Science

Illustration: Alfred-Wegener-Institut/J. McKay

Shocking Study Reveals Ancient Rainforest Existed Near the South Pole

During the Cretaceous period, a balmy forest grew less than 600 miles from the South Pole, according to new research that uncovered ancient spores and roots. Millions of years ago, Earth’s atmosphere had several times more carbon dioxide than it does even today, making the Cretaceous one of the warmest periods of the planet. But…

Earth Science Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Why Do Physicists Keep Finding New States of Matter?

Ah, yes, the three states of matter: Solids, liquids, and gases. What a simple way to understand our physical world. Of course, if you remember a bit of high school science, you probably recall a fourth state of matter, plasma. And if you pay attention to science news, you’ve probably heard of another, Bose-Einstein condensates.…

Physics & Chemistry Nathaniel Scharping

An Anti-Gay Charity Is Running a Coronavirus Tent Hospital in Central Park [Updated]

A charity group is stepping in to help New York City, facing the worst outbreak of covid-19 in the country, by building an emergency field hospital in the middle of Central Park to handle overflow patients. But the group and its founder’s history of anti-gay sentiment is making people question whether it can truly provide…

Health Ed Cara

Florida’s Ancient Calusa Kingdom Was Powered by Ingenious Fish Corrals

Despite having no agriculture, the Calusa managed to dominate southwest Florida for centuries. New research suggests this inventive Native American civilization built “watercourts” to capture and store live fish, resulting in a bountiful surplus of food that facilitated sociopolitical complexity and ambitious construction projects. Appearing around 2,000 years ago, the expansive Calusa kingdom of Florida…

Human History George Dvorsky

New Rapid Coronavirus Tests Could Scale Up U.S. Testing

Scientists across the U.S. are developing new tests meant to detect whether someone is infected by the novel coronavirus in much less time than conventional tests now available—from five hours to as short as five minutes. But these newer tests still present familiar challenges, namely whether they’ll be accurate or accessible enough. In Ohio, one…

Health Ed Cara

Image: NASA and ESA; Acknowledgment: J. Hester (ASU) and M. Weisskopf (NASA/MSFC

How Neon Can Make a Star Destroy Itself

Some stars have the element neon to thank for their ultimate, explosive demise, according to astrophysical research. Astronomers love studying the life cycles of stars, including which stars die in which ways. Less-massive stars, like our Sun, expand and shed their layers as they transition into white dwarfs, while much bigger stars explode in violent…

Space & Spaceflight Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Fracked Up: Drilling Pollutant Could Mess With Testosterone

New research offers another potential downside of fracking: an increased risk of impotence and fertility problems in men, at least according to findings from cells in the lab. This research, which is still being peer-reviewed ahead of publication, was set to be presented during the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, which would have ended Tuesday if…

Environmental Justice Yessenia Funes

New Research Exposes Horrific Conditions at Britain’s Forgotten Nazi Concentration Camp

An archaeological survey of a former Nazi concentration camp on the British island of Alderney has revealed the frightful conditions endured by forced laborers and political prisoners during the Second World War. Following the fall of France in June 1940, German forces occupied the British Channel Islands, but these would be the only patches of…

Human History George Dvorsky

Fossilized Vomit and Feces Are Delighting Paleontologists

Fossil skeletons tell us a great deal about extinct species; we couldn’t piece together ancient life without them. Just as important, however, are the fossils that may not immediately tug at our imaginations, fill us with awe, or even be recognizable to non-paleontologists. The traces that an animal made during its life—footprints, tail drags, nests,…

Biology Jeanne Timmons

We Have a New Hole in the Ozone to Worry About

The ozone hole is the problem that never seems to ever go away. And now it turns out we have a second one to worry about over the Arctic. The ozone hole we all know and love (or more accurately, hate) has been slowly but surely recovering. The United Nations reported that the hole is…

Earth Science Yessenia Funes

Chiropractors Told to Stop Pretending They Can Treat Covid-19

Chiropractors in Canada and elsewhere are being told to stop advertising their services as a treatment for covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. In Canada, organizations such as the College of Chiropractors of Ontario have sent dozens of warning letters to clinics and practitioners in the area, following complaints by the nonprofit advocacy…

Health Ed Cara

SpaceX Rival OneWeb Files for Bankruptcy, Citing Covid-19 as a Factor

Telecommunications firm OneWeb has filed for bankruptcy, leaving the status of its orbital internet constellation, which currently consists of 74 satellites, in doubt. The debt-stricken company said it failed to secure required funding on account of the covid-19 pandemic. OneWeb announced on Friday that it is filing for bankruptcy protection, the same day the firm…

Space & Spaceflight George Dvorsky

Scientists Find Evidence of Deep-Sea Fish Migration Route

Marine biologists have found evidence of a previously unobserved deep-sea migration route more than 4,500 feet beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, according to a new paper. The deep ocean is a vast and mysterious biome; 80 percent of it remains unmapped to this day. Scientists hope to better understand the ecology in this…

Biology Ryan F. Mandelbaum

A Newly Discovered Microbe Feasts on a Particularly Problematic Plastic

Like other forms of discarded plastic, polyurethane waste threatens the environment and human health. In an encouraging new development, European scientists have stumbled upon a hardy strain of bacteria that appears to thrive off the stuff. New research published in Frontiers in Microbiology describes a newly identified strain of soil bacterium that’s capable of breaking…

