Dozens of new marine animals and even five new genera have been discovered off the coast of Argentina. They live in a deep canyon with an incredibly rich ecosystem. Scientists were able to identify the species quickly thanks to international collaboration and ultramodern research techniques, as they...

American researchers are once again searching for Amelia Earhart's missing plane – nearly 90 years after it disappeared. An unidentified object near Nikumaroro could potentially be the wreckage of her aircraft. The expedition is expected to arrive in the coming days. And just a few days later, resea...

The Sombrero Galaxy is a striking galaxy with a dark dust lane. That lane gives it the shape of a sombrero hat. At its center lies a massive black hole. The galaxy remains important for both scientific research and amateur astronomy...

Lucid dreaming means that during a dream, you realize that you are dreaming and can influence what happens. The phenomenon was first described in 1913 by the Dutchman Frederik van Eeden and was later scientifically proven. With techniques such as the MILD method, many people can learn to lucid dream...

NASA's Roman telescope successfully passed several important tests in space some time ago. The observatory can remain pointed at the exact same spot with exceptional precision, and that just happens to be the whole point. Its coronagraph has also captured both cosmic light and stars for the first ti...

A more than 10,000-year-old aurochs skull was recently found mounted on a wooden pole in northern Germany. It was located close to a very ancient cremation grave. The skull may therefore have been part of a ritual surrounding a particular burial. Further research should eventually make that clear...

A completely new species of lizard has been discovered high in the Peruvian Andes. The animal lives among rocks and plants at an altitude of almost 5,000 meters. DNA research has now confirmed that it really is a separate and therefore unique species. So the incredible biodiversity of the Andes is e...

Astronomers may have found (disclaimer!) a planet orbiting a very hot star. The candidate also happens to be in a region where liquid water could exist… in other words: habitable (as we know it). Pulsations helped researchers indirectly detect the object. But whether the planet actually exists remai...

Neanderthals were already using primitive dentistry nearly 60,000 years ago. A molar with a drilled hole points to treatment of tooth pain. Researchers proved that this was quite possible even with stone tools. The discovery also shows that Neanderthals were smarter and more caring than previously t...

In 1917, a ship packed with explosives blew up in the Canadian harbor of Halifax. At least 1,780 people were killed and thousands were injured. Large parts of the city were destroyed by the explosion, fires and a tsunami. The blast triggered massive rescue efforts and remained the world's largest un...

After every trip to the bathroom, invisible pathogens can remain on your skin. Soap is great at loosening grease, dirt and microorganisms from your skin. And friction boosts that process, while water then washes the material away. That's how something as simple as washing your hands prevents unwante...

The Roman telescope will search for flashes of light from stars being torn apart by black holes. Thanks to its wide field of view, the telescope can monitor vast portions of the sky at the same time. This will allow astronomers to find more black holes and map how they grow. Oh, and the mission will...

Off the coast of Croatia lies a Byzantine shipwreck dating to the seventh or eighth century. Archaeologists discovered numerous gold coins, jewelry, and a signet ring. These valuable finds point to the presence of a high-ranking individual. The wreck is helping researchers understand how the Byzanti...

Sperm whales sleep upright, just below the ocean's surface. While they snooze, they release tiny air bubbles to stop themselves from drifting upward. Measurements and computer simulations show that this lowers their buoyancy, preventing them from unexpectedly reaching the surface. The bubbles may al...

Orcas in the Gulf of California blow ocean sunfish apart into thousands of tiny pieces purely for their own amusement. Young animals then feed on the scattered remains. The behavior requires precise cooperation between adult orcas. Researchers now believe it is a combination of play, enjoyment, and...

A roughly 4,000-year-old defensive system has been discovered in Morocco. The area around Oued Beht was already known to have been an important farming community with large food reserves. But the newly discovered defenses also point to very good planning, cooperation and… growing competition plus th...

Billions of years ago, the Milky Way may have collided with a smaller galaxy. That impact could have temporarily tipped its ancient disk sideways. The unusual paths of old stars provide important clues pointing in that direction. More research will still be needed to determine whether the theory is...

