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 BlakemoreScientists 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 FrancisNew 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 JohnsonPlan 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 JeongNASA 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 HarrisHarald 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 MurphyWhy 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 GrandoniSaber-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 BlakemoreScientists 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-ZiffA 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 GilbertMexican 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 VillegasRevenge 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 PietschLong-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 LyttonNew 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 BlakemoreHow 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. JohnsonClimate 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 BrownThe 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 Johnson‘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 SulimanA 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 BissetA 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 Johnson