Ancient DNA shows the peopling of Southeast Asian islands was surprisingly complex
A young woman who lived on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi as early as around 7,300 years ago had a surprisingly ancient East Asian...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Racism lurks in names given to plants and animals. That’s starting to change
With lemon and black plumage, the Scott’s oriole flashes in the desert like a flame. But the bird’s name holds a violent history that...
Frog and toad pupils mainly come in seven different shapes
Frog and toad pupils come in quite the array, from slits to circles. But overall, there are seven main shapes of these animals’ peepholes,...
‘Flashes of Creation’ recounts the Big Bang theory’s origin story
Flashes of CreationPaul HalpernBasic Books, $30 The Big Bang wasn’t always a sure bet. For several decades in the 20th century, researchers wrestled with...
The definition of planet is still a sore point – especially among Pluto fans
For 76 years, Pluto was the beloved ninth planet. No one cared that it was the runt of the solar system, with a moon,...
Climate change made Europe’s flash floods in July more likely
Climate change has increased the likelihood of heavy downpours in Western Europe such as the July rains that led to devastating flash floods, researchers...
A giant tortoise was caught stalking, killing and eating a baby bird
Justin Gerlach thought there must be some sort of misunderstanding. Tortoises don’t hunt. These gentle, lumbering herbivores spend their days leisurely munching on greenery,...
Here’s how cool a star can be and still achieve lasting success
If you want to be a successful star by making the minimum possible effort, aim for a surface temperature about a quarter of the...
Everyone maps numbers in space. But why don’t we all use the same directions?
Consider a ruler, a timeline or even weights lined up in a gym. Why are the smaller values, the earlier times and the lighter...
50 years ago, physicists thought they found the W boson. They hadn’t
The W particle may have been found — Science News, August 21, 1971 Physicists distinguish four different kinds of force by which objects in...
A new treatment could restore some mobility in people paralyzed by strokes 
What has Perseverance found in two years on Mars? 
This robot automatically tucks its limbs to squeeze through spaces 
Greta Thunberg’s new book urges the world to take climate action now