Half of the world's dams could be 'functionally inoperable' by 2060 from being flooded with sediment - and the American West is a major hotspot - Analysis - Research shows a fifth of the world's reservoirs are currently at high risk of filling with sediment, creating a "ticking time bomb" that threatens lives and livelihoods. Analysis

1 minute ago

Physicists find a way to control heat in a way once thought impossible -- Researchers designed a material that can independently control how it absorbs and emits heat, and it even retains those settings once the power is turned off. -- Olivia Maule -- Published

1 minute ago

Brains don't always rot: Scientists may finally know how human brains have evaded decay for thousands of years -- Thousands of skeletal human remains have been discovered with their brain tissue unexpectedly intact. Now, a team of scientists may have finally figured out why. -- Victoria Atkinson -- Published

10 hours ago

'Darwin's hypothesis provided an important inspiration': Scientists bolster 150-year-old Darwinian theory with a carnivorous plant in China -- Researchers have confirmed that a plant native to alpine regions in southwest China is carnivorous, supporting a Darwinian theory from 1875. -- Sascha Pare -- Published

14 hours ago

A SpaceX rocket will hit the moon at 5,000 mph tonight. Here's what to expect. -- An upcoming collision of a Falcon 9 rocket part with the moon may be visible from Earth with telescopes, new research suggests. Here's what scientists and skywatchers are hoping to see. -- Deepa Jain -- Published

15 hours ago

2 people die of Cyclospora infection in Michigan -- Two people in Michigan have died due to Cyclospora infections, the state health department reported. -- Nicoletta Lanese -- Published

15 hours ago

Scientists uncover big clue as to how Antarctica's mysterious Blood Falls came to be -- Brine that feeds the gruesome-looking Blood Falls in East Antarctica may have been emplaced when sea levels were higher than they are now, a new study says. -- Sascha Pare -- Published

1 day ago

'Poop pills' may ease insomnia by reprogramming the gut microbiome, early study hints -- Reprogramming the gut microbiome with fecal microbiota transplants could reduce the amount of time people with insomnia spend awake. -- Clarissa Brincat -- Published

1 day ago

Ancient bullets reveal where a Roman camp hid in the Pyrenees of Spain before being ambushed -- Researchers found the remains of a Roman camp from 39 B.C. that was ambushed by locals in what's now Catalonia, Spain. -- Tom Metcalfe -- Published

1 day ago

Aspen trees provide a natural buffer against wildfires, even as fire season intensifies, study shows -- Buffers made of aspen trees could help protect communities from worsening wildfires. -- Brian Owens -- Published

1 day ago

Could we prevent dementia? A new trial may point the way. -- Analysis -- While much funding for dementia research goes toward treatments, some scientists want to reduce people's risk of developing the condition in the first place. -- RJ Mackenzie

1 day ago

Why Aug. 12 could be the greatest single day and night for skywatchers for years -- A solar eclipse, the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, Venus at dichotomy and the Milky Way at its annual best will create one of 2026's best days for skywatching. -- Jamie Carter -- Published

3 days ago

Sharks reveal their secret lives, coldest temperature recorded in Antarctica, geoglyphs hint at lost Amazonian civilization and why inflammation causes false memories. -- Science news this week -- August 1, 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 -- Pandora Dewan

3 days ago

'We are not giving up yet': Private mission to rescue NASA's Swift telescope is spinning out of control -- Katalyst Space's LINK spacecraft is recovering from an unexpected spin in orbit, and will need a little more time to rescue NASA's falling Swift observatory. -- Elizabeth Howell -- Published

3 days ago

Astronomers accidentally discover 2 supernovas that exploded from a single star system -- Astronomers have identified a supernova remnant beside the well-known Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443), and evidence suggests both are the wreckage of two stars that once orbited each other before exploding separately. -- Olivia Maule -- Last updated

4 days ago

IBM scientists claim they've achieved 'quantum advantage' - and they've dared others to prove them wrong -- Using IBM's quantum computer, scientists say they have shown in three different experiments that quantum computers can outpace classical machines in useful computations. -- Tristan Greene -- Published

4 days ago

Alzheimer's blood tests are transforming how patients get diagnosed - here's what to know -- Explainer -- New tests for Alzheimer's are helping people who are at risk of dementia get clarity on their condition, Live Science reports from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London. -- RJ Mackenzie

3 days ago

Scientists discover 2 new 'ghost' lineages that contributed DNA to modern humans -- A new method of analyzing modern humans' DNA is revealing secrets about our extinct ancestors. -- Charles Q. Choi -- Published

5 days ago

Scientists put cameras on whale sharks for the first time and saw something they'd never seen before -- Animal-borne cameras have revealed that the world's largest fish spends far more time feeding below the surface than scientists realized. -- Olivia Maule -- Published

5 days ago

500-year-old Inca mummies prove that European colonists brought devastating smallpox to the Americas -- Ancient DNA from Chilean mummies is the first ever molecular evidence that European colonizers brought smallpox to the Americas, decimating Indigenous populations. -- Olivia Ferrari -- Published

5 days ago