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Peru home build vexed by
Peru home build vexed by 'the neighbors' -- Inca-era mummies

Hipólito Tica had saved for decades to finally build himself a proper house in a working class neighborhood of Lima. The mechanic had known they were there ...

New map of ancient trees an opportunity for conservation
New map of ancient trees an opportunity for conservation

A new tree-map suggests there could be around two million unrecorded ancient trees in England.

China
China's Mars spacecraft has photographed the entire red planet, state media says

China's space agency released sharp images, revealing Mars craters, a volcano, and a canyon that's almost as long as the United States.

53 migrants died after being inside a trailer during a heat wave. Crossing into the US may get deadlier as climate change makes extreme heat more common.
53 migrants died after being inside a trailer during a heat wave. Crossing into the US may get deadlier as climate change makes extreme heat more common.

The deaths of dozens of migrants, who were found in a sweltering tractor-trailer, highlight how climate change can complicate migration.

Nearly a quarter of Earth
Nearly a quarter of Earth's seafloor now mapped

An area broadly the size of Europe's land surface was added to ocean charts in the past year alone.

James Webb Telescope
James Webb Telescope's first full-color photos are coming

The first images from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will be released July 12 and the initial batch will include the deepest view of the universe yet...

Fossils in the Cradle of Humankind site reignite debate on origins of humans
Fossils in the Cradle of Humankind site reignite debate on origins of humans

Fossils of early human ancestors found in a South African cave system may be 1 million years older than first thought, according to a study published Monday....

The first dogs evolved from wolves in Asia - and maybe the Middle East - a study of ice age DNA suggests
The first dogs evolved from wolves in Asia - and maybe the Middle East - a study of ice age DNA suggests

Ancient wolf DNA spanning the last 100,000 years, points to the moment - possibly two moments - when dogs were domesticated.

Fossils: Cave woman one million years older than thought
Fossils: Cave woman one million years older than thought

New research complicates our current understanding of where humans came from.

One in six UK adults doubt human link to climate change - report
One in six UK adults doubt human link to climate change - report

The King's College study also says the UK public underestimates how much scientists agree on the link between human activity and climate change.

Tokyo heat wave adds to sweltering temperatures in Northern Hemisphere
Tokyo heat wave adds to sweltering temperatures in Northern Hemisphere

Heat records have fallen on every continent in the Northern Hemisphere in June - a worrying trend given that the hottest months of the summer are still to...

UK-built Forum satellite will measure greenhouse effect
UK-built Forum satellite will measure greenhouse effect

A £140m contract will see an important European Space Agency mission assembled in Stevenage.

First Mexican-born woman to go to space describes "fascinating" journey
First Mexican-born woman to go to space describes "fascinating" journey

"Seeing the Earth from the outside ... it really puts things into perspective," Katya Echazarreta said.

Climate change means more mice, demand for pest control
Climate change means more mice, demand for pest control

At her home in Rockford, Illinois, Rita Davisson said the "one or two" mice she normally sees during the waning winter months "have turned into more like 10 ...

55-pound spacecraft heads to moon to test "halo" orbit for NASA
55-pound spacecraft heads to moon to test "halo" orbit for NASA

The solar-powered microwave oven-sized spacecraft is a key part of the agency's Artemis moon program.

Ofwat investigates South West Water over sewage discharge
Ofwat investigates South West Water over sewage discharge

Members of the public often report seeing condoms and toilet paper in England and Wales's waterways.

NASA hopes New Zealand launch will pave way for moon landing
NASA hopes New Zealand launch will pave way for moon landing

NASA wants to experiment with a new orbit around the moon that it hopes to use in the coming years to once again land astronauts on the lunar surface...

Ancient fossils in the
Ancient fossils in the 'Cradle of Humankind' are more than 1 million years older than previously thought

To accurately determine the fossils' age, researchers analyzed particles from outer space in the rocks the bones were discovered in.

Life expectancy for Black Americans continues to lag that of whites, study finds
Life expectancy for Black Americans continues to lag that of whites, study finds

The life expectancy of Black Americans continue to lag that of white Americans, with disparities seen across states. Experts say structural racism must be...

