Iron Age feces reveal earliest evidence of dysentery-causing parasite

Analyzing 2,600-year-old feces found at two cesspits used by the Kingdom of Judah’s elite, archaeologists discovered traces of Giardia duodenalis, which causes dysentery.

By Erin BlakemoreJune 3, 2023

Scientists ran a health check on the Earth — and the results are worrying

The Earth Commission assessed the planet’s health against eight thresholds needed to support life on Earth — and found seven already had been breached.

By Victoria Bisset and Ellen FrancisJune 2, 2023

New AI tool searches genetic haystacks to find disease-causing variants

PrimateAI-3D was trained on the genetic blueprints of 233 primate species to help scientists sift through millions of variants and find ones that can cause harm.

By Mark JohnsonJune 1, 2023

Plan to use pig fat as plane fuel doesn’t fly, study says

Using animal biofuels in aviation has been touted as a solution for cutting emissions. But the practice may lead to other environmental problems, a study warns.

By Andrew JeongJune 1, 2023

NASA team studying UFO mysteries says experts need better data

But panel members were emphatic that they had seen no evidence to attribute unidentified anomalous phenomena to extraterrestrial intelligence.

By Shane HarrisMay 31, 2023

Harald zur Hausen, who found virus link to cervical cancer, dies at 87

Dr. zur Hausen was awarded a Nobel Prize in 2008 for his work that later gave the foundations for the HPV vaccine.

By Brian MurphyMay 31, 2023

Why orcas keep sinking boats

Killer whales have seriously damaged boats about a dozen times this year off the coast of Spain and Portugal.

By Dino GrandoniMay 28, 2023

Saber-toothed creature migrated 7,000 miles during ‘Great Dying’

The swiftness of the tiger-sized predator's rise and fall underscores the extreme flux of animals during an extinction event.

By Erin BlakemoreMay 27, 2023

Scientists find way to make energy from air using nearly any material

The technology builds on research that showed it was possible to capture the energy in humidity. The latest discovery finds it's possible to do so with any material.

By Dan Rosenzweig-ZiffMay 26, 2023

A paralyzed man walks with brain and spine implants

Experimental devices implanted in a paralyzed man's brain and spine communicate wirelessly and enhance his ability to walk and climb stairs, a paper in Nature found.

By Daniel GilbertMay 24, 2023

Mexican volcano spews ash and smoke as authorities urge caution

Popocatépetl, Mexico's second largest volcano, has been spewing ash onto an area accustomed to such rumblings, but authorities are telling them to be cautions.

By Paulina VillegasMay 23, 2023

Revenge of the orcas? Killer whales have sunk 3 boats in unusual attacks.

Scientists say hundreds of “disruptive” interactions off the Iberian coast may have been triggered by a traumatic incident between a killer whale and a boat.

By Bryan PietschMay 21, 2023

Long-hidden ruins of vast network of Maya cities could recast history

In Guatemala, scientists have found 417 cities dating to circa 1,000 B.C. and once connected by nearly 110 miles of “superhighways.”

By Charlotte LyttonMay 20, 2023

New suspect emerges in long-ago vandalism of dinosaur sculptures

For more than a century, historians believed William “Boss” Tweed, New York’s most powerful political figure at the time, was to blame.

By Erin BlakemoreMay 20, 2023

How mosquitoes use your body chemistry to pick you for their next meal

To unravel how malaria-carrying mosquitoes sniff out their next juicy meal, scientists set up a screened-in outdoor laboratory in Zambia.

By Carolyn Y. JohnsonMay 19, 2023

Climate change destroys habitats. Relocation of the animals is tricky.

The big question is whether empowering wildlife officials to relocate endangered species like the Mexican gray wolf would help or hurt the environment.

By Alex BrownMay 19, 2023

The earliest recorded kiss goes back at least 4,500 years to Mesopotamia

A Danish husband and wife duo give kissing the scholarly treatment, pushing back the earliest records of the act by about 1,000 years

By Mark JohnsonMay 18, 2023

‘Astonishing’ 3D scans reveal Titanic shipwreck in extraordinary new detail

The 3D scan images by British mapping company Magellan reveal the Titanic in unprecedented clarity. The ship sank in 1912 and still grips the public imagination.

By Adela SulimanMay 18, 2023

A hippo charged a canoe, killing a baby. How dangerous are hippo encounters?

The boat's capsizing in Malawi’s Shire River also left 23 people missing. Hippos are popular animals, but they have also been described as among the world’s deadliest mammals.

By Victoria BissetMay 17, 2023

A new, more diverse human genome offers hope for rare genetic diseases

The first pangenome is based on the full genetic blueprints of 47 people from around the world.

By Mark JohnsonMay 16, 2023