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May 2024

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256 articles

May 31
- 28 'carefully placed' horses in ancient burial in France may have been part of a sacrificial ritual
- Cutting pollution from the shipping industry accidentally increased global warming, study suggests
- Some patients with brain injuries have life support withdrawn too soon, study suggests
- New genetic cause of intellectual disability potentially uncovered in 'junk DNA'
- The 165-year reign of oil is coming to an end. But will we ever be able to live without it?
- Solar power generated enough heat to power a steel furnace
- Will we ever be able to stop using plastic?
- How much oil is left and will we ever run out?
- If you thought T. rex had tiny arms, wait until you see this apex predator's ridiculously tiny appendages
- Italy's Campi Flegrei volcano hit by 150 earthquakes in just 5 hours
- GPT-4 didn't ace the bar exam after all, MIT research suggests — it didn't even break the 70th percentile
- Eye of the Sahara: Mauritania's giant rock dome that towers over the desert
May 30
- James Webb telescope discovers earliest galaxy in the known universe — and its shockingly big
- 2,000-year-old gold jewelry from mysterious culture discovered in Kazakhstan
- World's 1st carved horse: The 35,000-year-old ivory figurine from Vogelherd cave
- Scientists may have finally solved the problem of the universe’s 'missing' black holes
- Real-life 'Star Trek' planet was actually just an illusion caused by a 'jittery' star
- Did pandemic lockdowns stunt kids' immune systems long-term?
- Elusive 'octopus squid' with world's largest biological lights attacks camera in striking new video
- 'Archaeological sensation': Winemaker discovers hundreds of mammoth bones while renovating his cellar
- Meet LocoMan, the quirky robot dog that can stand up on its hind legs like a meerkat and play with objects
May 29
- 'Dinky' asteroid imaged by NASA has ultra-rare double moon, study confirms
- How people without 'inner voices' could help reveal the mysteries of consciousness
- 'Vanishing' stars may be turning into black holes without going supernova, new study hints
- Nightmarish 'footballfish' washes up dead on US beach in potential 1st-of-its-kind occurrence
- Iceland volcano eruption throws spectacular 160-foot-high wall of lava toward Grindavík
- Mutant blue-eyed cicadas discovered outside Chicago during rare double brood event
- Double cicada bloom 2024: Google Doodle celebrates once-in-221-year event with band of bugs
- AI can 'fake' empathy but also encourage Nazism, disturbing study suggests
- Secrets of radioactive 'promethium' — a rare earth element with mysterious applications — uncovered after 80-year search
- Ancient Egyptians tried to treat cancer 4,000 years ago, cut-marked skull indicates
May 28
- Whooping cough outbreaks: Why is pertussis on the rise in several countries?
- Ramesses II's sarcophagus finally identified thanks to overlooked hieroglyphics
- Canadian 'super pigs' are likely to invade northern US, study warns
- New display tech paves the way for 'most realistic' holograms in regular eyeglasses
- Auroras could paint Earth's skies again in early June. Here are the key nights to watch for.
- Things are finally looking up for the Voyager 1 interstellar spacecraft
May 27
- Bright comet headed toward Earth could be visible with the naked eye
- 32 fun and random facts about Albert Einstein
- Scientists are growing teensy hearts to learn which drugs raise risk of congenital defects
- Neanderthals could talk — but how sophisticated was their language?
- Reaching absolute zero for quantum computing now much quicker thanks to breakthrough refrigerator design
- How do fireflies light up?
- Earth from space: Ethereal algal vortex blooms at the heart of massive Baltic 'dead zone'
May 26
- 'A force more powerful than gravity within the Earth': How magnetism locked itself inside our planet
- 'When you improve nutrition, you reduce violence': Psychologist Kimberley Wilson on working in Europe's largest women's prison
- NASA detects Earth-size planet just 40 light-years away that's 'not a bad place' to hunt for life
- Space photo of the week: NASA sees a 'Platypus' move on Jupiter's moon Europa
- Why did Homo sapiens emerge in Africa?
