Animals
Why Has a Group of Orcas Suddenly Started Attacking Boats?
Killer whales in a group near Spain and Portugal may be teaching one another to mess with small boats. They sank their third vessel earlier this month
Stories by Stephanie Pappas
Anthropology
The First Kiss in Recorded History Dates Back Nearly 5,000 Years
Kissing probably predates Homo sapiens as a species, but the first texts documenting the beso go back to the early Bronze Age
Astronomy
What Created This Mini Book-Shaped Rock on Mars?
A book-shaped rock spotted by the Curiosity rover on Mars is the result of an interplay of wind, water—and the human brain
Conservation
This Might Be the World’s Oldest Tree. And It Could Die of Thirst
Lañilawal, a Patagonian cypress that may be one of the oldest trees on Earth, needs greater protection if scientists are to understand its secrets of survival, an environmental scientist says...
Consciousness
Surges of Activity in the Dying Human Brain Could Hint at Fleeting Conscious Experiences
An increase in activity in dying brains might be associated with last-minute conscious experiences, but scientists don’t know for sure
Particle Physics
Physicists See ‘Strange Matter’ Form inside Atomic Nuclei
New research attempts to discern how bizarre particles of strange matter form in the nuclei of atoms
History
Who Invented the Measurement of Time?
The first timekeeping devices were probably natural materials lost to the ages, but the ancient Egyptians were the first to leave records of their timekeeping methods
Animals
Why Are Killer Whales Ripping Livers Out of Their Shark Prey?
Killer whales rip open the bellies of sharks to snag the liver. Other predators also have dietary preferences for organs, brains and additional rich body parts
Behavior
Conspiracy Theories Can Be Undermined with These Strategies, New Analysis Shows
A new review finds that only some methods to counteract conspiracy beliefs are effective. Here’s what works and what doesn’t
Climate Change
Will Humans Ever Go Extinct?
It’s probably a matter of when and how, not if, we humans will meet our doom
Public Health
5 Things We’ve Learned from COVID in Three Years
The World Health Organization declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic three years ago. Here’s what’s changed since then
Animals
Is the Alpha Wolf Idea a Myth?
The idea that wolf packs are led by a merciless dictator, or alpha wolf, comes from old studies of captive wolves. In the wild, wolf packs are simply families
Geology
Earth’s Inner Core May Have an Inner Core
Echoes from earthquakes suggest that Earth’s solid inner core has its own core
Plants
Do Trees Really Support Each Other through a Network of Fungi?
Trees communicate and cooperate through a fungal web, according to a widespread idea. But not everyone is convinced
History
Scientists Decipher 57 Letters That Mary, Queen of Scots Wrote before Her Beheading
In newly deciphered letters written from captivity in the late 1500s, deposed queen of Scotland Mary Stuart complained about her health and tried to negotiate her release
Cognition
What Causes Déjà Vu?
Does this all feel a little familiar? Called déjà vu, that sensation may be your brain correcting its own errors
Geology
Why Earth’s Inner Core May Be Slowing Down
The planet’s solid inner core might rotate at a different rate than the rest of the planet, and that rate might be changing
Astronomy
Star Cores Spin Surprisingly Slowly—Scientists Now Think They Know Why
Scientists find that magnetic fields and turbulence amplify each other inside stars’ hidden layers, slowing down the stellar cores’ spin
Particle Physics
Scientists See Quantum Interference between Different Kinds of Particles for First Time
A newly discovered interaction related to quantum entanglement between dissimilar particles opens a new window into the nuclei of atoms
Genetics
World’s Oldest DNA Discovered, Revealing Ancient Arctic Forest Full of Mastodons
Two-million-year-old DNA, the world's oldest, reveals that mastodons once roamed forests in Greenland’s far northern reaches
