Page Updated: Monday, January 19, 2026 4:35 PM ET

Live Science - Science

Human Evolution -- Scientists claim 'Lucy' may not be our direct ancestor after all, stoking fierce debate

23 days ago

Human Evolution -- Human origins quiz: How well do you know the story of humanity?

3 days ago

Earthquakes -- Parkfield, San Andreas, and the quest for a 'crystal ball' for predicting earthquakes before they happen

5 days ago

Animals -- 50 mind-blowing science facts about our incredible world

14 days ago

Genetics -- 'More Neanderthal than human': How DNA from our long-lost ancestors affects our health today

17 days ago

Human Evolution -- Tiny bump on 7 million-year-old fossil suggests ancient ape walked upright - and might even be a human ancestor

9 days ago

Human Behavior -- About Live Science

2 months ago

Arts & Entertainment -- Live Science crossword puzzle #27: The explosion that created the universe - 5 down

4 hours ago

Human Evolution -- Last common ancestor of modern humans and Neanderthals possibly found in Casablanca, Morocco

12 days ago

Extraterrestrial Life -- Scientists are debating a 70-year-old UFO mystery as new images come to light

1 month ago

Microbiology -- 'Stop and re-check everything': Scientists discover 26 new bacterial species in NASA's cleanrooms

20 days ago

Human Evolution -- 10 things we learned about Neanderthals in 2025

19 days ago

Archaeology -- 10 things we learned about our human ancestors in 2025

24 days ago

Artificial Intelligence -- Even AI has trouble figuring out if text was written by AI - here's why

14 days ago

Ever seen a pet cow pick up a broom and scratch herself with it? You have now - By - Chris Simms - published - 19 January 26 - A pet cow in Austria started using a broom to scratch herself - the first ever documented case of bovine tool use.

5 hours ago

Eerie 'sand burials' of elite Anglo-Saxons and their 'sacrificed' horse discovered near UK nuclear power plant - By - Owen Jarus - published - 19 January 26 - The 1,400 year-old "sand burials" of two people and a horse were found near a nuclear power plant construction site in the U.K.

7 hours ago

Last year, the oceans absorbed a record-breaking amount of heat - equivalent to 12 Hiroshima bombs exploding every second - By - Eos.org, Grace van Deelen - published - 19 January 26 - In 2025, the ocean absorbed an extra 23 zettajoules of heat energy in 2025, breaking the ocean heat content record for the ninth consecutive year.

8 hours ago

Rivers & Oceans

5 days ago

Remnants of spills on Renaissance-era textbook reveal recipes for 'curing' ailments with lizard heads and human feces - By - Kristina Killgrove - published - 19 January 26 - A novel biochemical analysis of a Renaissance medical text has successfully recovered centuries-old proteins that might be from lizards and hippos.

8 hours ago

James Webb telescope reveals sharpest-ever look at the edge of a supermassive black hole - By - Ivan Farkas - published - 19 January 26 - The James Webb Space Telescope snapped its sharpest image of the area around a black hole, solving a long-standing galactic mystery.

11 hours ago

Strange discovery offers 'missing link' in planet formation - By - Sharmila Kuthunur - published - 18 January 26 - A decade of observations of four planets around the young planetary system V1298 Tau revealed a rare, long-sought missing link in planet formation.

1 day ago

This is SPARDA: A self-destruct, self-defense system in bacteria that could be a new biotech tool - By - RJ Mackenzie - published - 17 January 26 - A bacterial defense system called SPARDA employs kamikaze-like tactics to protect cells and could be useful in future biotechnologies.

2 days ago

Romans regularly soaked in filthy, lead-contaminated bath water, Pompeii study finds - By - Kristina Killgrove - published - 17 January 26 - A study of limescale buildup in an early bathing facility at Pompeii has revealed that the water was replaced only once per day.

2 days ago

Crew-11 emergency return, Mars Sample Return cancellation, shrinking river deltas, and an ancient wolf mystery. By - Ben Turner - published - 17 January 26 - Science news this week - Jan. 17, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

2 days ago

NASA's Mars Sample Return is dead, leaving China to retrieve signs of life from the Red Planet - By - Patrick Pester - published - 16 January 26 - NASA's plans for Mars sample return are effectively cancelled as part of a bill approved by the U.S. Congress, ending efforts to collect Perseverance rover samples that could contain evidence of alien life.

3 days ago

Forced closure of premier US weather-modeling institute could endanger millions of Americans - By - Jane Palmer - published - 16 January 26 - From high-wind forecasts and wildfire behavior to floods, aviation hazards, air quality and space weather, science developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research informs decisions that aim to reduce risk.

3 days ago