May 25
- 10 surprising things that are made from petroleum
- James Webb telescope sees 'birth' of 3 of the universe's earliest galaxies in world-1st observations
- Aardwolf: The weirdo hyena cousin that eats 300,000 termites each night
- NASA spots 16 'Death Star' black holes blasting powerful beams at multiple targets
May 24
- Parasitic worms infect 6 after bear meat served at family reunion
- Google's AI tells users to add glue to their pizza, eat rocks and make chlorine gas
- A 'parade of planets' is coming on June 3. Here's what you can actually expect to see.
- In a 1st, scientist grow mini brains with functional blood-brain barriers
- Crows can count out loud, startling study reveals
- China's 'heavenly pits': The giant sinkholes that have ancient forests growing within
- DeepMind's AI program AlphaFold3 can predict the structure of every protein in the universe — and show how they function
- Black hole spin speed revealed in new study of churning space-time
- Mysterious 'puffy' planet may finally be explained by James Webb Space Telescope
May 23
- This year's hurricane season could see 25 named storms, NOAA says in record-breaking forecast
- Grave robbers looted lavish 1,800-year-old tombs in China — but missed this one
- Manhattanhenge 2024: Where and when to see the sun 'kiss the grid' in New York this week
- Alaska's rivers are turning bright orange and as acidic as vinegar as toxic metal escapes from melting permafrost
- Scientists just discovered an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania
- Euclid space telescope reveals more than 300,000 new objects in 1st 24 hours of observations (photos)
- 'Master of deception': Current AI models already have the capacity to expertly manipulate and deceive humans
- Metal detectorists unearth 300-year-old coin stash hidden by legendary Polish con man
- Beginner-friendly Celestron StarSense Explorer telescope now under $200
May 22
- H5N1 bird flu has spread to human from cow in 2nd probable case, CDC reports
- Lost photos suggest Mars' mysterious moon Phobos may be a trapped comet in disguise
- Ancient Mycenaean armor is so good, it protected users in an 11-hour battle simulation inspired by the Trojan War
- Scientists discover the possible origin of the sun's magnetic field, and it's not where they thought it was
- 'We'll be studying this event for years': Recent auroras may have been the strongest in 500 years, NASA says
- 50,000-year-old Neanderthal bones harbor oldest-known human viruses
- Scientists made mice with Y chromosomes female by deleting just 6 tiny molecules
- 32 stunning centuries-old hoards unearthed by metal detectorists
- Wildfire smoke is hitting the US from Canada and Mexico
- No two are alike: The colossal stone heads of Olmec in Mexico
- 'Look at all this we don't understand': Study unravels whole new layer of Alzheimer's disease
May 21
- Scientists grow diamonds from scratch in 15 minutes thanks to groundbreaking new process
- The same genetic mutations behind gorillas' small penises may hinder fertility in men
- Warm ocean water is rushing beneath Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier,' making its collapse more likely
- Save $230 on a beginner telescope with this stellar deal
- In a 1st, HIV vaccine triggers rare and elusive antibodies in humans
- We're seeing stars with this binocular deal: Save 25% on Celestron's solar safe binoculars
- 6,800-year-old burial of Neolithic 'mayor' unearthed in Bavaria
May 20
- The enigmatic 'brain microbiome' could play a role in neurological disease
- 'Puppy eyes' didn't evolve just for humans, study of wild dogs finds
- Drowning deaths in US on the rise for the 1st time in decades
- Earth from space: Rare phenomenon transforms African thunderstorm into giant ethereal 'jellyfish'
- Save $200 on the iPad Air M1, with the iPad Air M2 having just launched
- AI computers could run in extreme environments like Venus thanks to heat-proof memory device
- Can a commercial airplane do a barrel roll?
- Tonight's 'Flower Moon' will rise close to a red supergiant star
May 19
- Earth-size planet found orbiting nearby star that will outlive the sun by 100 billion years
- 32 animals that act weirdly human sometimes
- A new theory of quantum gravity could explain the biggest puzzle in cosmology, study suggests
- Space photo of the week: Hubble spots a twisted 'train-wreck' galaxy that may hide a cosmic illusion
- Why is there sometimes a green flash at sunset and sunrise?
