Read the latest science news and recent scientific discoveries on Live Science, where we've been reporting on groundbreaking advances for over 20 years. Our expert editors, writers and contributors are ready to guide you through today's most important breakthroughs in science with expert analysis, in-depth explainers and interesting articles, covering everything from space, technology, health, animals, planet Earth, and much more.
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A 3,200-pound NASA spacecraft could fall to Earth tonightNASA's Swift Observatory is about to make a fiery reentry through Earth's atmosphere after a private mission to save it failed. Most of the spacecraft will burn up in orbit.
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'Quite a light show': NASA astronaut snaps atmospheric fireball as Russian rocket explodes over West AfricaEarth from space An American astronaut on board the ISS recently snapped a spectacular "fireball" streaking across the nighttime sky over West Africa. The striking "light show" shows a Russian rocket being vaporized as it reenters the upper atmosphere.
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Mars-bound astronauts could face years of heart scarring, rat study hintsRats that were exposed to radiation similar to what Mars-bound astronauts might face showed higher levels of scar tissue in their hearts, indicating they were more vulnerable to heart failure.
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5,300-year-old kidney stone the size of a grape found in Bronze Age man's burial near Black SeaResearchers identified a 5,300-year-old kidney stone in the burial of a Bronze Age cattle herder in Russia.
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Traces of ancient blood found in 115 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, new study claimsChemical signatures found in a Brazilian dinosaur bone may be preserved red blood cells, a new study suggests, but not all experts agree.
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Buried for 2,600 years beneath Nile mud, a massive ancient Egyptian complex was just found — from spaceSatellite radar and underground electrical scans have revealed a 2,600-year-old structure at Buto, one of ancient Egypt's most sacred cities. The real surprise wasn't the walls — but what was underneath them.
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Blue whales have gone missing off the Galápagos. Scientists think El Niño could be why.Analysis Blue whale sightings have fallen off dramatically near the Galápagos. El Niño may be to blame.
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Astronomers may have been wrong about what ended the 'Cosmic Dark Age'How did the universe transition from an impenetrable fog of hydrogen into the bright and starlit cosmos we see today? Astronomers think they're onto the answer.
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Ghostly statue of 'shrine maiden' discovered at 1,500-year-old burial mound in JapanArchaeologists have unearthed a human-shaped funeral offering that may represent an ancient Japanese priestess.
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Neuroscientists reveal method to train people to have lucid dreams — and it involves virtual reality and meditationPeople who had no recollection of a lucid dream over the past three years developed the skill after one month of performing a novel training regimen twice a week, neuroscientists report.
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Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune could destroy each other sooner than we thought, simulations hintThe outer solar system will descend into chaos just a few billion years after the sun exhausts its fuel — much sooner than scientists previously thought, a new study suggests.
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Nearly 30% of US adults admit to lying about or exaggerating their symptoms to get antibiotics from doctors, survey findsIn two new surveys, U.S. adults report lying to their doctors and their children's doctors about symptoms in hopes of being prescribed antibiotics.
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Could AI ever build itself? Scientists map the road to the 'last AI built by humans.'Analysis Researchers hope recursive self-improvement could tackle the skyrocketing costs of developing advanced AI models. But is it viable?
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Bright object beyond Pluto may be the solar system's sixth dwarf planetThe Vera C. Rubin Observatory has found what might be a new dwarf planet in our solar system, orbiting the sun on an inclined plane past Pluto.
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'This is so crazy!': Virginia college student looking for shark teeth finds rare Native American spearpointA biology student found a Native American stone spearpoint when searching for shark teeth along the coast of Virginia.
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Decapitated man buried near fort in Roman-era Scotland gets a new virtual faceSee the new facial reconstruction of a man from Roman-era Scotland who was decapitated after his death and buried near a Roman fort.
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First clear image of China's mysterious 'divine dragon' space plane revealed in US government reportThe Defense Intelligence Agency's latest "Challenges to Security in Space" report included a declassified satellite photo of China's Shenlong, or "divine dragon," space plane, which has released at least nine mysterious payloads into low Earth orbit since 2022.
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James Webb telescope discovers rare ring galaxy and 'intruder' 2 billion years after the Big BangAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have observed a galaxy with a ring of newborn stars as it appeared 2.1 billion years after the Big Bang — hinting that the early universe may have been more chaotic than once thought.
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New simulation shows the first 2 billion years of the universe's history play out in stunning detailA new program aims to help scientists figure out how the ingredients of the universe formed early galaxies, which lit up the cosmos after a "dark age."
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