How do scientists calculate the age of a star?
We know quite a lot about stars. After centuries of pointing telescopes at the night sky, astronomers and amateurs alike can figure out key...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
A partial skeleton reveals the world’s oldest known shark attack
Somewhere off southeastern Japan’s coast around 3,000 years ago, a shark attacked and killed a man who was likely fishing or shellfish diving. Afterward,...
Marsquakes reveal the Red Planet boasts a liquid core half its diameter
Mars has had its first CT scan, thanks to analyses of seismic waves picked up by NASA’s InSight lander. Diagnosis: The Red Planet’s core...
Pterosaurs may have been able to fly as soon as they hatched
Pterosaur hatchlings may have been able to fly right out of the shell — although the flight of those ancient baby reptiles might have...
The coronavirus cuts cells’ hairlike cilia, which may help it invade the lungs
A coronavirus infection can mow down the forests of hairlike cilia that coat our airways, destroying a crucial barrier to keeping the virus from...
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has begun its first science campaign
NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars has seen its future, and it’s full of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. After spending the summer trundling...
How intricate Venus’s-flower-baskets manipulate the flow of seawater
A Venus’s-flower-basket isn’t all show. This stunning deep-sea sponge can also alter the flow of seawater in surprising ways. A lacy, barrel-shaped chamber forms...
A century of astronomy revealed Earth’s place in the universe
A century ago, the Milky Way galaxy was the entirety of the known universe. We had no idea what made the stars shine, and...
This butterfly is the first U.S. insect known to go extinct because of people
It’s been roughly 80 years since the Xerces blue butterfly was last spotted flitting about on pastel wings across coastal California sand dunes. But...
Missing Antarctic microbes raise thorny questions about the search for aliens
Even in the harshest environments, microbes always seem to get by. They thrive everywhere from boiling-hot seafloor hydrothermal vents to high on Mt. Everest....
Newborn screening for cancer risk could save lives. Should it be done? 
World marks second warmest July on record 
Ebola deaths top 2,000 as scientists race to develop vaccine 
South Sudan: UN mission decries deadly attacks, works to calm tensions after ‘nothing but devastation’