Scientific discoveries — breakthrough findings, new species, and the science making headlines.
Ghostly statue of 'shrine maiden' discovered at 1,500-year-old burial mound in Japan
Archaeologists unearthed a clay figurine at the Nishikaminomiya burial site northwest of Tokyo that represents a female shaman from the fifth century.…
A mysterious 4,000-year-old wall is rewriting North Africa’s history
Excavations at Oued Beht in northwest Morocco have uncovered a defensive wall structure dating to 4,000 to 3,500 years ago, marking the earliest confi…
Scientists discover a hidden 100-million-year-old volcanic system
An international team led by Istanbul Technical University has identified a previously unknown volcanic system in northwestern Iran that formed during…
A 700,000-year-old elephant tooth reveals a lost world where early humans lived
Researchers reconstructed a lush prehistoric landscape from nearly 700,000 years ago using a single elephant tooth found in northern Israel. Hannah Fa…
Scientists discover mysterious seahorse lookalikes that no one has ever seen alive
Researchers have identified a new genus of deep-sea fish that resembles seahorses but belongs to a separate branch of the family tree. The three speci…
Decapitated man buried near fort in Roman-era Scotland gets a new virtual face
Researchers virtually reconstructed the face of a man decapitated nearly 2,000 years ago and buried near a Roman military fort at Inveresk in Scotland…
Archaeologists may have just found the world's oldest shipwreck
Archaeologists have identified what appears to be the world's oldest documented shipwreck off the Turkish coast, pushing back the known history of Med…
Predatory amphibians swam the seas 237 million years ago
# Ancient Marine Amphibians Challenge Understanding of Evolution and Skin Physiology Researchers studying a 237-million-year-old fossil discovered in…
New evidence suggests spinosaurus spent most of its life underwater
# Spinosaurus Was More Aquatic Than Scientists Thought, Yale Study Reveals Yale researchers have fundamentally reshaped our understanding of Spinosau…
Emily St. John Mandel: ‘I don’t want to write something relentlessly bleak’
# Emily St. John Mandel Discusses "Exit Party," Her New Novel of Parallel Worlds Emily St. John Mandel, the acclaimed science-fiction novelist behind…
Ancient Nubian temple faience workshop reveals links between craft production and royal power
Archaeologists uncovered a faience workshop at a temple complex in Napata, the ancient Nubian capital, revealing connections between specialized craft…
World's oldest shipwreck discovered off coast of Turkey
Archaeologists have identified a shipwreck off Turkey's coast as the world's oldest, based on cargo analysis. The vessel left minimal structural remai…
Ancient shipwreck discovered off Turkey claimed to be world’s oldest
An Early Bronze Age shipwreck discovered off Turkey's coast represents what researchers claim is the world's oldest known ship, according to reporting…
Dinosaur named new species 102 years after fossil found on Isle of Wight
Researchers have identified a new dinosaur species named Invictibellatrix amberina, based on a fossil discovered on the Isle of Wight more than a cent…
The Monte Verde controversy is back: who first lived in the Americas?
The Monte Verde archaeological sites in Chile have reignited a longstanding debate about who first inhabited the Americas. According to New Scientist,…
Does each new covid-19 variant pose a significant threat?
SKIP The provided content consists only of a headline and a question without substantive facts, data, expert quotes, research findings, or verifiable…
Neanderthal Europe was as much a wooden age as a stone age
Neanderthals relied on wood as heavily as stone for creating tools during their time in Europe, according to research covered in New Scientist. The co…
Extinct yak relative discovered from DNA in Denisova cave
# Extinct Yak Relative Discovered from DNA in Denisova Cave Researchers identified a previously unknown yak species through genetic analysis of bone …
Ancient Egyptians sacrificed pharaohs' servants so they could continue to serve their king in the afterlife, new study finds
# Ancient Egyptians Sacrificed Pharaohs' Servants for the Afterlife Ancient Egyptians practiced human sacrifice approximately 5,000 years ago, accord…
Modern forensics reveals human sacrifice in ancient Egypt's royal burials
Ancient Egyptian First Dynasty kings were entombed with dozens of officials and artisans buried simultaneously alongside them, according to forensic a…
Scientists were wrong about this strange mammal for nearly 40 years
# Mongolian Fossil Overturns Decades of Mistaken Beliefs About Ancient Mammal Lineage A pristine fossil discovered in Mongolia's Gobi Desert has forc…
Scientists burned their own scrolls to unlock a 2,000-year-old mystery
# Ancient Scrolls Reveal Their Secrets Through Lead-Detecting X-Rays Researchers have cracked a problem that has vexed classicists for two millennia.…
Stonehenge’s 6-ton altar stone may have traveled from Scotland by glacier
# Stonehenge's Altar Stone: A Journey Across Glaciers and Continents Researchers have proposed a radical origin story for one of Stonehenge's most en…
The first season of Heroes is almost perfect – here’s why
# The First Season of Heroes Remains a Masterclass in Serialized Television Hayden Panettiere's self-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet captured audie…
Mathematician discovers rare eight-faced shape
# Mathematician Discovers Rare Eight-Faced Polyhedron With Genus-3 Topology A mathematician has identified a genus-3 polyhedron, a rare eight-faced s…