An early human mutation helped our species become great long-distant runners
Humans aren’t the fastest animals on the planet, so you might not think the fact that we can run is anything special. There are, after …
Science
The CDC is begging people to get vaccinated so that flu season isn’t as bad as it was last year
As we hang on to the very last days of summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants people to keep the upcoming …
Obesity might actually make you dumber, new study says
Being significantly overweight comes with plenty of well-documented health problems already. From the risk of injury due to stressed joints to type 2 diabetes, obesity …
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory won an Emmy for Cassini’s grand finale
When NASA’s Cassini spacecraft made its fateful dive into Saturn’s atmosphere roughly a year ago it was a historic moment for astronomy and a bittersweet …
Scientists hear dozens of mysterious radio signals beaming through space
Gazing into space with a high-powered telescope can produce some pretty impressive findings. Scientists regularly discover the presence of far-off worlds by staring at distant …
These creepy new fish species from the bottom of the ocean will give you nightmares
Most of the Earth is covered in oceans, and yet scientists actually know fairly little about the creatures that live at the most extreme depths. …
China promises its new satellite will only spy on ocean temperatures
After watching the United States and Russia become the two biggest space superpowers for over half a century, China played a game of catchup over …
Hubble spies distant, dusty galaxy
NASA might still be waiting for its next-generation planet spotting telescope to get off the ground, but the aging Hubble is still doing a fine …
Hurricane Florence looks absolutely wild from the International Space Station
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have a gorgeous view of Earth whenever they want it. Since the space station completes a full orbit of …
How to track Hurricane Florence as it moves towards the Carolinas
Hurricane season is about to arrive in a very physical way on the East Coast of the US, as current tracking shows that Hurricane Florence, …
Turning the Sahara desert into a wind and solar farm might make it green
You’ve probably had a solar-powered calculator since the 1980s, but it’s only been within the past decade or so that the potential of large-scale solar …
Scientists create most detailed map of Antarctica ever
Chances are you make it through most days without sparing a thought for Antarctica. At just over 5.4 million square miles, it’s a massive chunk …
NASA’s Curiosity rover just snapped a stunning 360-degree panorama of Mars
NASA’s Opportunity rover might be taking an extended nap at the moment (please don’t say it’s dead!) but the Curiosity rover is wide awake and …
Pluto might become a planet again because astronomers can’t make up their mind
Hey, remember Pluto? Of course you do! When most of us were brought up in school we learned that there were nine known planets in …
Astronomers spot new ultra-hot exoplanet twice the size of Earth
When astronomers search for exoplanets, the real goal is finding a distant world that might be within what scientists believe is the habitable zone. Those …
Astrophysicist scores $3 million prize over four decades after being snubbed for a Nobel
Astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone. Her career as a scientist and now a professor sort of speaks for itself, …
Scientists are now trying to clone the 40,000-year-old baby horse found frozen in Siberia
It was just a couple of weeks ago that the discovery of a frozen baby horse began to spread. The animal, which is thought to …
The dirtiest place in the airport probably isn’t what you think
Airports are packed with people coming and going at all hours of the day. Travelers, like all of us, are filthy humans that carry all …
NASA’s planet-hunting Kepler telescope wakes up once again to begin probing the depths of space
All eyes these days may be on NASA’s shiny new exoplanet hunter TESS, but the group’s Kepler space telescope still has some life left in …
This shark species doesn’t mind eating veggies once in a while
Sharks, the fearsome predators of the deep blue sea, are some of the most deadly animals on the planet. Their teeth are made for tearing …
Earthquake rocks Japan, causing mudslides and burying homes
A powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Hokkaido in Japan early today. Residents of the island, which is the northernmost large island of Japan, …
Hope dwindles as NASA’s Opportunity rover refuses to contact Earth
Time flies when you’re trying to message a rover that just won’t wake up. It’s now been nearly three full months since NASA has heard …
Scientists built a robot that hunts and kills starfish
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has seen better days. The massive natural wonder is dealing with the impacts of ocean warming (thanks to manmade climate change) …
There’s another weird hexagon forming on Saturn, and astronomers are scratching their heads
Saturn sure has a thing for peculiar shapes! Astronomers have known for some time that Saturn’s north pole has developed a very odd hexagonal shape. …
The hole in the International Space Station isn’t the first serious space misstep from Russian manufacturer
The saga of the hole in the International Space Station is taking some serious twists today, in the wake of yesterday’s declaration that it was …
Dozens more have gotten Salmonella from Kellogg’s Honey Smack cereal
It was all the way back in June that we first learned of a new Salmonella outbreak that was being linked to Kellogg’s Honey Smacks …
The massive iceberg that broke off Antarctica last year is now spinning for some reason
It’s now been well over a year since a colossal chunk of ice snapped off of the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. The ice …
A 4-year-old girl has a life-threatening infection, and her mom is blaming a new pair of shoes
Kids have a habit of getting into precarious situations at a moment’s notice, but one place a parent probably wouldn’t expect danger to be lurking …
Japan is about to launch a mini space elevator that could be a sign of things to come
Getting into space can be a tricky thing. Right now, the hardware that can get you there — a rocket — is complex, pricey, and …
NASA might sell naming rights to missions and expand endorsements to raise money for new missions
Exploring space isn’t cheap. We live in an age where technology is allowing us to discover distant worlds and learn more about our neighboring planets …
