Scientists map the exact shape of a supernova for the first time ever – but it’s not what they expected: Space Photos of the Week
simple facts What is it: Artist impression of Supernova SN 2024ggi Location: Located 22 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Share date: November 12, 2025 On April 10, 2024, the Asteroid Earth Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) detected the first light from the explosion of a massive star with approximately 12 to 15 times […]
What is the difference between a newt and a salamander?
If you spot a small, long-tailed amphibian near a forested pond, you’re probably looking at a salamander or newt. But what is the difference between a salamander and a newt? And how do you tell them apart? “One of the things about all newts being salamanders is that not all salamanders are newts,” Nick Bergmeier, […]
Are biodegradable plastics really worth the hype?
Annual global production of plastics is expected to increase to 400 million tonnes in 2022 and double by 2050. Many of the products produced are single-use, and less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled. In August 2025, more than 2,600 participants from United Nations member states met for the fifth time to negotiate a […]
This week’s science news: Mysterious human relatives, discovery of dark matter, mysterious lights in the sky during nuclear weapons tests
This week’s biggest science news took us on a journey through human prehistory, with the discovery that a mysterious 3.4-million-year-old ‘Bartele foot’ in Ethiopia may belong to a mysterious human relative who lived at the same time as our ancestor ‘Lucy’. This study is important for many reasons, not only because it shows differences in […]
‘There’s no easy explanation’: new images emerge as scientists debate 70-year-old UFO mystery
More than 70 years ago, astronomers at California’s Palomar Observatory captured several star-like flashes that appeared and disappeared within an hour, a few years before the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched into orbit. A new peer-reviewed study revisiting these midcentury skyplates reports that these fleeting points of light, called transients, appeared on or […]
Do your dreams change as you get older?
You might think that children have nightmares about monsters under the bed, but adults dream about stressful events such as deadlines. But is there any scientific evidence that dreams change as we age? Although there are plausible mechanisms for how dreams change over time as we age, very few studies have investigated this topic. “Dreaming […]
Modern humans may have arrived in Australia 60,000 years ago and interbred with archaic humans such as ‘hobbits’
A new study of about 2,500 genomes may finally settle the debate over when modern humans arrived in Australia. Using a diverse database of DNA from ancient and modern Aboriginal people across Oceania, researchers found that people began settling in northern Australia by 60,000 years ago, arriving via two different routes. Experts have long debated […]
Scientists extract first wealth from ‘Holy Grail of shipwrecks’ that sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708
A priceless shipwreck treasure that sank with the San Jose Galleon off the coast of Colombia more than 300 years ago is now seeing the light of day. The amazingly well-preserved items recovered, including a cannon, a porcelain cup and three coins, are just a few of the shipwreck’s vast riches. The galleon is often […]
Are humans still evolving? An anthropologist explains it.
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. If evolution is real, why isn’t it happening now? — Dee, Memphis, TN Many people believe that we humans have conquered nature through the wonders of civilization and technology. Others […]
Did NASA’s telescope really ‘see’ dark matter? Strange gamma rays prompt bold claims, but scientists urge caution
A new study suggests that a NASA telescope may have made the first observation of the elusive dark matter, the invisible and mysterious substance that makes up most of the matter in the universe. But scientists, including the study authors, caution that more research is needed to understand this finding. NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, […]