World’s Oldest Gorilla Turns 69 — What Lady Fatou Reveals About Animal Longevity

Meet Lady Fatou, the world’s oldest living gorilla at Berlin Zoo, known for her record-breaking longevity in captivity.

An Extinct Giant Echidna Roamed Ice Age Victoria, Filling a Huge Gap in its Australian Range

Learn more about a Megalibgwilia owenii fossil, found around 120 years ago, that today fleshes out the extinct echidna’s extent.

2,000-Year-Old Roman Murals Reveal a Surprisingly Advanced Painting Technique

Learn more about how 1st-century Roman painters in Hispania used a surprising technique to make their murals vibrant and long-lasting.

Massive Magma Reservoir Comparable in Volume to Yellowstone Discovered Beneath Tuscany

Learn how ground vibrations revealed a hidden magma reservoir beneath Tuscany, comparable in size to systems beneath Yellowstone and Lake Toba, and what it could mean for geothermal energy and critical minerals.

Peculiar-Looking Anglerfishes Developed Their Fishing-Rod Lure 72 Million Years Ago

Discover the evolutionary history of this strange fish and its even stranger appendage.

Starquakes Reveal Hidden Magnetic Fields in Red Giants, Tracing Stars' Earlier Lives

Learn how starquakes, subtle vibrations inside stars, revealed hidden magnetic fields in red giants and how this stellar archaeology links white dwarf magnetism to earlier stages of star evolution.

A Single DNA Letter Change Can Trigger Female Mice to Develop Testes

Learn how small mutations in non-coding DNA can alter sex development in rodents.

People Held Glacier Funerals in Iceland to Mourn Environmental Loss — a Ritual That Could Help Us Face Ecological Grief

As climate change reshapes the planet, new rituals help people process ecological grief. Learn more about glacier funerals. 

Ancient DNA Reveals Family Was Not Always About Blood and May Redefine Kinship

Learn how ancient DNA and archaeogenetics are reshaping what we know about family and revealing that kinship in early societies was often built through shared lives, not just shared genes.

Comet MAPS Breaks Apart Near the Sun, Becoming a Rare Headless Wonder

Learn how Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) disintegrated during its close solar pass, forming a “headless wonder,” and what this reveals about sungrazing comet breakups.

The First Asian Elephant Calf Is Born After a 25-Year Wait at the Smithsonian National Zoo

Learn how Linh Mai, the first Asian elephant calf born at the Smithsonian in 25 years, is strengthening genetic diversity in an endangered species.

Painkillers Change How Lobsters React to Shock, Raising Questions About Humane Killing for Food

Learn how lobsters treated with aspirin and lidocaine better withstand electric shocks, raising questions about more humane ways to kill them for consumption.

Artemis II Crew Returned to Earth Safely — What's Next for NASA's Moon Exploration Program?

Learn about the future of NASA's Artemis program after Artemis II, including plans to land on the Moon and begin building a lunar base in 2028. 

Medieval Japanese Diary Helped Scientists Trace a Historic Solar Storm

Learn how scientists are combining Medieval literature and modern scientific techniques to study space weather.

New Spider Species Appears to Mimic a Deadly Fungus to Fool Prey and Predators

First thought to be a fungus, this recently identified spider species takes camouflage to a whole new level. Learn more about Taczanowskia waska.

Quantum Computing Is Beginning to Take Shape — Here Are Three Recent Breakthroughs 

Quantum computing breaktrhroughs including new hardware, smarter algorithms, and clearer signs of “quantum advantage,” bring once-theoretical machines closer to real-world use

Modern Humans Made Seal Tooth Pendants Around 15,000 Years Ago, Hinting at Complex Culture

Learn more about a long-ago excavated artifact that holds clues into the art, travel, and trade of Homo sapiens in ancient Britain.

The “Hat Wars” of 17th-Century England — When Keeping Your Hat On Signaled Political Rebellion

Learn how hats became symbols of power and protest in early modern England’s “hat wars,” and why refusing to remove one could defy authority.

Artemis II Crew Gears Up for Return to Earth — Why Is Re-entry into Earth's Atmosphere so Risky?

Find out when Artemis II will return to Earth, and learn how the crew is getting ready to endure an intense splashdown.

Giant Otter Gives Birth to Triplets at Chester Zoo — A Rare Success for the Endangered Species

Learn how the birth of three giant otter pups at Chester Zoo could support conservation efforts for one of the world’s most endangered freshwater predators, with fewer than 5,000 left in the wild.