Intact wooly mammoth baby uncovered in northwestern Canada
Intact wooly mammoth baby uncovered in northwestern Canada

The preserved remains of a nearly whole 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth have been discovered in northwestern Canada.

Earliest evidence of wildfire found in Wales
Earliest evidence of wildfire found in Wales

Charcoal fragments record a fire-ravaged forest of giant fungi some 430 million years ago.

A near-perfect 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth discovered in Yukon
A near-perfect 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth discovered in Yukon's Klondike gold fields

A Yukon miner found the ice age animal. The most complete mummified mammoth in North America still had hair, nails, and intestines.

A near-perfect 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth discovered in Yukon
A near-perfect 30,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth discovered in Yukon's Klondike gold fields

A Yukon miner found the ice age animal. The most complete mummified mammoth in North America still had hair, nails, and intestines.

Elon Musk wants SpaceX
Elon Musk wants SpaceX's biggest rocket ready to launch in July, but experts say he may not get his wish

Elon Musk has very optimistic timelines and there's still much work to be done on Starship with July just days away , according to some space experts.

Elon Musk wants SpaceX
Elon Musk wants SpaceX's biggest rocket ready to launch in July, but experts say he may not get his wish

Elon Musk has very optimistic timelines and there's still much work to be done on Starship with July just days away , according to some space experts.

'Get your boy Elon in line:' Former NASA official says she was ridiculed for supporting SpaceX in new memoir

Lori Garver takes aim at current NASA head Bill Nelson, who she accuses of attempting to rewrite history after years of fighting against SpaceX.

New Colombian president pledges to protect rainforest
New Colombian president pledges to protect rainforest

Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first elected leftist president, will take office in August with ambitious proposals to halt the record-high rates of deforestation...

Giant Burmese python weighing 215 pounds that preyed on white-tailed deer is the heaviest ever captured in Florida, say biologists
Giant Burmese python weighing 215 pounds that preyed on white-tailed deer is the heaviest ever captured in Florida, say biologists

A massive Burmese python, an invasive species, was caught and euthanized by biologists in Florida's Picayune Strand State Forest.

Giant Burmese python weighing 215 pounds that preyed on white-tailed deer is the heaviest ever captured in Florida, say biologists
Giant Burmese python weighing 215 pounds that preyed on white-tailed deer is the heaviest ever captured in Florida, say biologists

A massive Burmese python, an invasive species, was caught and euthanized by biologists in Florida's Picayune Strand State Forest.

Photo shows newly-discovered bacteria so large they are visible to the naked eye
Photo shows newly-discovered bacteria so large they are visible to the naked eye

This creature was discovered by chance in a Caribbean mangrove. It is surprising not only for its size but its DNA-encasing internal membranes.

UK to miss tree planting target, trade body warns
UK to miss tree planting target, trade body warns

Forestry trade body says targets are not being translated into trees in the ground.

Summer swelter: Persistent heat wave breaks records, spirits
Summer swelter: Persistent heat wave breaks records, spirits

From the normally chilly Russian Arctic to the traditionally sweltering American South, big swaths of the Northern Hemisphere continued to sizzle with...

NASA, SpaceX to assess potential Starship threat to Crew Dragon pad
NASA, SpaceX to assess potential Starship threat to Crew Dragon pad

An early Super Heavy-Starship failure could disrupt SpaceX astronaut fights to space station.

NASA wraps up moon rocket test; to set launch date after fix
NASA wraps up moon rocket test; to set launch date after fix

NASA said Thursday it has finished testing its huge moon rocket and will move it back to the launch pad in late August. A date for the first flight will be ...

Record bacterium discovered as long as human eyelash
Record bacterium discovered as long as human eyelash

Identified in a mangrove swamp, Thiomargarita magnifica is the shape and size of a human eyelash.

World
World's biggest bacterium found in Caribbean mangrove swamp

Scientists have discovered the world's largest bacterium in a Caribbean mangrove swamp. The thin white filament, approximately the size of a human eyelash, ...

Five major planets to line up in rare planetary conjunction
Five major planets to line up in rare planetary conjunction

The conjunction will last until Monday and won't be seen again until 2040.

