Patrick Pester

Zavaritskii volcano in the Kuril Islands was responsible for the mysterious 1831 volcanic eruption that cooled the climate and turned the sun different colors, a new study finds.

An orca famous for carrying a dead calf around has once again been spotted with a deceased newborn on her head in Puget Sound, but there's some good news for her endangered southern resident killer whale pod.

Researchers have excavated the largest dinosaur footprint site in the U.K. after a quarry worker found tracks left by two of Britain's biggest Jurassic dinosaurs.

An expanding polar vortex is expected to lower temperatures across the eastern half of the U.S., with the potential for record-breaking cold in January.

Humans have a long history of misinterpreting ancient fossils. Here are 10 creatures from the dinosaur age that looked way different than we thought.

Researchers have found that stick insects keep evolving the same 20 body plans, from the "tree lobster'" to the "bark hugger" and the "large-headed stick."

The GaoJing 1-02 imaging satellite burned up over the U.S. in a mesmerizing 'fireball' that some skywatchers mistook for a meteor shower.

Researchers believe dark rocks at the site of a future Mars rover landing mission may be left over from ancient volcanic eruptions, and may be protecting signs of life — if there ever was life on Mars.

Officials say they've eradicated northern giant hornets, nicknamed "murder hornets," after years of tracking the invasive giant wasps in Washington state.

Ground squirrels have turned into carnivorous killers in a local park after vole numbers exploded in Contra Costa County, California.

A New York homeowner, in Scotchtown, Orange County, was "thrilled" to find mastodon fossils in their backyard, which museum staff plan to study to learn more about the last ice age.

Fossils of the oldest saber-toothed predator are helping researchers understand the evolution of early mammal relatives called gorgonopsians and our shared origins in the therapsid group.

Computer modeling suggests Saturn's rings are billions of years older than previous research suggests — but the new findings are up for debate.

The mountain lions of Greater Los Angeles are becoming more active at night to cope with humans hiking, cycling and jogging in their habitat.

From delicate dandelions to mighty oak trees, millions of plants use seeds to reproduce. But where did the first seeds come from?

Researchers have found that forensic "DNA mixture analysis" is less accurate for certain groups of people with lower genetic diversity, which could falsely link them to crime scenes.

People all over the world believe they've seen or heard a ghost, but there's no scientific evidence for spirits, hauntings or the paranormal. So what's behind these "encounters"?

"The Secret History of Sharks" author John Long met with Live Science to discuss his new book, recent revelations about megalodons, and how he got over his fear of great whites.

Indian authorities believe wolf attacks have killed 10 people in the Bahraich region of Uttar Pradesh in recent months, as fear and confusion grips local villages.

Scientists accidentally discover new species of wasp that lays eggs inside living, adult fruit flies, which then burst from the hosts' abdomens while they're still alive.

A stock image of an Indo-Pacific dolphin swimming (not the individual responsible for the recent attacks).

Tarantulas' hairy bodies protect against the scavenging, spider-eating army ants that clean their nests, scientists say.

The newly discovered Alpkarakush kyrgyzicus fossils are the first of their kind from Kyrgyzstan and provide evidence of predatory dinosaurs caring for offspring in the Jurassic.

The wandering albatrosses of Marion Island can't defend themselves against an invasive mice population that devours birds alive, but conservationists say a rodenticide 'bomb' could save them.