News

Animals

These seals haven’t lost their land ancestors’ hunting ways

Clawed pawlike forelimbs help true seals hunt like their land-dwelling ancestors.

Archaeology

This ancient Maya city may have helped the Snake King dynasty spread

A rural hub in an ancient Maya state gets its due with some laser help.

Science & Society

Here’s why putting a missile defense system in space could be a bad idea

Expanding missile defense capabilities could put the world on a slippery slope to space warfare.

Archaeology

Dogs lived and died with humans 10,000 years ago in the Americas

Dogs unearthed at sites in Illinois were older than originally thought.

Space

Lasers squeezed iron to mimic the conditions of exoplanet cores

In the first experiment to measure what exoplanets might be like on the inside, scientists hit iron with 176 lasers at once.

Tech

The Facebook data debacle may not change internet behavior

In the wake of the Facebook data breach, personal privacy experts say there’s little individuals can do to control their personal information online.

Climate

Cargo ships must cut their emissions in half by 2050

A new international agreement places a cap on greenhouse gas emissions from international cargo ships.

Archaeology

Tales of rampant suicide among Custer’s soldiers may be overblown

Few of Custer’s men killed themselves in the face of overwhelming Native American numbers at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, skeletal data suggest.

Health & Medicine

This is how norovirus invades the body

Norovirus targets a rare type of gut cell, a study in mice finds.

Genetics

Sweet potatoes might have arrived in Polynesia long before humans

Genetic analysis suggests that sweet potatoes were present in Polynesia over 100,000 years ago, and didn’t need help crossing the Pacific.

Astronomy

With the launch of TESS, NASA will boost its search for exoplanets

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite will set the stage for the next chapter of exoplanet exploration.

Paleontology

Colorful moth wings date back to the dinosaur era

Microscopic structures that scatter light to give color to the wings of modern butterflies and moths date back almost 200 million years.