Astronomers have been narrating a dramatic tale about the fate of our galaxy for more than a century: the Milky Way is relentlessly on collision with Andromeda, its enormous neighbor. Once judged unavoidable within 4–5 billion years, the cosmic smash-up would destroy spiral galaxies and create a new, shapeless elliptical galaxy known as “Milkomeda.” But ...
In a sequence that was reminiscent of the film “The Nature of Things,” Gordon’s Bay, South Africa is a small town on the coast that was the perfect location to witness a truly amazing wildlife encounter. After being returned gently to the ocean, a massive southern elephant seal that weighed nearly two tons ran through ...
Europa’s active volcano again snatched the spotlight. The 2nd of June, 2025 Mount Etna, in Sicily, erupted with an incredible display of the power of nature and sent a soaring plume of volcanic steam, ash and pyroclastic flow soaring across its slopes. The tourists who were near the summit rushed to safe areas as the ...
From the bones of individuals living 6,000 years ago deep in Colombia’s highlands, a genetic mystery has emerged. Their DNA tells a different story than any other one without clear ancestors or descendants in the modern society. These prehistoric people unearthed on the Bogotá Altiplano challenge our understanding of American population distribution. Whales: they were ...
The energy transformation of the planet finds itself in first gear. Even with decades of progress in wind, solar, and battery storage, fossil fuels still account for most of world energy consumption; their share has dropped just 6% since 1990. Concurrent with this, carbon emissions in 2024 reach yet another record high, highlighting the pressing ...
Deep in the Caucasus Mountains, a cave has yielded a discovery that shatters long-held assumptions about Neanderthals. A 9-centimeter (3.5-inch) spear tip, carved from the leg bone of a bison and hardened in fire, has been dated to 70,000–80,000 years ago making it the oldest bone weapon ever found in Europe. But what’s truly groundbreaking? ...
Mars’s rust-colored desserts, towering volcanoes, and tantalizing prospect of ancient life have enthralled people for millennia. Benevolent on its surface, though, lurks a far stranger secret rife with rotten eggs. Recent discoveries in science imply that the Martian core is not only an iron and nickel molten ball like that of Earth. Rather, it might ...
Tim Friede still remembers the searing pain, the burning, the swelling, the moments when his vision blurred and his body fought to stay conscious. But this wasn’t an accident. He had chosen to be bitten not once, but 202 times by some of the deadliest snakes on Earth. From black mambas to rattlesnakes, Friede turned ...
A mysterious rat vanished into the mountains of New Guinea in 1989. Now, after more than three decades, it has finally shown its face and researchers have the photos to prove it. Meet Mallomys, the elusive subalpine woolly rat, a species so rare that researchers had practically given up hope of ever seeing it alive. ...
Imagine negotiating a busy city street, climbing a mountain trail, or even riding a bicycle all without looking forward. Most people find this unfeasible. Still, a growing body of studies shows that people can create comprehensive mental maps of their surroundings by using sound echoes, thus developing a sort of “sonar vision.” Human echolocation is ...