May 18
- Newfound autoimmune syndrome tied to COVID-19 can trigger deadly lung scarring
- 32 diseases you can catch from animals
- Mesmerizing photo shows weird, scowling parasitic plant that looks like a owl
- Black hole singularities defy physics. New research could finally do away with them.
- Does the Milky Way orbit anything?
May 17
- New 3D map charted with Google AI reveals 'mysterious but beautiful' slice of human brain
- Revolutionary War barracks burned by the British discovered in Colonial Williamsburg
- 1,000 years ago, Baltic pagans imported horses from Scandinavia to behead them or bury them alive
- 10 unexpected ways Neanderthal DNA affects our health
- The mystery of the disappearing Neanderthal Y chromosome
- Could Neanderthals talk?
- What's the difference between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens?
- 'More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors
- Chinese scientists have found a way to make batteries more efficient — by using water
- Bizarre evolutionary roots of Africa's iconic upside-down baobab trees revealed
- 'Playing Russian roulette with your health': Officials warn that social media trend of consuming raw milk will not protect you from bird flu
- Snake Island: The isle writhing with vipers where only Brazilian military and scientists are allowed
- Bizarre device uses 'blind quantum computing' to let you access quantum computers from home
- Scientists discover bizarre region around black holes that proves Einstein right yet again
- 'It was not a peaceful crossing': Hannibal's troops linked to devastating fire 2,200 years ago in Spain
May 16
- Alien 'Dyson sphere' megastructures could surround at least 7 stars in our galaxy, new studies suggest
- James Webb telescope spots 2 monster black holes merging at the dawn of time, challenging our understanding of the universe
- Deaf baby can hear after 'mind-blowing' gene therapy treatment
- Some of the oldest stars in the universe found hiding near the Milky Way's edge — and they may not be alone
- Long-lost branch of the Nile was 'indispensable for building the pyramids,' research shows
- Scientists prove 'quantum theory' that could lead to ultrafast magnetic computing
May 15
- Jupiter's elusive 5th moon caught crossing the Great Red Spot in new NASA images
- 130,000-year-old Neanderthal-carved bear bone is symbolic art, study argues
- Orcas have attacked and sunk another boat in Europe — and experts warn there could be more attacks soon
- Newfound 'glitch' in Einstein's relativity could rewrite the rules of the universe, study suggests
- CRISPR can treat common form of inherited blindness, early data hint
May 14
- Sun launches strongest solar flare of current cycle in monster X8.7-class eruption
- Heavy metals in Beethoven's hair may explain his deafness, study finds
- OpenAI unveils huge upgrade to ChatGPT that makes it more eerily human than ever
- Atoms squished closer together than ever before, revealing seemingly impossible quantum effects
- Japan plans to commercially hunt vulnerable fin whales, enraging conservationists
- Tree rings reveal summer 2023 was the hottest in 2 millennia
- 'Quantum-inspired' laser computing is more effective than both supercomputing and quantum computing, startup claims
- Mysterious L-shaped structure found near Egyptian pyramids of Giza baffles scientists
- Strange, red-glowing planet may be 'melting from within,' scientists report
May 13
- Sketchy stem-cell treatments in Mexico led to drug-resistant infections
- Why are auroras different colors?
- Aurora photos: Stunning northern lights glisten after biggest geomagnetic storm in 21 years
- 'Extreme' geomagnetic storm that painted Earth with auroras this weekend was the most powerful in 21 years
- 1st person to receive a pig kidney transplant has died
- Earth may have had freshwater and continents soon after forming, ancient crystals reveal
- China creates its largest ever quantum computing chip — and it could be key to building the nation's own 'quantum cloud'
- MIT gives AI the power to 'reason like humans' by creating hybrid architecture
- Why do earthquakes happen far away from plate boundaries?
- Earth from space: Majestic 'yin-yang' crater sits atop a dormant volcano in Turkey
May 12
- James Webb telescope detects 1-of-a-kind atmosphere around 'Hell Planet' in distant star system
- Massive study of 8,000 cats reveals which breeds live longest
- Giant 'rogue waves' of invisible matter might be disrupting the orbits of stars, new study hints
- Space photo of the week: 'God's Hand' leaves astronomers scratching their heads
- Why can't we see the far side of the moon?
