'Freakish' discovery of 9 million-year-old capybara tooth supports idea that Atacama wasn't always a desert - A 9 million-year-old capybara tooth was found in the Atacama Desert, a surprising find given that these rodents love water. planet-earth

45 minutes ago

James Webb telescope pinpoints the most distant 'fast radio burst' ever seen -- The James Webb Space Telescope has detected the farthest "fast radio burst" ever seen, providing more clues about these mysterious explosions. -- Elizabeth Howell

45 minutes ago

The Milky Way is one galaxy - but it used to be thousands, new simulations reveal -- A new supercomputer simulation traces how thousands of small galaxies eventually became the Milky Way. -- Sharmila Kuthunur

4 hours ago

The central Pacific Ocean just broke a temperature record. Experts say it might signal a new kind of El Ni o. -- Analysis -- The sea surface temperature in a key El Ni o region has exceeded 86 degrees F for the first time on record, hinting that the strength and location of some El Ni o events are transforming. -- Sascha Pare

4 hours ago

Why are dengue cases surging in Florida this year? An 'unlucky' combination of factors, experts say -- Analysis -- Dengue fever infections are booming in Florida this year, with more local cases than usual and the state's first dengue-related death in nearly a century. Why? -- Olivia Ferrari

4 hours ago

OpenAI claims we've entered the AGI era - has GPT-6 Astra really demonstrated general intelligence? -- Analysis -- OpenAI says its newly launched GPT-6 Astra model brings humanity to the threshold of AGI, but external evaluators argue that inflated lab metrics and opaque testing obscure its true reliability. -- Adam Shepherd

11 hours ago

Jonathan the tortoise has lived to 194 years old - now scientists think they know why -- DNA samples from Jonathan the 194-year-old tortoise reveal gene variants and epigenetic changes that could contribute to his remarkable lifespan. -- Lauren Schneider

7 hours ago

'It looks like a chimera' - 168 million years ago, a strange platypus-like mammal relative lived in China alongside dinosaurs -- A predatory mammal-like animal from the Jurassic seems to have characteristics of both a platypus and an otter. -- Chris Simms

1 day ago

1,000-mile-long cloud that forms and vanishes on Mars every day obeys 'exotic physics' never seen on Earth -- New simulations suggest that the perplexing Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud (AMEC) repeatedly emerges in the Red Planet's skies thanks to a never-before-seen meteorological process. -- Harry Baker

1 day ago

'Completely unexpected': Astronomers spy never-before-seen 'phoenix planet' rising from the ashes of a dead star -- Astronomers have spotted a rare "second-generation" exoplanet closely orbiting the nearby white dwarf HS 0209+0832. An unusual mixture of heavy elements inside this zombie star suggests that "this system has given birth to a new world using the foundations of the old one." -- Harry Baker

1 day ago

'Sexy Mantis,' obscene orangutan and prancing sparrowhawk feature in 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards -- Photo gallery -- The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards has unveiled its finalists for 2026, so let's all have a good laugh at nature. -- Patrick Pester

1 day ago

The Draconids, an unpredictable shower that can bring hundreds of meteors per minute, has begun -- Peaking on Oct. 8-9, the unpredictable Draconid meteor shower is one of the few that's best seen just after dark. Could it produce another meteor storm? -- Jamie Carter

1 day ago

'Zombie cells' may drive aging, and scientists are devising new ways to get rid of them -- Analysis -- Immune cells that clear old and dying cells get sluggish with age. Scientists think that rejuvenating these cells could help combat aging. -- Zunnash Khan

1 day ago

Roboticists showcase tiny, frog-like robot that can hop across wet surfaces and swim -- A palm-sized robot inspired by frogs uses snapping rods to jump, swim and navigate an obstacle course. -- Bobby Hellard

1 day ago

Earth is in the firing line of a strange new type of cosmic object, astronomers say -- Astronomers may have discovered the first known microblazar, a long-theorized object firing a powerful beam of particles directly at Earth. -- Sarah Wild

1 day ago

Archaeologists discover a child's skull built into the floor of a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian house -- A study of nearly 200 individuals buried in domestic contexts in ancient and Viking Age Scandinavia has revealed unusually high levels of violence. -- Kristina Killgrove

2 days ago

'She knew she had something really important on her hands': Rosalind Franklin figured out DNA's helical structure before Watson and Crick, study suggests -- Rosalind Franklin knew about DNA's helical structure ahead of Watson and Crick, a new study of her photos and notes reveals. -- Stephanie Pappas

2 days ago

Mpox is still spreading in the US - here's what to know about vaccines, symptoms and treatment -- Explainer -- Mpox continues to circulate in many countries, including the United States. Here's what to know about the infection and the vaccines that protect against it. -- Nicoletta Lanese

1 day ago

'Mpox has not disappeared': Why the infectious disease is still spreading in the US and may be here to stay -- Analysis -- Mpox (formerly monkeypox) continues to circulate in the U.S. Can it be stopped? -- Nicoletta Lanese

2 days ago

The ozone layer was supposed to be healing. So why is this year's Antarctic ozone hole so big? -- Analysis -- The ozone hole above Antarctica is unusually large right now, and it might signal a shift in how the gap in Earth's protective layer behaves. -- Sascha Pare

2 days ago