Former NASA official says a Russian designer famously inspired Elon Musk to launch SpaceX by spitting on his shoes
Former NASA official says a Russian designer famously inspired Elon Musk to launch SpaceX by spitting on his shoes

The maltreatment was "the spit that launched a thousand spaceships," Lori Garver said of Elon Musk and SpaceX's origin in her new memoir.

Scientists probe Japan
Scientists probe Japan's remarkable COVID success in hunt for new vaccine

While many factors likely boosted Japan's COVID resilience, researchers say a possible cellular-level advantage could help them create a new weapon against...

Endurance wreck: Nations look to protect Shackleton ship from damage
Endurance wreck: Nations look to protect Shackleton ship from damage

Antarctic Treaty members extend the protective zone around the recently discovered Shackleton ship.

Yves Coppens, paleontologist who discovered 3.2 million-year-old
Yves Coppens, paleontologist who discovered 3.2 million-year-old 'Lucy' skeleton, dead at age 87

Yves Coppens helped discover the skeletal remains of "Lucy," which showed that human ancestors walked upright earlier than previously thought.

How
How 'Big Data' could help SETI researchers intensify the search for alien civilizations

Could far-off aliens be sending out signals telling us they exist? If so, how would we know where to look? Researchers focusing on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, have laid out a new strategy for focusing their quest. The strategy applies simple trigonometry to millions of data points, with the aim of seeking out potential interstellar beacons that are synchronized with hard-to-miss astronomical phenomena such as supernovae. University of Washington astronomer James Davenp

Over a million more moms would work full time if the US had better childcare support, a new study shows
Over a million more moms would work full time if the US had better childcare support, a new study shows

Expanded childcare under the Build Back Better plan, which Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin oppose, could ease the ongoing labor shortage.

I
I'm a pro storm chaser. I've been in a building as it was ripped apart, but I always plan an escape route.

Aaron Rigsby became fascinated by storms after a tornado hit his Ohio hometown. Now he shoots extreme weather like the category-four Hurricane Harvey.

NASA is slowly powering down the Voyager probes. Here are 18 groundbreaking photos from their 45-year mission.
NASA is slowly powering down the Voyager probes. Here are 18 groundbreaking photos from their 45-year mission.

Voyager 1 and 2 broke ground with amazing pictures. As their scientific lifespan nears its end, here are 18 pictures the probes took.

As Prince Charles anchors Commonwealth, challenges ahead
As Prince Charles anchors Commonwealth, challenges ahead

Prince Charles has become the first British royal to visit Rwanda, representing Queen Elizabeth II as the ceremonial head of the Commonwealth at a summit...

Climate change a factor in
Climate change a factor in 'unprecedented' South Asia floods

Scientists say climate change is a factor behind the erratic and early rains that triggered unprecedented floods in Bangladesh and northeastern India...

NASA mulls moon rocket test results
NASA mulls moon rocket test results

NASA successfully fueled its new moon rocket on the agency's fourth attempt, but problems remain.

Nepal is planning to move its Everest base camp because of rapidly thinning glaciers and erosion from climbers
Nepal is planning to move its Everest base camp because of rapidly thinning glaciers and erosion from climbers

The base camp, which is on top of a glacier thinning at a rate of 1 meter per year, is unsafe for climbers, Nepalese authorities say.

Nepal is planning to move its Everest base camp because of rapidly thinning glaciers and erosion from climbers
Nepal is planning to move its Everest base camp because of rapidly thinning glaciers and erosion from climbers

The base camp, which is on top of a glacier thinning at a rate of 1 meter per year, is unsafe for climbers, Nepalese authorities say.

We may have misunderstood how norovirus and other gut viruses spread

Norovirus lives in the gut – but mouse studies suggest it may also survive in salivary glands, and the discovery implies there are additional measures we could take to limit infections

Hawks forward dive and then swoop up to hit the brakes before landing

A diving manoeuvre used by raptors to slow down before landing on a branch could improve technology for flying and perching drones

Dogs are descended from two populations of ancient wolves

Modern dogs have ancestry from wolves in Asia and Europe, according to a study analysing DNA from 72 ancient wolves going back 100,000 years

Ghost DNA from hybrid coyotes could save endangered red wolves

A hidden reservoir of red wolf DNA has been found in coyotes in southwestern Louisiana – and it could be used to help the endangered wolves grow their wild population

The headline tricks that make people share news stories on Facebook!?!

