Diminutive species 'the Hobbit' did not hunt or control fire, deepening the mystery of its ancestry, dwarf elephant bones reveal - The extinct human species Homo floresiensis was a scavenger, not a hunter, an analysis of fossil animal bones reveals.

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Elite families ruled nomadic Scythian society 2,500 years ago, DNA analysis reveals -- Nomads of the Eurasian steppe were ruled by elite dynastic families, including women, a large-scale genetic analysis reveals. -- Kristina Killgrove -- Published

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'Machine-gun sun' could bring auroras to more than a dozen states this Independence Day weekend -- The sun launched 10 M-class solar flares over 24 hours, and more could be on the way. Auroras are likely in some US states as a result. -- Ben Turner -- Published

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NASA mission to rescue a falling space telescope before it crashes to Earth delayed once again -- NASA's Swift Observatory is slated to enter Earth's atmosphere later this year, but the Katalyst Space spacecraft is finally on its way to boost it higher this summer -- Elizabeth Howell -- Last updated

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Hubble telescope spots 'impossible' light from a galaxy that shouldn't have been visible -- Researchers say the surprising discovery of the faraway galaxy MXDFz4.4 could help explain how the cosmos went from opaque to transparent billions of years ago. -- Olivia Maule -- Published

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The hantavirus outbreak is over, WHO declares -- A hantavirus outbreak that began on a cruise ship and prompted an international public health response has now ended. It sickened 13 people and caused three deaths. -- Ben Turner -- Published

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'Uncharted territory': Record high ocean temperatures confirmed for June as El Ni o strengthens its grip -- Global sea surface temperatures reached record highs for June as a newly declared El Ni o hits the Pacific Ocean, prompting concerns over extreme weather, flooding, sea level rise and stress to global ocean ecosystems. -- Pandora Dewan -- Published

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James Webb telescope may have discovered a never-before-seen substance on Pluto and Titan -- A new study has identified a very specific wavelength of light missing from both Pluto and Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The surprising signal suggests that these worlds harbor an unknown molecule that has not yet been seen anywhere in the solar system or beyond. -- Harry Baker -- Published

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Ancient ring discovered underground in Scotland could be a Stonehenge-like monument -- A hidden ring of stones or timbers detected beneath peat at Machrie Moor could represent a previously unknown Neolithic or Bronze Age monument. -- Kenna Hughes-Castleberry -- Published

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11-year-old boy in Canada dies from rabies after waking up with a bat on his face -- After an 11-year-old boy died of rabies, doctors are urging the public to seek medical attention following exposure to bats, even when no obvious scratches or bite marks are visible. -- Pandora Dewan -- Published

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Ancient-DNA analysis solves 500-year-old mystery of what killed 2 Medici brothers -- An ancient-DNA analysis of the bones of two members of the Renaissance Medici family has confirmed they had malaria when they died. -- Kristina Killgrove -- Published

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Antarctica's first dinosaur fossil belonged to a group of the largest land animals ever -- Researchers have identified the first-ever dinosaur fossil discovered on Antarctica, revealing it belonged to a titanosaur. -- Patrick Pester -- Published

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Scientists propose launching a giant 'airbag' into space to protect us from solar superstorms ‪- and experts say it's 'quite feasible' -- A new study suggests creating a satellite constellation, dubbed StormWall, that could reduce the impacts of the worst solar storms by more than 50%. The novel plan, which involves dumping gas into the magnetosphere, could be the only way to directly protect ourselves from dangerous space weather, experts say. -- Harry Baker -- Published

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Study suggests life on Earth has around 1.8 billion years left - but the biosphere might evolve to survive even longer -- Using complex climate models, researchers have pinned down the point at which life will no longer be able to survive on Earth. -- Sarah Wild -- Published

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Dead-end bitcoin mining wastes as much energy as Switzerland's entire hydropower generation capacity -- Researchers reveal that we waste a huge amount of energy on redundant bitcoin mining operations - where different miners try to grab the same bitcoin. -- Adam Shepherd -- Published

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CERN shuts down Large Hadron Collider until 2030 for powerful new upgrades -- The Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest atom smasher, has shut down for a planned four-year upgrade that will make it 10 times more sensitive than its initial version. -- Skyler Ware -- Published

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500-year-old freeze-dried potato snacks discovered in Inca storage room in Peru -- In a rare find, archaeologists in Peru have discovered freeze-dried potatoes that the Inca carried hundreds of miles from the Andes so their people would not starve. -- Olivia Maule -- Published

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66 billion trees have been planted in China's Great Green Wall - and they appear to be growing faster than natural forests -- A study of China's planted and natural forests reveals age, species mix, and CO2 sensitivity all contribute to how fast trees sprout leaves. -- Brian Owens -- Published

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Scientists figured out how to shrink huge ultrafast lasers so they fit on a tiny chip ‪‪-‬ the 'holy grail' of the field -- Scientists have managed to get ultrafast lasers running on tiny chips, paving the way for miniature-but-powerful diagnostic devices. -- Roland Moore-Colyer -- Published

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2,000-year-old scrolls buried by Mount Vesuvius eruption finally deciphered with help from AI -- Experts have unraveled substantial new text from two carbonized Herculaneum scrolls, including what may be a previously unknown work by a Stoic philosopher. -- Olivia Maule -- Published

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