News

  1. Seven ancient bone flutes, each shown from three different angles, against a black backdrop
    Anthropology

    These ancient flutes may have been used to lure falcons

    Seven bird-bone flutes unearthed from a site in northern Israel are about 12,000 years old and may have been used as bird calls.

    By Sid Perkins
  2. A photo of several different flavors of Monster, Red Bull and other energy drinks sitting on grocery store shelves.
    Health & Medicine

    Taurine slows aging in mice. Will it ever work for people?

    The amino acid taurine — found in meats, produced by the body and common in energy drinks — may have a role in health and aging, a new study suggests.

    By Laura Sanders
  3. A photo of a woman putting a spacesuit helmet on astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
    Neuroscience

    Brain cavities that swell in space may need at least 3 years to recover

    MRI scans of astronauts show that duration in space and time between flights affect how much the brain’s fluid-filled cavities expand during missions.

    By McKenzie Prillaman
  4. A California two-spot octopus against a black backdrop
    Animals

    RNA editing helps octopuses cope with the cold

    California two-spot octopuses tweak the proteins they make, potentially to help maintain brain function when temperatures dip.

    By Freda Kreier
  5. An illustration of the Parker Solar Probe heading towards the sun with orange light streaks shooting around it.
    Astronomy

    The Parker Solar Probe may have spotted the origin of high-speed solar winds

    Kinks in the magnetic fields near the surface of the sun appear to be the cause of fast-moving flows in the solar wind.

    By James R. Riordon
  6. A snapshot of a collapsing star spewing jets, colored red and green, outward against the backdrop of space
    Astronomy

    A simulation of a dying star shows how it could create gravitational waves

    Massive jets and an expanding cocoon of debris from a collapsing star could be a source of never-before-seen ripples in spacetime.

    By Lisa Grossman
  7. A photo of a male Japanese macaque sitting on a rock with a blurry forest in the background.
    Animals

    When and why did masturbation evolve in primates? A new study provides clues

    In a first-of-its-kind comparative study, researchers show that primates were masturbating 40 million years ago and that the behavior may help males keep their sperm fresh.

    By Darren Incorvaia
  8. A photo of four cats perched on a ledge.
    Life

    A gene therapy shot might keep cats from getting pregnant without being spayed

    Even after mating with fertile males, females given the cat contraceptive, which targets an ovulation-preventing hormone, did not get pregnant.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  9. An artist reconstruction of a grave holding several bones.
    Anthropology

    Homo naledi may have dug cave graves and carved marks into cave walls

    Proposed discoveries of humanlike activities by these ancient, small-brained hominids have elicited skepticism from some researchers.

    By Bruce Bower
  10. A photo of a wooden walkway leading between several gray and white boxes in a large grassy field.
    Life

    Air pollution monitoring may accidentally help scientists track biodiversity

    Filters in air monitoring facilities inadvertently capture environmental DNA, which could give scientists a new tool to track local plants and animals.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  11. A shape called a spectre covers an infinite plane with some of them a light green connected to a dark green scattered amongst white spectres.
    Math

    A ‘vampire einstein’ tile outdoes mathematicians’ latest feat

    A newfound shape covers an infinite plane with a pattern that doesn’t repeat and without mirror images of the shape.

    By Emily Conover
  12. Two scuba divers investigating a coral reef
    Life

    Coral reefs host millions of bacteria, revealing Earth’s hidden biodiversity

    A new estimate of microbial life living in Pacific reefs is similar to global counts, suggesting many more microbes call Earth home than thought.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús