Scientists discover the genetic secrets that may have helped Jonathan the tortoise live to 194 years old - DNA samples from Jonathan the 194-year-old tortoise reveal gene variants and epigenetic changes that could contribute to his remarkable lifespan. turtles-tortoises

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'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

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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

2 hours 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

2 hours 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

4 hours 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

4 hours 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

5 hours 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

9 hours 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

10 hours 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

22 hours 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

22 hours 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

1 day 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

1 day 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

8 hours ago

Jupiter will disappear behind the moon in a once-in-a-decade alignment tomorrow -- Skywatchers in the U.S. and eastern Canada can see a rare lunar occultation of Jupiter early on Oct. 6. Here are the exact times to see the giant planet vanish and reappear. -- Jamie Carter

1 day ago

Ancient Egyptians sacrificed pharaohs' servants so they could continue to serve their king in the afterlife, new study finds -- The ancient Egyptians practiced human sacrifice around 5,000 years ago, a new study finds. -- Owen Jarus

1 day ago

1,800-year-old temple to Mars and statue of Victory unearthed at Roman military fort in Germany -- Archaeologists in Germany have found a temple to Mars, the god of war, next to a Roman Empire military encampment. -- Kristina Killgrove

2 days ago

New quantum chip taps into weird quasiparticles to get qubits to communicate over long distances -- Scientists have developed a new type of architecture for quantum computing chips, and it could pave the way for machines capable of large-scale processing. -- Peter Ray Allison

2 days ago

Scientists recreate the universe's first moments and find something they didn't expect -- A particle collider experiment just revealed something unexpected about how the fiery soup of particles that filled the universe after the Big Bang coalesced into the protons and neutrons that make up matter today. -- Andrey Feldman

2 days ago

1 IN 8 CANCER CASES ARE CAUSED BY INFECTIONS, UNDERSCORING THE IMPORTANCE OF VACCINES, EXPERTS SAY -- Four pathogens account for most infection-related cancers, a new study highlights, but the tools to prevent them range from well-established vaccines to treatments still under development. -- Anirban Mukhopadhyay

3 days ago