May 11
- Meta just stuck its AI somewhere you didn't expect it — a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses
- Sarcastic fringehead: The angry little fish that engages in mouth-to-mouth combat
- Papua New Guineans, genetically isolated for 50,000 years, carry Denisovan genes that help their immune system, study suggests
- 'The most critically harmful fungi to humans': How the rise of C. auris was inevitable
- Stone with 1,600-year-old Irish inscription found in English garden
- Can mirrors facing each other create infinite reflections?
May 10
- Suspected thieves nearly swipe pre-Hispanic artifacts from an archaeological site in Peru
- Odd earthquake swarm in Central Europe hints at magma bubbling below the surface
- Cosmic 'superbubbles' might be throwing entire galaxies into chaos, theoretical study hints
- Roman-era skeletons buried in embrace, on top of a horse, weren't lovers, DNA analysis shows
- 'Severe' geomagnetic storm will bring widespread auroras this weekend after gigantic sunspot spits out 5 solar storms
- Lab-made universal blood could revolutionize transfusions. Scientists just got one step closer to making it.
- One of the best Apple Airpod alternative running headphones is now 20% off
- Feral cats ate critically endangered baby crocodiles in Cuba, study suggests
- Master regulator of inflammation found — and it's in the brain stem
- Elephants say 'hello' to friends by flapping their ears and making little rumbly noises
- Is hippo milk really pink?
- Fairy Chimneys: The stone spires in Turkey that form 'the world's most unusual high-rise neighborhood'
- New invention transforms any smartphone or TV display into a holographic projector
- Weird blobs lurking near Earth's core may have been dragged from the surface
May 9
- Gargantuan sunspot 15-Earths wide shoots powerful X-class flare toward Earth, triggering radio blackouts
- Celestron binoculars deal: Lowest price we've seen them all year
- Collapse of Earth's magnetic field may have fueled evolution of life 600 million years ago
- The Gulf Stream stopped pumping nutrients during the last ice age — and the same could be happening now
- NASA details plan to build a levitating robot train on the moon
- Horned 'SpaceX spiral' photobombs auroras over Europe in 1st-of-its-kind sighting
- Dice snakes fake their own death, smearing themselves with blood and poop to make the performance extra convincing
- See stunning reconstruction of ancient Egyptian mummy that languished at an Australian high school for a century
- Scientists map the lost 'Atlantis' continent that lies off Australia
- Save up to $60 on Blueair air purifiers: Perfect for large and small rooms
- Scientists discover new type of cell in the liver
- New mRNA vaccine for deadly brain cancer triggers a strong immune response
- 30,000 years of history reveals that hard times boost human societies' resilience
- James Webb telescope measures the starlight around the universe's biggest, oldest black holes for 1st time ever
May 8
- Molecule responsible for robbing Venus of its water may finally have been identified
- Remains of vast 7,000-year-old farming settlement found in a 'huge void' in Serbia
- 65 million-year-old cow relative looked like a chinchilla and weighed only a pound
- 'A dream come true': Nuclear clock breakthrough could revolutionize study of the universe's fundamental forces
- Record-shattering Tonga volcanic eruption wasn't triggered by what we thought, new study suggests
- Circus 'Wall of Death' stunt may keep astronauts fit on the moon
- 'Hostilities began in an extremely violent way': How chimp wars taught us murder and cruelty aren't just human traits
- Hoard of 17th-century coins hidden during English Civil War unearthed during kitchen renovation
- EV batteries could last much longer thanks to new capacitor with 19-times higher energy density that scientists created by mistake
May 7
- Epic NASA video takes you to the heart of a black hole — and destroys you in seconds
- 2,500-year-old Illyrian helmet found in burial mound likely caused 'awe in the enemy'
- China has launched a secret robot to the far side of the moon, new Chang'e 6 photos reveal
- Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch scrubbed due to loud buzzing valve
- Could cannabis treat cancer someday? Here's what the science says so far
- Japan captures 1st image of space debris from orbit, and it's spookily stunning
- 1,900-year-old Roman legionary fortress unearthed next to UK cathedral
- 'World's purest silicon' could lead to 1st million-qubit quantum computing chips
May 6
- Mars may have been more Earth-like than we thought, discovery of oxygen-rich rocks reveals
- Iron Age necropolis that predates Rome unearthed near Naples
- T. rex was as smart as a crocodile, not an ape, according to study debunking controversial intelligence findings
- 'Lost' satellite finally found after orbiting undetected for 25 years
- 'Major lunar standstill' may reveal if Stonehenge is aligned with the moon
- Scientists could make blazing-fast 6G using curving light rays
- Siberia's 'gateway to the underworld' is growing a staggering amount each year
- Why do most mammals have 5 fingers?
