A Young Person’s 200,000-Year-Old Skull Fragment Suggests Diverse Human Populations in Ancient Spain

Learn how a skull fragment from inland Spain is adding to evidence that human evolution in Europe followed no single path.

This Freakish Fungus That Turns Ants into Zombies May Be Hiding Inside Amazon Mosses

Learn how the fungus that turns ants into zombies also overruns mosses, revealing the bizarre way that it manipulates the insects it infects.

Ghost DNA in Living Humans Reveals Two Unknown Ancient Human Lineages

Learn how researchers uncovered two ancient human lineages without sequenced ancient DNA from either population.

Ketamine Can Be a Go-To Anesthetic in Emergencies, but It May Affect Male and Female Brains Differently 

Learn how female brains undergo unique changes while recovering from ketamine, a discovery that could help improve future psychiatric treatments.

Human Ebola Vaccine Trials Begin, a Newly Discovered Dinosaur from Zimbabwe, and Wildfires in Europe Are Producing "Fire Clouds"

Discover the top stories from July 25 to July 31, 2026, including the latest update on the Ebola outbreak and a new dinosaur discovery from Zimbabwe. 

Ancient Smallpox DNA Hidden in Two Chilean Mummies Traces the Disease’s Colonial Arrival

Learn how centuries-old DNA linked an extinct virus to European colonization and its spread through an Indigenous community in northern Chile.

30-Million-Year-Old Fossil Reveals a Short, Stocky Ancient Dog Built for Ambush Hunting

Learn about a 30-million-year-old dog that climbed and ambushed prey, but lacked the ability to run for long distances like many modern dogs.

For Long-Term Sleep Improvement in Adults and Children, Melatonin May Not Be the Answer

Learn more about some of the long-term effects of taking melatonin as an adult or a child. 

Woolly Mammoth Bones Emerge From Bulgaria's Danube Riverbank During Drought

Learn how specialists are recovering fragile woolly mammoth bones and investigating whether the Danube carried them to Ryahovo.

Common Antihistamines May Not Provide Actual Relief for People With Eczema

People often take antihistamines for eczema, but a large-scale meta-analysis now debunks their effectiveness and advises readers on treatments to use instead.

A Mouthful of Burning Chili May Temporarily Reduce Stronger Pain Elsewhere

Learn how capsaicin changed response to laser pain and why one painful sensation may briefly dampen another.

How 31 Billion Chickens Are Driving the Evolution of a Major Foodborne Pathogen

Learn how industrial poultry farming drove a 100-fold increase in Campylobacter transfers and helped strains acquire traits linked to drug resistance.

Cancer Thrives by Evading Cell Death — Cattle Cells Could Help Researchers Fight Back

Learn more about apoptosis' role in cancer and how finding the best animal model to test cancer drugs may lead us to cows.

A Cave So Dangerous to Reach, It Preserved 179 Ritual Objects for More Than 1,100 Years

Learn how a cave’s difficult descent and flooded passage preserved evidence of Zoque rain and fertility rituals in Chiapas, Mexico, for over 1,100 years.

This 245 Million-Year-Old Marine Reptile Still Has Most of Its Digestive Tract — One of the Oldest Ever Found

Learn more about Austronaga minuta and how its nearly complete fossil still has its intact digestive tract. 

5 Recent Dementia Research Advances — From Blood Tests and Lithium to Lifestyle Changes

Learn more about these 5 recent dementia breakthroughs that highlight possible interventions, diagnosis methods, and treatments. 

Newly Discovered Dinosaur From Zimbabwe Could Change What We Know About Ancient Southern African Ecosystems

Learn how Musango, a new Late Triassic dinosaur from Zimbabwe, survived a possible injury or infection and challenges ideas about southern African ecosystems.

River Otters Are Drowning Brown Pelicans at Point Reyes — and the Birds May Finally Be Catching On

Learn how river otters at Point Reyes turned brown pelicans into recurring prey and why the birds may finally be responding.

Bones Buried in Italian Necropolis Offer Clues on Ancient Diets and Society Before the Romans

Learn what buried bones reveal about the diet of ancient cultures in Italy, shedding light on mobility, gender inequality, and social status. 

Wildfires in Europe Can Create "Fire Clouds" That May Trigger Lightning, Fierce Winds, and Even More Flames

Learn more about pyrocumulonimbus, or “fire clouds,” which occur when rising wildfire smoke transforms into dangerous thunderstorms.