The $4.3 billion space telescope Trump tried to cancel is now complete - "We're going to be making 3D movies of what is going on in the Milky Way galaxy."

NASA IXPE’s Longest Observation Solves Black Hole Jets Mystery - An international team of astronomers using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) has identified the origin of X-rays in a supermassive black hole’s

NASA Launches Research Program for Students to Explore Big Ideas - NASA is now accepting concepts for a new research challenge.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe captures solar wind doing a 'U-turn' - NASA's Parker Solar Probe captured solar material looping back to the sun, revealing how it recycles magnetic energy and shapes future solar storms.

Steven Spielberg finally reveals 1st trailer for new UFO film 'Disclosure Day', and now we're terrified - Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor star in Universal Pictures' eerie alien invasion project coming next summer.

An Ancient Fingerprint Among Clues to a 2,000-year-old Invasion of Denmark - An Fingerprint Among Clues to an Ancient Invasion of Denmark: Previously unexamined evidence could help scientists track down the attackers.

EU waters down plans to end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035 - Carmakers, particularly in Germany, have lobbied heavily for concessions to the planned rules.

Is Earth’s Core Like an Onion? - Chemical layering deep inside may explain weird seismic wave behavior The post Is Earth’s Core Like an Onion?

Heart attacks are less harmful at night. And that might be key to treating them. - Controlling immune cells' internal clocks helped reduce inflammatory damage in conditions like heart attack and sickle cell disease, a mouse study found.

NASA's MAVEN spacecraft is still silent at Mars — and apparently is spinning, too - NASA still hasn't heard from its MAVEN Mars orbiter, and the spacecraft appears to be spinning in an odd way as well.

'We were amazed': Scientists using James Webb telescope may have discovered the earliest supernova in the known universe - Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope report that a powerful gamma-ray burst detected in March may have been produced by the explosion of a massive star just 730 million years after the Big Bang.

Brain scans reveal 'dial' that helps keep us from getting lost - A brain-scan study reveals key components of the brain's navigation system, which may help us better understand early symptoms of dementia.

'The Operating Reality Has Changed' - Without Mandates, The Electric Car Market Is Collapsing - Ford is the latest company to take a massive write-off on current electric car production- nearly $20 billion.

Ancient Dental Plaque Is Changing What We Know About Medieval Diets - Learn more about a new technology that is turning ancient teeth into one of archaeology’s most powerful tools.

Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launches its 1st pair of Galileo navigation satellites (video) - Europe's Ariane 6 rocket launched a pair of Galileo satellites just after midnight on Wednesday (Dec. 17), adding to the continent's geopositioning constellation.

Government rolls back nature protections to boost housing - Critics say government changes to a flagship biodiversity policy could stall nature recovery.

Ancient Egyptian valley temple excavated — and it's connected to a massive upper temple dedicated to the sun god, Ra - The newly excavated 4,500-year-old valley temple from ancient Egypt holds a "public calendar" and a roof for astronomical observation.

The First Alien Civilization We Encounter Will Be Extremely Loud - When we gaze up at the night sky, we assume that what we're seeing is a representative population of similar stars at similar distances.

Utah leaders hinder efforts to develop solar energy supply - Solar power accounts for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state’s power grid.

Launch of Japan's Michibiki 5 navigation satellite scrubbed late in countdown - The planned launch of Japan's Michibiki 5 navigation satellite atop an H3 rocket tonight (Dec. 16) was scrubbed with less than a minute left in the countdown.

Polar bears in southern Greenland are 'using jumping genes to rapidly rewrite their own DNA' to survive melting sea ice - Warming temperatures appear to be driving genetic mutations in some polar bears to help them survive the shifting climatic conditions.

City-size 'cosmic butterfly' carved into Mars' surface contains traces of ancient water - The European Space Agency has released new images of a rare "butterfly" crater on the Red Planet.

How to watch 'Fallout' Season 2 online and from anywhere - Okey Dokey!

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Will Teach Us A Lot More About Cosmic Voids - The Large-Scale Structure of the Universe features massive filaments where galaxy clusters and superclusters reside.

Ars Live Today: 3 former CDC leaders detail impacts of RFK Jr.’s anti-science agenda - Join us today, December 16, at 2 pm ET to hear from leaders who resigned in protest.

Thousands of dinosaur footprints found on Italian mountain - The footprints date back some 210 million years and show traces of toes and claws.

James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?' - The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a lemon-shaped exoplanet clinging to a dead star that has an atmosphere that defies explanation.

Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet? - The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.

Best space stocking stuffers: Budget friendly Christmas gifts for stargazers and astrophotographers - We've rounded up the best small gifts under $100, suitable for astrophotographers or stargazers but don't leave your Christmas shopping too late!

Vital intertwining: Blood parasite's chainmail-like DNA structure could inspire next-generation materials - As tough as medieval chainmail armor and as soft as a contact lens.

The Year in Computer Science - Explore the year’s most surprising computational revelations, including a new fundamental relationship between time and space, an undergraduate who overthrew a 40-year-old conjecture, and the unexpectedly effortless triggers that can turn AI evil.

Satellite watches volcano spew ash over Middle East | Space photo of the day for Dec. 16, 2025 - The ash plume disrupted flights as far away as India.

'Fallout' Season 2 review: A stark warning against letting tech billionaires decide humanity's fate - Amazon and Bethesda return to the Wasteland with a second Fallout season that's all about New Vegas and not letting businessmen and fanatics run the world.

