Charles Q. Choi

Neanderthals tended to bury their dead in caves, while early modern humans buried their dead in the fetal position, new research finds.

Why aren't the solstices the coldest and hottest days of the year?

There are infinitely many prime numbers, but the biggest one we know of goes by the name M82589933 and contains more than 24 million digits.

"If there are lots of black holes out there, some of them must surely pass through our backyard every now and then."

Cats can squeeze through impossibly small holes, but how does their anatomy enable them to do this?

'The bottom line is, there is no crisis in terms of the standard model of cosmology.

Modern human DNA may have made up a surprisingly large amount of the Neanderthal genome, a new study finds.

The oldest known sandals are from Oregon, but there may be older shoes out there.

People who sneeze in bright lights, like the sun, may have autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst syndrome, or ACHOO.

DNA from prehistoric and modern-day people suggests that humans interbred with Neanderthals 47,000 years ago for a period lasting 6,800 years.

A study of 91 pairs of stars finds that about 8%, or one in 12, swallowed up a planet at some point in their lives.

The solar system's eight planets will never truly be in a straight line, but they can get close to it.

Earth is covered with water, but how much is hiding in our planet's crust?

Homo erectus may have crafted these stone tools 1.4 million years ago in what is now Ukraine.

It's commonplace to get a jolt from static electricity. But does it have enough electrical charge to start a fire?

The finding suggests that 'successive pulses of small groups' of humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe starting around 45,000 years ago.

During the last ice age, the first people to reach the Americas may have traveled from Asia along a sea ice "highway."

The dinosaur Brontosaurus was canceled but then resurrected. What happened?

After the supercontinent Panagea broke up around 200 million years ago, how long did it take for Australia to emerge as its own continent?

Outer space has a particular stench. But why?

Why are dogs, especially puppies, in endless pursuit of their tails?

Mountains form in a variety of ways, some of which geologists are now just starting to understand.

Skulls housed in a German hospital's collection for a century were stolen from Africa during the colonial period. They have now been genetically matched with living relatives.