Scientists recently discovered the fossils of an early carnivorous animal, a find that highlights how diverse the Earth’s oceans were more than half a billion years ago, CNN reported. Expeditions to the Sirius Passet site in North Greenland uncovered the remains of a predatory worm that...
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A new study on Neptune and Uranus challenges popular depictions of the Solar System’s far-off worlds, revealing their true colors, the New York Times reported. When NASA’s Voyager 2 visited both planets in the 1980s, images from the spacecraft showed Neptune having a deep blue color...
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Scientists have discovered the earliest photosynthetic structures that could shed light on Earth’s primordial life and how the intricate process of photosynthesis evolved, Gizmodo reported. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants – and some other lifeforms – convert sunlight into chemical energy. In their paper, biologist...
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Many bird species tend to take short naps throughout the day, sometimes lasting around 10 seconds at a time. But one species of penguin in the Southern Ocean takes napping to a whole other level, taking thousands of naps a day, according to New Scientist. Recently, a...
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When most people think of snakes, they imagine long, deadly fangs delivering venom. While not all snakes have venomous fangs, all of them have teeth. And now one herpetologist, William Ryerson, has discovered those teeth have stories to tell, especially regarding how snakes kill, Science Magazine...
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Before the pandemic, tourists used to travel by boat to Ko Ped, an island near Pattaya in southern Thailand, also known as Monkey Island, for its beaches, clear water and wily macaques monkeys. The tourists fed the inhabitants regularly. But after the coronavirus hit in 2020 and...
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Visitors passing through England’s southwest might have stumbled across the Cerne Abbas Giant, a nearly 200-foot-tall figure cut into the chalky hillside of Dorset county. Naked and sporting a huge club over its head, the giant has puzzled scholars who have wondered about its origins and...
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Scientists recently discovered a yellow, spider-like creature with four black eyes and large bulbous claws that resemble “boxing gloves,” Live Science reported. The newfound species, Austropallene halanychi, is a species of sea spider, a distant relative of the horseshoe crab and other arachnids crawling around the...
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At an ancient fort in northeastern Italy, archaeologists uncovered a 2,400-year-old detailed map of the night sky – including a mysterious star that vanished thousands of years ago, the Miami Herald reported. About the size of a car tire, the man-made celestial map, dating to between...
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Mesopotamia, an ancient civilization that thrived in what is now Iraq, has long guarded its mysteries. Now, ancient bricks that linger from that period are helping to illuminate more about its history and also the Earth’s, Cosmos Magazine reported. Archaeologists have traditionally relied on methods such...
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It has long been known that humans share many features with apes. What has made us stand out in the animal kingdom is our ability to develop social networks. Now, that sense of kinship may also be found among our close cousins. A study conducted on...
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Crying can help ease your nerves. It could also help ease someone else’s. A team of neurobiologists discovered that human tears included a substance that could reduce aggression from a third party, the Guardian reported. The study is the latest to contradict Charles Darwin’s premise that...
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People go to the gym to stay in shape. Songbirds, meanwhile, sing their hearts out to stay fit, according to Cosmos magazine. That’s because singing is an important facet of a songbird’s life, helping them attract potential mates, protect their territory and maintain social bonds. Now, in...
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Scientists have long wondered about the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) – specifically, the last time it collapsed. If it melts completely, this ice sheet packs enough water to raise global sea levels by more than 16 feet. Now, a new genetic study of Antarctica’s octopuses unveiled...
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“Years and years ago, there were these people called the Maccabees,” an armadillo once said as it tried to explain the story of Hannukah. New archaeological finds may now provide more details to that tale, Popular Mechanics reported. A team of archaeologists in Jerusalem found 16...
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Cats are mysterious beings. It is hard for their owners and veterinarians alike to decipher their emotions, hindering a crucial understanding of their well-being. Now, however, help is on the way. That’s because even though cats can fool humans, they cannot fool artificial intelligence as easily, Scientific...
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If you are a morning person, chances are that it is because of your pre-historic ancestors: Scientists found that DNA inherited from Neanderthals could be linked to sleeping habits and rising early, the Guardian reported. The Neanderthals were cousins of the Homo sapiens species that currently...
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Shipwrecks are a lure for divers and history buffs, but they also serve as an important refuge for marine life in areas with heavy fishing, Newsweek reported. British marine scientists recently explored five shipwrecks off the coasts in northeastern England dating back to the 18th and...
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Forget about the shiny nose: For the reindeer guiding Santa, it’s all about the eyes. That’s because, during the colder months, reindeer eyes turn from a golden color to a vivid blue that allows them to see in the darkness of winter. The animals have a special...
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The holiday period comes with lots of joy and fun – but for many, plenty of anxiety and stress, too, brought on by hosting festivities, travel delays and bickering relatives. In fact, different areas of the brain activate when dealing with various types of stressors, biologist...
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