- Earth from space: Mysterious wave ripples across 'galaxy' of icebergs in Arctic fjord
May 5
- 'We're meeting people where they are': Graphic novels can help boost diversity in STEM, says MIT's Ritu Raman
- Space photo of the week: A planet-size explosion rocks the sun's 'mossy' corona
- Gut bacteria sometimes get people drunk, leading to DUIs and liver disease
- Why do dogs sniff each other's butts?
May 4
- Boost your running speed with training — but don't fall for these myths, scientists say
- 'It would be within its natural right to harm us to protect itself': How humans could be mistreating AI right now without even knowing it
- Hammer-headed bat: The African megabat that looks like a gargoyle and holds honking pageants
- Key events in the Bible, such as the settlement and destruction of Jerusalem, confirmed using radiocarbon dating
- How do cats land on their feet?
May 3
- China launches Chang'e 6 sample-return mission to moon's far side
- 3,500-year-old 'rest house' used by ancient Egyptian army discovered in Sinai desert
- 1st Americans came over in 4 different waves from Siberia, linguist argues
- 170 people 'likely exposed' to tuberculosis in Long Beach outbreak
- Lab-grown mini-placentas reveal clue to why pregnancy complications happen
- Antarctic ice hole the size of Switzerland keeps cracking open. Now scientists finally know why.
- James Webb telescope spots wind blowing faster than a bullet on '2-faced planet' with eternal night
- 1,700-year-old Roman shipwreck was stuffed to the gills with fish sauce when it sank
- China's 'lobster eye' Einstein telescope releases 1st batch of trippy space images
- Cave of Crystals: The deadly cavern in Mexico dubbed 'the Sistine Chapel of crystals'
- It's the best time of year to spot Mercury. Here's how to find it.
- Charging future EVs could take seconds with new sodium-ion battery tech
- New algorithm slashes time to run most sophisticated climate models by 10-fold
- No, the James Webb Space Telescope probably didn't detect signs of alien life — but it soon could
May 2
- Tiny, transparent chip could transform your smartphone into a professional-grade camera
- Neanderthal woman's face brought to life in stunning reconstruction
- 'You certainly don't see this every day': Ultra-rare backward-spinning tornado formed over Oklahoma
- Asteroid that exploded over Berlin was fastest-spinning space rock ever recorded
- Are electric vehicles safer than gas-powered cars? Maybe for the passengers—but not for everyone else.
- Enormous 'San Andreas fault' on Saturn's moon could help reveal signs of alien life
- Optical illusion reveals key brain rule that governs consciousness
- Breakthrough 6G antenna could lead to high-speed communications and holograms
May 1
- Rare 'Excalibur' sword from Spain dates to Islamic period 1,000 years ago
- 'We were amazed': Scientists find hidden structure in nebula captured by James Webb telescope
- Sun's chaotic peak triggers record-breaking 'global auroras' on Mars
- Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness
- Stunning image shows atoms transforming into quantum waves — just as Schrödinger predicted
- DARPA's autonomous 'Manta Ray' drone can glide through ocean depths undetected
- See up to 50 'shooting stars' per hour as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this weekend
- 'Frankenstein' mice with brain cells from rats raised in the lab