News
- Health & Medicine
Your face’s hot spots may reveal how well you are aging
If facial heat maps prove effective at picking up signs of chronic diseases such as diabetes, they could become another health assessment tool.
- Animals
A risk-tolerant immune system may enable house sparrows’ wanderlust
Birds that are willing to eat seed spiked with chicken poop have higher expression levels of a gut immunity gene, a new study finds.
- Earth
Why Japan issued its first-ever mega-earthquake alert
After a magnitude 7.1 temblor jolted southern Japan, the chances of a subsequent, larger quake occurring in the next week had slightly increased, experts said.
- Earth
Squall line tornadoes are sneaky, dangerous and difficult to forecast
New research is revealing the secrets of these destructive twisters, which dodge radar scans and often form at night.
- Climate
Zigzag walls could help buildings beat the heat
A corrugated exterior wall reflects heat to space and absorbs less heat from the ground, keeping it several degrees cooler than a flat wall.
- Astronomy
Some meteors leave trails lasting up to an hour. Now we may know why
A new survey of meteors that leave persistent trails found that speed and brightness don’t matter as much as atmospheric chemistry.
- Earth
Earthquakes added to Pompeii’s death toll
Broken bodies found at the archaeological site indicate that earthquakes played a role in the legendary tragedy.
- Climate
Record-breaking Coral Sea temperatures threaten the Great Barrier Reef
Near-annual extreme heat in the Coral Sea, including in 2024, is causing back-to-back mass bleaching events in the iconic Great Barrier Reef.
- Animals
Hundreds of snake species get a new origin story
Elapoid snakes, including cobras, mambas and sea snakes, may have evolved in Asia, not Africa as many researchers once thought.
- Animals
Why a small seabird dares to fly toward cyclones
Tracking data show that Desertas petrels often veer toward cyclones and follow in their wake, perhaps to catch prey drawn to the surface.
- Archaeology
Was Egypt’s first pyramid built with hydraulics? The theory may hold water
A controversial analysis contends that ancient engineers designed a water-powered elevator to hoist stones for King Djoser’s pyramid.
- Animals
Pheromone fingers may help poison frogs mate
Specialized glands in the fingertips of some males may produce seductive chemical signals.