Unusual punctuation in headlines makes people more likely to share news stories on Facebook, but phrases like “this will blow your mind” are a turn-off, finds a study

AI that detects chicken distress calls could improve farm conditions

A deep learning model can pick out chicken distress calls from recordings taken at commercial farms, and could be used to improve chicken welfare

'Shocking' failure to insulate homes means UK will miss carbon goals

Independent Climate Change Committee criticises the UK government over energy efficiency and agriculture policies, but praises action on electric cars

Asteroid Bennu may have got its spinning-top shape from landslides

Asteroids that are shaped like spinning tops, such as Bennu and Ryugu, may have been slowed down and shaped by a series of huge landslides

Acoustic levitation used to build complex structures in mid-air

Sound waves have been used to build complex structures in mid-air out of floating components and droplets of glue, showing the approach may have engineering and medical applications

What's next for the gene-edited children from CRISPR trial in China?

Scientists in China are considering how best to look after three children who were gene-edited as embryos in He Jiankui’s controversial experiment

Intermittent fasting linked to better gut and liver function in mice

Limiting meals to an eight-hour window each day regulates the circadian rhythm of multiple organs in mice, potentially staving off chronic disease

Every heatwave occurring today is more intense due to climate change

It's no longer important to use modelling to determine whether a heatwave was made more likely by climate change, say scientists, because all heatwaves today are climate change-related

Faecal transplants ease irritable bowel syndrome for three years

Two-thirds of people with IBS who received a stool transplant from a donor with a healthier mix of gut microbes had fewer symptoms and better quality of life three years later

Covid-19: What are the risks of catching the virus multiple times?

A study suggests people who catch covid-19 at least twice have double the risk of dying from any cause and are three times as likely to be hospitalised in the next six months, compared with people who test positive just once

Artificially intelligent robot perpetuates racist and sexist prejudice

Virtual robot run by artificial intelligence acts in a way that conforms to toxic stereotypes when asked to pick faces that belong to criminals or homemakers

African wild dogs give birth 23 days later than they did 30 years ago

African wild dogs like to breed at the coolest time of year, and climate change has shifted the average timing of birth by 3 weeks in just 30 years

Coming off methotrexate doubles antibody levels after covid-19 vaccine

People with conditions like psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis who took a two-week break from the immune-suppressing drug methotrexate saw their antibody levels double up to 12 weeks after their third covid-19 vaccine, compared with people who took the treatment as normal

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can be killed by pom-pom molecules

Pom-pom-shaped molecules rip apart MRSA and other drug-resistant bacteria in minutes, are cheap and easy to make, and don’t lead to bacterial resistance

Glycaemic index is a poor predictor of how foods raise blood sugar

A study of people with prediabetes shows that the same foods affect blood sugar levels very differently. The findings add to a growing body of evidence undermining the idea of a standard glycaemic index

Hummingbirds may be the world’s most colourful birds

A study of 116 species of hummingbird suggests the group is collectively more colourful than any other type of bird

Antibubbles have been made to last a record-breaking 13 hours

Shaking antibubbles – droplets of liquid encased in a thin layer of air – prevents them from popping for several hours. These could be used in chemical engineering in the future

AI-powered robot learned to make letters out of Play-Doh on its own

A robot that learned to manipulate clay to make letters of the alphabet without any training could one day make dumplings for you

You're more likely to become friends with someone who smells like you

We subconsciously sniff people when we first meet them and are more likely to become friends with those who have similar body odours to our own

Was warfare responsible for the origin of complex civilisation?

An effort to track global changes in human society over the past 10,000 years concludes that warfare drove an increase in social complexity – but others are unconvinced by the work

Chimpanzees hunt for fruit in video game to test navigation skills

Testing how chimpanzees navigate in virtual environments could help researchers understand why they prefer certain routes in the wild over others

Small robots can't move by themselves but slide when they team up

Little robots shaped like staples called "smarticles" can't move around on their own, but researchers have now found that they can randomly form structures with other robots to move about

UK wants to send a spacecraft to grab two dead satellites from space

The UK is putting £5 million towards a mission to remove two dead satellites from space by burning them up in Earth’s atmosphere

Polio: Should we be worried about virus found in London sewage?

