Neanderthals in Prehistoric Germany Hunted Pond Turtles, Likely Turning Their Shells Into Convenient Tools 

Learn how Neanderthals in central Europe hunted pond turtles and likely reused their shells as containers or scooping tools.

Emperor Penguins Added to IUCN Red List — Their Population Could Drop 50 Percent by 2080

Learn how the IUCN added emperor penguins to the Red List as climate change drives sea ice loss and could cut their population in half by 2080.

A Rare Split of the World’s Largest Known Chimpanzee Group Turned Former Allies Into Enemies

Learn how the world’s largest known chimpanzee group split in Kibale National Park, Uganda, and why the divide led to deadly violence between former allies in a rare chimpanzee “civil war.”

First Fossilized Egg From a Mammal Ancestor Confirmed After 250 Million Years

Learn how X-ray imaging revealed the first fossilized egg from a mammal ancestor, showing how Lystrosaurus reproduced 250 million years ago.

Low-Oxygen Levels Boost Wound Healing and Reveal Hidden Regeneration Potential in Mammals

Learn how testing different environmental conditions may unlock mammals’ potential to regrow limbs and what it means for wound healing now.

Dark Matter May Exist in Two States, Explaining Missing Signals in Dwarf Galaxies

Learn how a two-state model of dark matter could explain why gamma-ray signals appear in some galaxies but not others.

A New Glass Frog Species From Ecuador Is Less Transparent—and Honors an Olympic Gold Medalist

Meet Nymphargus dajomesae, a member of the glass frog family and a resident of one of the last amphibian paradises on Earth.

Two Bald Eagle Chicks Hatch in California, Live on Camera — but a Nearby Development Could Drive Them Away

Learn about the viral hatching of two bald eagle chicks in Big Bear — and how a nearby development could threaten Jackie and Shadow’s nesting and feeding habitat.

Rock‑Climbing Fish Scale a 50‑Foot Waterfall Using Tiny Hooks in Their Fins

Learn how fish in the Democratic Republic of the Congo scale a near-vertical waterfall using microscopic hooks.

A Second Jet in Galaxy Mrk 501 Points to a Close Pair of Supermassive Black Holes — Possibly Nearing a Merger

Learn how shifting jets in galaxy Mrk 501 exposed a pair of orbiting supermassive black holes nearing collision.

289‑Million‑Year‑Old Reptilian Mummy Sheds Light on How Amniotes Learned to Breathe

Learn more about a mummy found in an Oklahoma cave that reveals clues about how early amniotes breathed.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory Recently Spotted Around 11,000 Asteroids — and This Is Just Beginning

Learn about the largest batch of asteroid discoveries from the last year, which scientists say “is just the tip of the iceberg” for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

Artemis II Crew Breaks Record for Farthest Human Spaceflight While Gazing Upon the Moon's Far Side

Learn about the new record set by the Artemis II crew, reaching the farthest distance from Earth that any human has ever gone. 

Caffeine, Cocaine, and Painkillers Found in Sharks in the Bahamas — A Sign of Human Pollution Reaching Marine Predators

Learn how cocaine, caffeine, and common painkillers are entering Bahamian waters, how they ended up in shark blood, and what early signs of biological effects could mean for marine ecosystems.

Water May Have Been Collecting in the Moon’s South Pole for Over a Billion Years

Learn more about where researchers believe water is on the moon and their theories on how it got there. 

World’s Oldest Octopus Fossil From Guinness World Records Was Misidentified — Here's What It Really Is

Learn how a 300-million-year-old fossil once thought to be the oldest octopus was reidentified after hidden teeth were uncovered, shifting the timeline of octopus evolution.

This Glowing Fish Steals Bioluminescence Instead of Making Its Own Light

Learn more about the golden sweeper, a type of fish that steals bioluminescent proteins from its prey to glow, a rare case of kleptoproteinism.

Artemis II Catches Glimpse of the Moon's Grand Canyon, a Basin That Looks Like a Giant Bullseye

Learn about the Orientale basin, a ringed impact structure on the moon that was recently seen by the Artemis II crew. 

Most Pristine Star May Have Been Spotted 80,000 Light-Years From Earth

Learn more about SDSS J0715‑7334, one of the most chemically pristine stars ever found.

A Mutant Clownfish Broke the Rules of Stripes and Offers Clues to How Animal Patterns Form

Learn how a small genetic change affects cell communication and reshapes the stripes seen in clownfish.