Can AI really simulate human thinking? Research casts doubt on an influential study, suggesting an advanced model was just really good at memorizing patterns. Analysis - A study published in July 2025 claimed the Centaur AI model could simulate and predict human behavior with astonishing accuracy. A counter study raises doubts. Analysis

1 hour ago

One of Neptune's 16 moons is not like the others, James Webb telescope finds -- Neptune has a complicated life story, and its moon Nereid might be the only one left standing from the planet's multibillion-year history. -- Elizabeth Howell -- Published

1 hour ago

There's a new T. rex from the dinosaur age - and it ruled the seas with a skull-crushing bite -- The newly described mosasaur Tylosaurus rex spanned up to 43 feet (13 meters) long and may have been one of the fiercest marine predators of the dinosaur age. -- Kenna Hughes-Castleberry -- Published

3 hours ago

800-year-old 'hugging skeletons' are genetically confirmed as Poland's only medieval same-sex double burial -- Two skeletons found in an embrace next to a 13th-century Polish cathedral were both women, an ancient DNA analysis confirms, but their relationship remains a mystery. -- Sandee Oster -- Published

17 hours ago

Great Pyramid of Giza is remarkably resilient to earthquakes -‬ and it's due to the ancient Egyptians' 'extraordinary' engineering knowledge -- The Great Pyramid of Giza has survived for more than 4,600 years despite nearby earthquakes, and new research reveals why. -- Stephanie Pappas -- Published

19 hours ago

China's real-life 'transformer' mech is a giant humanoid robot that can switch from bounding on 4 legs to walking on 2 -- The new 'mecha' robot, which weighs over 1,000 pounds and stands nearly 10 foot tall, is designed for urban mobility. -- Alan Bradley -- Published

22 hours ago

How can we prevent AI models from cannibalizing themselves when human-generated data runs out? Scientists say they've found the answer. -- Researchers have found that introducing human-made data into AI training can help to prevent AI model collapse. -- Roland Moore-Colyer -- Published

22 hours ago

Complex animals evolved up to 10 million years earlier than previously thought, fossil discovery shows -- Trove of fossils discovered in Canada sheds light on "when life first became large, complex and unmistakenly animal." -- Skyler Ware -- Published

1 day ago

Scurvy-plagued whalers' remains discovered at 'Corpse Point' in Svalbard -- Skeletons of early modern whalers reveal widespread scurvy, pipe smoking and heavy physical labor. -- Kristina Killgrove -- Published

1 day ago

Common asthma drug helps fight hard-to-treat cancers, including aggressive breast cancers, early study finds -- Scientists found that blocking a protein best known for its role in asthma enhances cancer immunotherapy in preclinical models. -- Marianne Guenot -- Published

1 day ago

Physicists confirm 'negative time' is real in mind-bending quantum experiment -- A new experiment confirms that photons passing through a cloud of atoms can spend a negative amount of time there, and the atoms themselves are the ones saying so. -- Larissa G. Capella -- Published

1 day ago

The Appalachian Mountains hold enough lithium to make 500 billion cellphones, researchers discover -- Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the ancient Appalachians mountain system holds 2.5 million tons of the critical element lithium. -- Sascha Pare -- Published

1 day ago

800-year-old notebook and fancy silk toilet paper discovered in medieval latrine in Germany -- Archaeologists recovered the 10-page wax notebook with Latin writing and its leather carrying case from a medieval latrine in Germany. -- Kristina Killgrove -- Published

1 day ago

China installs world's largest floating wind turbine in deep water test - it generates enough energy to power 4,200 homes annually -- Three Gorges Pilot, a 16-megawatt floating offshore wind turbine, marks a major step for deep-water renewable energy and the future of floating wind farms. -- Alan Bradley -- Published

2 days ago

More young people are getting colorectal cancer - here's what scientists think might be happening - Analysis - People 65 and older are seeing their rates of colorectal cancer drop, but younger people are being felled by a rising number of cases. By - Stephanie Pappas - Published - 20 May 26

1 day ago

A transition may be looming for a massive Italian volcano -- Campi Flegrei, a volcanic caldera near Naples, is speeding toward a transition, a new study suggests, but there are still a lot of questions as to whether it will erupt in the near future. -- Stephanie Pappas -- Published

43 minutes ago

Scientists discover deadly, highly venomous box jellyfish near Singapore's 'Island of Death Behind' -- Researchers identified a new species of box jellyfish and recorded a surprising range expansion for the Thai sea wasp after analyzing the morphology and DNA of a handful of jellies in Singapore. -- Sascha Pare -- Published

14 hours 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 -- Last updated

2 days ago

World's first 'native' color lidar will let robots and self-driving cars map the world in full color 3D -- Ouster has launched the Rev8 set of lidar sensors that function as both a camera and a 3D mapping sensor at the same time. Its engineers say these are the first devices of their kind in the world. -- Fiona Jackson -- Published

3 days ago

Global warming is accelerating 5,000 times faster than rice can evolve -- A new study finds that climate change is creating environments where humans have never successfully cultivated rice before. -- Stephanie Pappas -- Published

3 days ago