Life may be reshaping our bodies and brains faster than evolution can handle
For most of the past six million years, the human story played out in shifting woodlands, open plains…
AI uncovers Earth’s earliest life from 3.3 billion years ago
Deep in some of Earth’s oldest rocks, traces of ancient life still linger, even when every cell has…
Artificial light pollution emerges as a major climate threat
Artificial light is growing across the planet faster than almost any other human influence. Once limited to towns…
Resilient desert plant shows how agricultural crops could beat global warming
Life in places like California’s Death Valley pushes everything to its limit. Temperatures rise past 120 degrees Fahrenheit.…
Scientists just built a laser entirely out of peanuts and birch leaves
A regular medical examination can already feel daunting amid the uncertainty of what doctors will discover. Behind every…
Earth’s magnetic field flipped wildly 565 million years ago and life changed forever
Long before life thrived in Earth’s oceans, the planet’s magnetic field became disorganized. Deep within the ancient rocks…
Floating power: How scientists are turning raindrops into renewable energy
Often associated with refreshing a sense of being renewed and a peaceful calmness, raindrops may soon become tiny…
Rising CO2 levels threaten to disrupt global space communication
Far above your head, in the atmosphere between Earth and outer space, an invisible process is occurring. The…
Ancient Antarctic ice reveals six million years of Earth’s climate history
At the edge of East Antarctica, where the wind howls through a white emptiness and the air bites…
Oceans in the fire: How magma and hydrogen forge massive quantities of planetary water
In the beginning, when planets were newborn, they glowed like furnaces, vast oceans of molten rock wrapped in…
Earth’s first life may have been sparked by underwater thermal vents
Before sunlight ever reached the planet, another force may have sparked life—electricity. Deep beneath the ocean floor, ancient…
Madagascar’s tilted past: How two ancient rifts sculpted a living island
Madagascar’s cliffs, rolling plateaus, and winding rivers weren’t shaped by a single violent event. Instead, the island’s breathtaking…