All Stories
- Animals
Ancient DNA reveals China’s first ‘pet’ cat wasn’t the house cat
The modern house cat reached China in the 8th century. Before that, another cat — the leopard cat — hunted the rodents in ancient Chinese settlements.
- Humans
Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction
An ancient, shared set of human-specific genes underwent changes in a geographically isolated population after around 300,000 years ago, scientists say.
- Earth
Human-caused earthquakes are real. Here’s why even stable regions can snap
Human activity can cause “healed” faults to release their stored strength, triggering unexpected quakes in tectonically stable regions.
- Physics
Twisted stacks of 2-D carbon act like a weird type of superconductor
“Magic-angle” graphene may provide new clues into poorly understood unconventional superconductors, which operate at higher-than-normal temperatures.
- Health & Medicine
Self-hypnosis with cooling mental imagery could ease hot flashes
Postmenopausal women who listened to self-guided hypnosis recordings daily for six weeks saw meaningful improvements in hot flash symptoms.
- Health & Medicine
Personalized ‘prehabilitation’ helps the body brace for major surgery
A small study finds that individualized prehab can dampen harmful immune responses and may reduce complications after an operation.
- Humans
A therapeutic HPV vaccine shrank cervical tumors in mice
An HPV vaccine delivered into the nose can treat cervical tumors in mice. The vaccine targets a cancer protein produced by the virus.
- Health & Medicine
Canada just lost its measles elimination status. Is the U.S. next?
Canada has had more than a year of continuous measles transmission. The United States has until January to limit cases before losing status.
- Climate
Here are 3 big ideas to combat climate change, with or without COP
As action from the U.N.’s huge COP30 international meeting falls short, smaller groups are banding together to find ways to fight climate change.
- Anthropology
A foot fossil suggests a second early human relative lived alongside Lucy
Foot bones and other fossils have been attributed to Australopithecus deyiremeda, a recently discovered species that may shake up the human family tree.
- Planetary Science
Listen to the crackle of Martian ‘mini-lightning’
A microphone on NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded the sounds of electrical discharges generated by dusty gusts.
- Science & Society
Gratitude can increase joy, even if it feels a little cringe
Like exercise, gratitude takes many forms. Finding the right practice, research shows, is up to the individual.