Poliovirus has been detected in London sewage samples, but no human cases have been reported so far

We must accept we won’t meet 1.5°C climate target, says report

Social, political and technology inertia mean the Paris Agreement’s temperature target is likely to be missed

Some turtles that live longer have a lower chance of dying each year

In zoos and aquariums, some species of turtles and tortoises have a lower rate of ageing as they grow older

Largest known bacteria in the world are visible to the naked eye

Most bacteria are just 2 micrometres long, but Thiomargarita magnifica is thousands of times bigger, and is unusually complex

Why elite universities like Cambridge must ditch big oil funding

While institutions like Cambridge talk up climate action, they also maintain partnerships with the fossil fuel giants driving climate catastrophe. This must stop, says Zak Coleman

AI generates photorealistic 3D scenes and lets you edit them as well

Artificial intelligence that creates realistic three-dimensional images could be run on a laptop and make it faster and easier to create animated films

Protein from plant-based 'meat' may be less well absorbed by the body

The protein found in meat alternatives made from wheat and soy may be less well absorbed by the small intestine into the bloodstream than protein from chicken breasts

Elusive exotic matter called a tetraneutron possibly seen in the lab

Twenty years ago researchers saw hints of the existence of a type of exotic matter made of four neutrons, now researchers have found the clearest evidence it exists yet

Breast cancer is more likely to spread during sleep

Tumour cells appear to circulate in the blood more during the night, hinting that therapies should be targeted to maximise their impact at night

Does your ability to stand on one leg predict your risk of dying soon?

Some doctors say health checks for older people should include the “flamingo balance test”, asking people to stand on one leg for 10 seconds – but the connection between balance and health is unclear

UK’s earliest hand axes were made by ancient humans 560,000 years ago

Stone tools found in Fordwich in Canterbury may have been made by an early human called Homo heidelbergensis

More than 950 killed in magnitude 5.9 earthquake in Afghanistan

An earthquake near the city of Kh?st in south-east Afghanistan has killed nearly a thousand people and injured hundreds

Teenagers with unhealthy lifestyles age faster than healthier peers

Smoking, regularly drinking alcohol, doing little exercise and having a high BMI make teenagers age two to five weeks a year faster biologically, according to a large DNA study

Europe swelters as extreme heatwaves arrive unusually early this year

Naming heatwaves, taking climate change adaptation seriously and cutting carbon emissions would help people cope with rising temperatures, says climate scientist Hannah Cloke

Campaigners propose food alliance to reduce climate impact of farming

Food campaigners hope to persuade countries to join a sustainable farming alliance that could launch at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt

Vitamins and dietary supplements are a waste of money for most people

The US Preventive Services Task Force says there isn't good evidence that supplements protect against cancer or heart disease in most people

COP15: Canada to replace China as venue for UN biodiversity summit

The COP15 meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be relocated to Montreal due to fears the Chinese government would postpone the event again

Temporary graphene tattoos could continuously monitor blood pressure

A temporary graphene tattoo that monitors blood pressure has been awarded the highest possible accuracy grading for such a monitoring device

How much do food miles matter and should you buy local produce?

Despite a study claiming that food-mile emissions are higher than previously thought, eating less animal produce remains much more important than how far your food travels

Melting ice could open up an Arctic Sea route not controlled by Russia

The Russia-controlled Northern Sea Route is one of the only ways ships can sail through the Arctic. Melting sea ice could open passages around it by 2035

UK bird flu research project launched to protect poultry and seabirds

A UK government-backed project – FluMap – aims to help understand how bird flu is evolving and finding its way into poultry farms

Physicists work out exactly when a fruit display will fall down

Computer simulations reveal the precise conditions when removing an orange from a display would cause a fruit avalanche

There are 6 types of people online who worry about the environment

A massive analysis of Twitter has found that, when it comes to environmental concern, there are broadly six distinct personas, including smart alecs and technocrats. Which one are you?

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