Male human head found in ‘skull pit’ in ancient Chinese city suggests gender-based sacrificial rituals
Just outside the gates of China’s 4,000-year-old city, archaeologists have discovered a pit filled with 80 skulls of human sacrifice victims. Now, new research has revealed surprising facts about the victims. Nine out of ten were men. In the study, published Nov. 26 in the journal Nature, researchers analyzed DNA collected from human bones found […]
Geminid Meteor Shower 2025: The best meteor shower of the year arrives, with a second hot meteor shower on its tail
This year’s most prolific meteor shower is about to deliver more shooting stars than any other meteor shower, with near-perfect conditions for skywatchers. The annual Geminid meteor shower begins Thursday (December 4) and will remain active for the next two weeks. But this year’s peak will be the night of attention. As many as 150 […]
Injecting anesthetic drugs may correct ‘lazy eye’, early research suggests
Researchers think they may have found a way to improve “lazy eyes” even in adults who have been suffering from the condition since childhood. However, this technology has so far only been tested in animals and requires further research before it can be used in human patients. Lazy eye, or amblyopia, develops in early childhood […]
Researchers discover that volcanic eruption caused ‘butterfly effect’ and caused Black Death
An unknown volcanic eruption in the mid-14th century may have set the stage for the spread of the Black Death in Europe, according to new research. The eruption caused a period of cool and cloudy weather in the Mediterranean Sea, setting off a domino effect that led to a decline in agricultural production. Merchants therefore […]
18,000 dinosaur footprints found on ancient Bolivian coastline, setting new record
Scientists have discovered a record number of fossilized dinosaur footprints and swim tracks in a national park in central Bolivia. The new study shows that the track trail follows what was once an ancient coastline, rippled from northwest to southeast along footprints and other footprints. Most of the footprints are from bipedal, three-toed dinosaurs known […]
Collapse of major Atlantic current could bring extreme drought to Europe for hundreds of years, study finds
Southern Europe’s already scorching dry summers could worsen over the next 1,000 years due to increased extreme droughts and longer dry seasons if major ocean current systems collapse, a new study suggests. This is the first time researchers have compared what would happen to summer precipitation in Europe under different climate scenarios if the Atlantic […]
MIT invention uses ultrasound to shake drinking water out of the air, even in arid regions
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a device that collects moisture from the air and turns it into drinkable water within minutes. The research team hopes that the technology could eventually be used to provide clean water to areas lacking natural resources. Atmospheric water recovery (AWH) systems work by extracting moisture from […]
Astronomers discover a huge string of galaxies, “probably the largest rotating object ever seen”
Astronomers have discovered what they believe to be the “largest rotating object” ever discovered, and their rotation may contain important clues about how galaxies develop. Located 140 million light-years from Earth, this spiral structure is a long string of gas that is approximately 5.5 million light-years long and 117,000 light-years wide, wider than the Milky […]
China’s ancient ‘hanging coffin’ people have finally been identified – and their descendants still live there
For thousands of years, ethnic groups in what is now southwestern China have buried their dead in “hanging coffins” on cliffs, but their identities have long eluded researchers. Now, new genetic research has revealed that this ancient funerary tradition was practiced by the ancestors of people who still live in the region today. Researchers also […]
‘Extreme state of human genetic diversity’: Ancient humans were isolated for nearly 100,000 years in southern Africa, and their genes were astonishingly different.
Humans have been isolated in southern Africa for about 100,000 years, and thus were “out of the range of genetic variation” seen in modern humans, new genetic research has found. This finding supports the idea that “modern” Homo sapiens can have different combinations of genetic traits, even if they deviate from the norm. In a […]