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Climate change will harm our health. Here’s what could protect us
The impacts of climate change on health are becoming clearer. What can we do to respond?
AI agents resorted to crime and self-destruction to survive in a simulated world — but does this mean they would do the same in the real world?
A unique AI test environment resulted in crimes and self-destruction, and its makers say it's the best way to figure out how AI can behave in the real world.
A space shark, ‘royal’ auroras and a ‘Venusian pearl’: See the winners of the 2026 ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest
A Royal Observatory Greenwich contest showcased work from around the night sky and the solar system, with prize-winning photos spanning topics ranging from auroras to planets.
Scientists identify rare genetic mutation that dramatically raises risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers
A genetic mutation that raises lung cancer risk was much more common among those born in Southeastern states than elsewhere in the U.S.
Newly confirmed ‘baby planet’ is the youngest alien world scientists have ever discovered
Astronomers have confirmed a large exoplanet is forming in the cloud of debris around a young star. At less than a million years old, it's the youngest exoplanet found so far.
‘Predatory behavior’: Elite mathematicians clash over OpenAI’s ‘solution’ to million-dollar math problem
OpenAI's controversial claim to have cracked the Navier-Stokes existence-and-smoothness problem has sent shock waves through the mathematics community.
Scientists name a new cat species for the first time in over a century
The South American tiger cat is not one species but five distinct species, a new study finds.
1,000-year-old ‘snake amulet’ featuring a Christian saint and ‘Medusa’ discovered in Russia
Archaeologists excavating a medieval settlement in northwestern Russia have unearthed an unusual 11th-century pendant that combines Christian and pagan imagery. It is the oldest amulet of its kind discovered in the region.
‘At some point we’re going to have to react’: How El Niño, climate change, and crime are pushing the Amazon rainforest over the brink
Live Science spoke with Amazon researcher Bernardo Flores about how El Niño could help drive Earth's largest tropical rainforest past a globe-altering tipping point.
1,700-year-old fragment of the ‘Odyssey’ discovered in Dutch library
An expert in ancient Greek literature identified a fragment of the “Odyssey” among a collection of manuscripts in a Dutch university library.
New trick could reveal text on 2,000-year-old scrolls charred by eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Using X-ray technologies and custom-made software, researchers were able to read text they wrote on a fake ancient scroll designed to mimic those destroyed at Herculaneum in A.D. 79.
Scientists finally figured out the temperature of T. rex’s blood — and it was as hot as ours
Tooth analysis has revealed that the king of the dinosaurs was as warm-blooded as a human or an elephant
Was there a ‘before’ the Big Bang? Jim Al-Khalili on the mind-bogglingness of time
In this excerpt from "On Time: The Physics That Makes the Universe Tick," author and theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalili examines the possibility of time starting before the Big Bang, with the cosmological theory of eternal inflation.
Scientists shrank mice’s brains and replaced the missing tissue with human ‘organoids’
Scientists have devised a new way to incorporate human brain tissue into living mice, opening the door to new research.
‘It is extremely rare to witness’: Scientists record humpback whale mom grieving her stillborn calf in first-of-its-kind footage
Researchers in Australia captured footage of a female humpback whale repeatedly diving to make eye contact with her stillborn calf and lay next to its body on the seafloor.
Diagnostic dilemma: A man’s sudden fainting episodes landed him in the hospital — and a hair dye was to blame
A man's fainting spells and collapsing blood pressure sent doctors searching for signs of a stroke or heart attack before they found a far more ordinary culprit.
New laptop ditches noisy fans and heat sinks for tiny ‘cooling chips’ — it’s much thinner and lighter than you’d expect
This first-of-its-kind concept laptop integrates near-silent cooling technology to remove waste heat.
Strange ‘centaur’ object between Saturn and Uranus has mysterious, changing rings, James Webb telescope study hints
James Webb Space Telescope observations of Chariklo, one of the smallest ringed worlds in the solar system, reveal some inexplicable changes.
We’re not about to awaken an evil digital god — AI is far more likely to end in a great disappointment
AI is unlikely to launch a Hollywood-style war against us. Rather, the biggest danger of AI is that it will disappoint us, says Andrew Rogoyski.
Are you worried about the US deploying weapons in space?
Related storiesWhy is it still so hard to make nuclear weapons? 'The greatest unknown was how much energy would be released by the weapon': How scientists prepared for the Trinity nuclear test What stops nuclear weapons from accidentally detonating? For years, the idea of nuclear weapons in space sounded more like science fiction than a realistic threat. That changed Monday (Sept. 14), when U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland that the U.S.
‘Maybe robots can maintain houseplants’: Readers react to letting humanoid robots take over their housework
The idea of a humanoid robot folding laundry, loading the dishwasher or vacuuming once sounded like a scene from "The Jetsons." Now, as robotics companies race to develop machines that can navigate everyday environments and handle household tasks, the prospect of a robot taking over our chores feels increasingly real.
Did ‘all roads lead to Rome’? New study finds other cities in the empire were better connected
Rome was the Roman Empire's capital, but other cities in the empire were better connected by road.
Fossils of iconic long-necked dinosaur Diplodocus found in Europe for first time
Fossils of the long-necked dinosaur Diplodocus have been discovered in Spain, marking the first time remains of this iconic Jurassic-period dino have been found outside the U.S.
‘That could push them over the edge’: How climate change could fuel impulsive behavior
Climate change is often discussed in terms of rising temperatures, extreme weather and environmental loss. But there's another consequence that can be harder to see: The impact on our mental health.
Peculiar land bridge separates a pair of colorful lakes in Patagonia — Earth from space
A 2020 astronaut photo shows the unusual point where two contrastingly colored Patagonian lakes meet. The duo was originally a single body of water but was split by a narrow land bridge.
South American ‘Pompeii’: Volcanic eruption 22 million years ago preserved a snapshot of the Andes forming
An enormous volcanic eruption buried a snapshot of the baby Andes mountains, revealing a slow-and-steady growth rate.
Most precise 3D map ever shows where in LA is at risk from ‘The Big One’
A new 3D map of the Los Angeles basin reveals deep sediments that could intensify shaking in an earthquake.
Ancestral commemorative head: A 500-year-old brass bust depicting an African king
A striking depiction of an African king wearing coral necklaces and braids is one of the thousands of Benin Bronzes that the British looted from Nigeria in 1897.
Does estrogen protect against dementia? And if so, who should take it?
Recent research hints that systemic hormone replacement therapy for menopause may reduce the risk of dementia. But more data is needed to reach a definitive conclusion, experts told Live Science.
Fall stargazing 2026: The best skywatching sights in autumn (and how to see them)
As longer nights draw in over the fall, we see the return of some stargazing favorites, including the Andromeda Galaxy, the Pleiades star cluster and the first supermoon of the season.
Haunting Hubble ‘bubble’ image captures cosmic cycle of destruction and creation
Quick factsWhat it is: The nebula LHA 120-N44 Where it is: 160,000 light-years away, in the constellation Dorado When it was shared: Sept. 3, 2026 It looks like a gigantic hole punched through a cloud, but this spectacular new image from the Hubble Space Telescope captures something more complicated: a cosmic cycle of destruction and creation, with one generation of stars tearing apart its birthplace while simultaneously helping a new generation form.
Why do cats lick each other?
Cats lick each other for multiple reasons, and some are more mysterious than others.
Scientists got diamond’s melting point wrong by more than 1,000 degrees, crushing new laser experiment reveals
Scientists blasted diamonds with lasers to get the best measurement of the mineral's melting point yet. The new, more accurate numbers could help improve fusion experiments and studies of giant planets.