Octopuses Change Color in Milliseconds, Even Though They Are Colorblind - Learn why octopuses change color, how fast they can blend into their surroundings, and how the creatures can change into colors they can’t even see.

Strange structures of space: a weird quiz - Think you know your Dyson spheres from your dark blobs?

Cool satellites and flexible electronics: Thin interlayers strengthen flexible composite materials - The picture that pops up before our inner eye when we hear the word "satellite" is probably this: Two extended solar "wings" and a compact body wrapped in foil with a golden or silvery shimmer.

Record-breaking feat means information lasts 15 times longer in new kind of quantum processor than those used by Google and IBM - The novel design for the new qubit uses the chemical element tantalum in tandem with a special silicon substrate, creating what researchers say are the most coherent superconducting qubits to date.

Soocas NEOS II electric 2-in-1 sonic toothbrush review - Can this eco-friendly toothbrush live up to the hype?

Need some gift inspiration? Our favorite noise-cancelling headphones just hit their lowest-ever price - The snuggly Bose QuietComfort headphones are now 51% at Amazon, and cheaper than they were during Black Friday.

Composite copper oxides show strong, long-lasting antiviral action against tough viruses - Composite copper–lanthanum and copper–yttrium oxides developed by researchers from Japan demonstrate exceptionally high antiviral activity against non-enveloped virus.

Astronomers Snap a Rare Photo of a Super-Jupiter with Two Suns - If you read enough articles about planets in binary star systems, you’ll realize almost all of them make some sort of reference to Tatooine, the fictional home of Luke Skywalker (and Darth Vader) in the Star War saga.

Climate-smart actions to reduce crop loss in Africa - In this episode of Africa Science Focus, we examine how climate change accelerates crop loss and how climate-informed interventions can help.

Experiment: Weather and climate in your neighborhood - In this experiment, use historical weather data to investigate how weather and climate conditions have changed in your area over time.

Origami folds let paper support 9,000 times its weight, teen finds - Miles Wu, 14, tested the strength of different ‘Miura-Ori’ origami folds and showed they might be useful in the design of pop-up emergency shelters.

James Webb Space Telescope could illuminate dark matter in a way scientists didn't realize - Smooth filaments stretching for many light-years, seen by the powerful space telescope, could indicate what the right "recipe" is for dark matter.

A simple turn reveals a 1,500-year-old secret on Roman glass - A museum visit sparked a revelation when a Roman glass cup was turned around and its overlooked markings came into focus.

Living cells may generate electricity from motion - Cells may generate their own electrical signals through microscopic membrane motions.

Ramanujan’s 100-year-old pi formula is still revealing the Universe - Ramanujan’s elegant formulas for calculating pi, developed more than a century ago, have unexpectedly resurfaced at the heart of modern physics.

Scientists reveal a 1.5-million-year-old human face - Scientists have digitally reconstructed the face of a 1.5-million-year-old Homo erectus fossil from Ethiopia, uncovering an unexpectedly primitive appearance.

A new way to prevent gum disease without wiping out good bacteria - Scientists are uncovering a surprising way to influence bacteria—not by killing them, but by changing how they communicate.

Deep snow blanket transforms Yellowstone Lake into a giant white void — Earth from space - A 2022 astronaut photo shows a thick blanket of snow covering Yellowstone Lake, transforming the frozen body of water into a featureless white void.

A new family of barium-based crystals reveals rules for structural changes - The ultimate goal of materials scientists is to design and create materials with precise structures and tailored properties.

Physicists found a way to see heat in empty space - Physicists have found a clever way to detect the elusive Unruh effect without extreme accelerations.

This rare earthquake did everything scientists hoped to see - A rare, ultra-long earthquake in Myanmar revealed that mature faults can deliver their full force directly to the surface.

Workers were exposed to toxic chemicals in firefighting foam - For decades it was 3M's biggest outside the US, and the factory made nappy fastenings and video tape.

'Crazy Englishman' growing olives the Italian way - David Hoyles' farm has grown what is believed to be Lincolnshire's first commercial olive crop.

Why crop loss hits women farmers hardest - Women farmers face deeper losses from crop failure, driven by unequal access to land, credit, data and decision-making.

December 15, 2025

A hidden climate shift may have sparked epic Pacific voyages 1,000 years ago - Around 1,000 years ago, a major climate shift reshaped rainfall across the South Pacific, making western islands like Samoa and Tonga drier while eastern islands such as Tahiti became increasingly wet.

A Hidden Rock Layer Beneath Bermuda Explains a Mysterious Swell in the Ocean's Crust - Learn about the swelled-up structure beneath Bermuda, where a thick layer of buoyant rock may be holding up oceanic crust.

Prehistoric Underwater Wall Hints at Sophisticated Human Engineering 7,000 Years Ago - A 400-foot-long granite structure off the coast of Brittany suggests late hunter-gatherers were already beginning to settle down.

China's Shenzhou-21's Crew Test New Spacesuits During Spacewalk - The Shenzhou-21 crew on board China's orbiting space station completed its first extravehicular activities on Tuesday, Dec. 9th, during which they validated the new EVA spacesuits.

Stone Age Tools Found in Central African Cave Were Remarkably Stable for 5,000 Years - Learn more about the diversity of tool use in Central Africa during the Stone Age.

You Spend Most of Your Life Indoors — But How Safe Is the Air? - Learn how dust, air, and everyday products inside buildings can expose people to emerging chemicals that often go unmonitored indoors.