8-year-old African American boy from Colonial Maryland found buried with white Colonists, and it's unclear if he was enslaved - A 17th-century cemetery from Colonial Maryland held the remains of an 8-year-old boy with majority African ancestry, as well as two indentured servants.

14 hours ago

What counts as 'close contact'? Why the risk of hantavirus transmission is tricky to define -- Health officials have said the Andes virus implicated in the cruise ship outbreak spreads via "close contact." Live Science spoke to experts about what that means. -- Naomi Mihara -- Published

14 hours ago

PCOS name change, Neanderthals the world's oldest dentists, and the 'alien' crystal that spawned from the world's first atomic bomb -- Science news this week -- May 16, 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. -- Ben Turner

15 hours ago

Watch a newly discovered, blue-whale-size asteroid fly super close to Earth on Monday -- Newly spotted asteroid 2026 JH2, which could be up to 115 feet wide, will fly past Earth closer than some satellites on Monday (May 18). The close approach will be visible to stargazers and can be viewed via livestream. -- Harry Baker -- Published

18 hours ago

Hantavirus updates: 41 people in the United States being monitored as investigation into outbreak source continues -- The latest news and updates on the hantavirus cluster associated with the MV Hondius. -- Ben Turner -- Last updated

19 hours ago

'The biggest El Ni o event since the 1870s': 'Super' El Ni o is now the most likely scenario by the end of this year ‪-‬ and the humanitarian cost could be huge -- A "very strong" El Ni o is now the most probable scenario for the October-to-February period. -- Sophie Berdugo -- Published

1 day ago

Antarctica's sudden sea ice loss is one of the most extreme and confusing events in the modern climate record. Scientists now know why it's happening. -- In 2015, after decades of relative stability, Antarctica's sea ice suddenly began to disappear. Sea ice extent reached a record low in 2023, and scientists have now figured out what happened in that period. -- Sascha Pare -- Published

1 day ago

'I heard gasps': Artemis II astronauts reveal inside story of their mind-bending solar eclipse -- In their first visit to Canada since returning to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts opened up about the moments that blew their minds - and brought them to tears. -- Elizabeth Howell -- Published

1 day ago

'There are 4 people in those pixels': Earth-based telescope snapped Artemis II crew orbiting the moon -- A blurry new photo captured by the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia shows Artemis II's Orion capsule circling the moon more than 200,000 miles away, making it a candidate for the longest-distance image of humans ever taken from Earth. -- Harry Baker -- Published

2 days ago

A pill can stop people from developing COVID after being exposed to the virus, trial finds -- A pill called ensitrelvir is the first drug shown to effectively reduce infection after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. -- Pandora Dewan -- Published

2 days ago

High-status Roman woman was buried in a lead coffin with jet hairpins and exotic resins, archaeologists find -- A burial of an elite Roman-era woman who appears to have been buried with exotic resins has been discovered in Colchester. -- Owen Jarus -- Published

2 days ago

'Extreme' crystal that formed in 1945 nuclear bomb test is unlike anything scientists have seen -- Samples of "trinitite" created during the world's first nuclear bomb test in 1945 contain unique crystals never seen before. -- Joanna Thompson -- Published

2 days ago

SpaceX prepares to launch next-generation Starship, the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built -- Starship V3's maiden spaceflight is scheduled for next week as SpaceX prepares to launch the tallest and most powerful rocket ever built. -- Patrick Pester -- Published

3 days ago

'Exceptional' drilled tooth reveals Neanderthals practiced dentistry in Siberia 60,000 years ago -- A hole found in a 60,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth was likely made by a stone drill, making the discovery the oldest evidence of intentional dentistry to date. -- Sophie Berdugo -- Published

3 days ago

The Milky Way ate a galaxy called Loki, and scientists think they found its bones -- Astronomers have identified a group of ancient stars that may be the remnants of a dwarf galaxy named Loki that merged with the Milky Way more than 10 billion years ago. -- Shreejaya Karantha -- Published

3 days ago

Homo erectus genetic material sequenced for the first time, and it shows 'deep genetic links' with modern humans -- A new study of six Homo erectus individuals from China reveals one amino acid variant that distinguished this archaic human from all other human lineages and one that it passed on to modern humans via Denisovans. -- Kristina Killgrove -- Published

3 days ago

AI self-replication hacks 'no longer purely theoretical,' study finds -‬ ‪but experts say it's too soon to panic -- Analysis -- Researchers say AI models can now replicate themselves across vulnerable systems, but experts warn the real threat is not rogue machine intelligence but cybercriminals weaponizing AI agents. -- Carly Page

15 hours ago

Hantavirus outbreaks could become more likely as virus-carrying rodents expand their range, model finds -- New models chart how virus-carrying rodents may spread across Argentina as climate change reshapes weather patterns. -- Naomi Mihara -- Published

4 days ago

Physicists find possible errors in 100-year-old model of the universe -- The universe may not be perfectly uniform after all, a new series of papers hints. If confirmed, this could upend a nearly 100-year-old model of cosmology. -- Andrey Feldman -- Published

4 days ago

'A combination of amazement and horror': Hitchhiker fish hide in manta ray buttholes -- Hitchhiker fish known as remoras have a very unexpected hiding place: the rear ends of manta rays. -- Bethany Augliere -- Published

4 days ago