Honeybees pay close attention to the ratio of amino acids in their food. A well-balanced diet also encourages them to eat more, helping them grow better. Not all pollen matches their nutritional needs, so different flower species can provide a more balanced diet...

Researchers have discovered ancient proteins in the teeth of Homo naledi, an extinct human species. All of the remains examined appear to have belonged to females. That could point to deliberate burial practices or perhaps an unknown genetic trait...

Animals may have emerged as early as 750 million years ago, much earlier than previously thought. Mongolian microfossils show that "the absence of animal fossils is not evidence that animals were absent." Molecular clocks point to a much older origin, but direct fossils have yet to be found...

Astronomers have detected radio emission that they believe comes directly from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris b. The signal appears to be caused by auroras and an exceptionally powerful magnetic field. The discovery could help scientists study distant planets in greater detail. The research still needs...

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New rock art in Australia depicts Tasmanian tigers and Tasmanian devils. Some of the images may be less than a thousand years old. And that suggests the animals lived on the mainland much longer than previously thought. Either way, they remain extremely important in local culture and stories...

A small heron on the Galápagos turns out to be a species of its own. The bird had long been stuck in limbo between species and subspecies, and new DNA research has now settled the matter. It is well adapted to the dark volcanic landscape and mainly hunts prey such as small crabs within its own ecosy...

In the 1980s, Salyut 7 – a large Soviet space station – completely shut down and drifted out of control for quite some time. Two cosmonauts carried out an extremely risky manual rescue mission on the spot. They successfully restored all power and brought the station fully back to life...

Thailand's long-tail boat emerged by combining old wooden boats with new engines. Its long drive shaft makes navigating and steering in shallow water both possible and easy. Today, these boats are used not only for transportation and fishing, but also for tourism and even serious racing...

The Central African peoples of the rainforest have a history that is both very old and diverse. And their small stature has multiple evolutionary causes. They also had centuries of contact with other populations, but today their habitats are under pressure from deforestation and conflict...

A damaged piece of parchment in Utrecht turns out to be a rare fragment of Homer's Odyssey. It contains lines from book 12 and is probably around 1,700 years old. It may have belonged to a small edition or collection of literary texts...

What was thought to be a single gentoo penguin species actually consists of no fewer than four species, according to new research. DNA and physical differences support this new classification. However, some populations are already threatened by climate change and bird flu. But recognition as separat...

Astronomers have discovered the first microblazar in the Milky Way. The system contains a black hole that pulls material away from a nearby star. An incredibly powerful jet points toward Earth and, farther out, (fortunately) slams into a cloud of gas and dust...

Maimai is a Japanese game in which players use a touchscreen and buttons to stay as close to the rhythm as possible. At a professional level, the game demands extreme speed, precision, and lots of physical movement. In countries including Japan and Thailand, close-knit communities of players and off...

Astronomers recently spotted 47 possible dwarf galaxies in extremely deep telescope images. Of those, 43 had never been cataloged before and are therefore completely new. Regular human inspection and software were used together in this project to search for these faint objects – and successfully fin...

Resomation breaks down a deceased person's body using water and an alkaline substance. The bone remains are dried and ground into powder. And the remaining liquid can – after treatment – simply be discharged through the wastewater system. The method is already being researched and used around the wo...

A recently discovered skeleton is more or less direct evidence that a medieval Norse church once stood at Qinngua. Six churches have now been found around the former settlement of the famous Erik the Red. Wealthy families may have used all those churches to show off their power...

3I/ATLAS contains remarkably high levels of heavy water and nitrogen. Both properties point to an extremely cold birthplace. The comet probably formed far from its original star. Its chemical composition is therefore currently providing scientists with a wealth of valuable information about the form...

Two studies are currently focusing on the so-called TOPBP1 as a potential weak spot in drug-resistant cancer cells. An experimental drug disrupted several survival mechanisms and made resistant lung cancer cells sensitive to treatment again. And that last part is definitely good news...

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7-Eleven got its start back in 1927 at American ice outlets. Its name refers to its former opening hours, from 7 in the morning until… you guessed it, 11 at night: unique at the time. Japan later expanded the store concept considerably and eventually took control of the American company...