Conservation George Dvorsky

Seismometers Worldwide Detect Decrease in Human Activity Amid Coronavirus Lockdowns

Seismometers around the world are recording the decreased seismic activity resulting from people staying home amid covid-19 social distancing orders. These detectors measure seismic waves through Earth’s crust, but they also pick up humans moving around, industry, and traffic in the form of higher-frequency noise patterns. Amid stay-at-home orders, Royal Observatory of Belgium geologist and seismologist…

Earth Science Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Hundreds of Bottles of Toxic Beer Found Hidden Beneath Victorian-Era Staircase

Archaeologists in Leeds, England discovered more than 600 beer bottles at the site of an old Victorian brewery. Stacked neatly beneath a cellar staircase, the beer inside these 19th-century bottles contains dangerous concentrations of lead. The bottles were found beneath the remains of what used to be the Scarborough Castle Inn, in the cellar of…

Human History George Dvorsky

Neanderthals Enjoyed Seafood, Too, New Evidence Suggests

Neanderthals living in Portugal during the last ice age consumed copious amounts of seafood, according to new archaeological evidence. The discovery suggests Neanderthals, like our modern human ancestors, made the most of marine resources. Marine food resources such as fish, eel, mollusk, and crab were staples of the Iberian Neanderthal diet for tens of thousands…

Human History George Dvorsky

Graphic: Christopher Dessert, Nicholas Rodd, Benjamin Safdi, Zosia Rostomian, Fermi Large Area Telescope

The Fate of a Dark Matter Theory Hinges on These Unidentified X-Rays

Despite decades of searching, no one has yet cracked the mystery of dark matter. One hypothesis to explain it relies on strange x-rays emanating from distant galaxies and galaxy clusters, but a new paper appears to rule out dark matter as producing these mysterious x-rays. The way distant objects in the universe interact implies that…

Physics & Chemistry Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Scientists Save Quantum States in a Diamond, a Tiny Step Toward a Quantum Internet

A newly created system can enhance quantum communications over longer distances—a small but crucial step toward a quantum internet. We’re in the early stages of a quantum boom, as researchers are attempting to augment our computing and communications capabilities with systems employing the weird mathematics that govern subatomic particles. One of the core goals of…

Physics & Chemistry Ryan F. Mandelbaum

Hotter Days May Leave You More Stressed, Depressed

The world is warming. That’s no secret. Extreme heat isn’t only dangerous for our physical health, though. New research shows hotter days may hurt our mental health as well. A study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One adds to a growing body of literature showing the way the climate crisis could harm individual mental health…

Climate Change Yessenia Funes

Shocking Study Reveals Ancient Rainforest Existed Near the South Pole

Why Do Physicists Keep Finding New States of Matter?

An Anti-Gay Charity Is Running a Coronavirus Tent Hospital in Central Park [Updated]

Florida’s Ancient Calusa Kingdom Was Powered by Ingenious Fish Corrals

New Rapid Coronavirus Tests Could Scale Up U.S. Testing

How Neon Can Make a Star Destroy Itself

Fracked Up: Drilling Pollutant Could Mess With Testosterone

New Research Exposes Horrific Conditions at Britain’s Forgotten Nazi Concentration Camp

Fossilized Vomit and Feces Are Delighting Paleontologists

We Have a New Hole in the Ozone to Worry About

Chiropractors Told to Stop Pretending They Can Treat Covid-19

SpaceX Rival OneWeb Files for Bankruptcy, Citing Covid-19 as a Factor

Scientists Find Evidence of Deep-Sea Fish Migration Route

A Newly Discovered Microbe Feasts on a Particularly Problematic Plastic

Seismometers Worldwide Detect Decrease in Human Activity Amid Coronavirus Lockdowns

Hundreds of Bottles of Toxic Beer Found Hidden Beneath Victorian-Era Staircase

Neanderthals Enjoyed Seafood, Too, New Evidence Suggests

The Fate of a Dark Matter Theory Hinges on These Unidentified X-Rays

Scientists Save Quantum States in a Diamond, a Tiny Step Toward a Quantum Internet

Hotter Days May Leave You More Stressed, Depressed

Sonos Ace ANC Headphones Quietly Drop Again to a New Low Right After the AirPods Max 2 Launch

Could Dave Filoni’s ‘Star Wars’ Cameo Have an Important Role in ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’?

Amazon’s 50-Inch Smart Fire TV Is Still 40% Off After the Spring Sale, Price Could Jump Back Anytime

Ray-Ban and Oakley Meta Glasses Now on GlassesUSA With 50% Off Lens Upgrades, Get Vision AI Glasses for Less

This Windows 11 Pro Mini PC Shows Up at a Record Low on Amazon After the Spring Sale, No Need for a Tower Desktop

The ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Moment Designed for You to Gawk at Hugh Jackman’s Chiseled Body Is Now an Action Figure

Marshall Emberton III Bluetooth Speaker Isn’t Supposed to Be This Cheap, Even the New Midnight Blue at an All-Time Low

2026 MacBook Pro (M5 Pro) Breaks Into Its First Sale on Amazon, While Apple Store Still Has None on the New Laptop

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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