The most complete view yet of the human genome has arrived, and it tackles the messy parts scientists used to skip. The new work assembles nearly all of the repeat-rich, shape-shifting DNA that helps ...

For centuries, humanity relied on coastal landmarks and tide gauges to understand sea levels. But satellites changed everything. Since the early 1990s, orbiting instruments have provided precise, ...

Volcanoes can bring catastrophic consequences, and reliable warnings can make the difference between a close call and a tragedy. A new study on Japan’s Ontake Volcano identifies a signal, in the form ...

A new analysis argues that the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*, spins at maximum velocity with its axis aimed almost directly at Earth. The result emerges from a machine learning read ...

A small benchtop reactor just nudged deuterium fusion along by roughly 15 percent, according to a recent study. The setup uses a beam of charged deuterium and a metal target, then adds an ...

Cities do not sleep. Streetlights glow, billboards shimmer, and skies rarely turn fully dark. For humans, this makes late-night activity easier. For wildlife, especially birds, this shift in natural ...

Some of the first human settlers in the Americas carried more than primitive skills and tools, they also brought a small but powerful genetic variant called MUC19. That gene fragment, inherited from ...

Have you ever tried tossing a handful of balls in the air and keeping track of each one at once? No matter how hard you focus, at least one will slip from your mind. Researchers say this challenge ...

A series of hide-and-seek tests show that bonobos rely on memory to keep track of several familiar people at once, even when they’re out of sight. The results reveal mental map-making skills once ...

“Solitons” are waves that refuse to spread out or slow down, a stubborn breed that keeps its shape as it travels. In 1834, a Scottish engineer named John Scott Russell chased one along the Union Canal ...

New analysis of ancient household burners from Qurayyah in northwest Saudi Arabia points to smoke from Peganum harmala seeds being inhaled in daily life nearly 2,700 years ago. The work opens a window ...

Extreme heat is creeping into more of our lives every year. Summers are hotter, heat waves last longer, and nights don’t cool the way they once did. Yet many older adults don’t see heat as a threat, ...