Search Results for: Bears

Planetary Science

Granite likely lurks beneath the moon’s surface

Without plate tectonics or water, granite is hard to make. But a 50-kilometer-wide hunk sits beneath the moon’s surface, lunar orbiter data suggest.

Paleontology

Living fast may have helped mammals like ‘ManBearPig’ dominate

Staying in the womb for a while but being born ready to rock may have helped post-dinosaur mammals take over the planet.

Tech

50 years ago, a balloon circumnavigated the world for science

A 1973 high-altitude flight kicked off an era of useful stratospheric balloon science. Some scientists worry that heightened concerns over alleged spy balloons might hamper that.

Ecosystems

Some polar bears in Greenland survive on surprisingly little sea ice

“Glacial mélange” could provide a last refuge for some bears as the Earth warms, but climate action is needed to preserve the species, researchers say.

Archaeology

Indigenous input revealed early hints of fiber making in the tropics

To decipher marks on nearly 40,000-year-old stone tools and figure out what they were used for, researchers turned to the Philippines’ Pala’wan people.

Microbes

Ancient bacteria could persist beneath Mars’ surface

Radiation-tolerant microbes might be able to survive beneath Mars’ surface for hundreds of millions of years, a new study suggests.

Astronomy

Alien life may be possible even at the Milky Way’s edges

Phosphorus detected far from the Milky Way’s center seems to extend the zone where life could exist in the galaxy by thousands of light-years.

Psychology

An apology to Indigenous communities sparks a mental health rethink

The leading U.S. psychological association pledged to embrace Indigenous approaches to healing, which requires rethinking how to address mental health.

Paleontology

520-million-year-old animal fossils might not be animals after all

Newly described fossils of Protomelission gatehousei suggest that the species, once thought to be the oldest example of bryozoans, is actually a type of colony-forming algae.

Health & Medicine

Bird flu can jump to mammals. Should we worry?

Reports of bears and sea lions infected with H5N1 have sparked fears about the pandemic potential of bird flu. Experts are keeping a close eye on its spread.

Science & Society

The Smithsonian’s ‘Lights Out’ inspires visitors to save the fading night sky

The exhibition examines how light pollution harms astronomy, ecosystems and human cultures. But it also offers hope.

Life

Comb jellies have a bizarre nervous system unlike any other animal

A 3-D map of the comb jelly “nerve net” reveals fused neurons that lack the space, or synapses, most neurons use to communicate. Did it evolve independently?