Stay informed about scientific discoveries, research developments and new findings from around the world.
Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to become a hurricane by Thursday, meteorologists say
As the "super" El Niño is predicted to bring heavier storms and flooding to the U.S., experts recommend stocking up on food and other supplies. Floods and other disasters, like wildfires, are on the rise due to climate change, making disaster preparedness essential. But how prepared are people for a disaster? Preparedness levels vary; some people keep an emergency kit full of food and first-aid supplies, while others have a planned meeting place designated as a safe space. Having a plan can help people feel better about unpredictable events. But not everyone has thought this far ahead. Live Science recently asked readers how prepared they are for a natural disaster and what sort of plans or ...
Astronomers have spotted a never-before-seen type of "phoenix planet" rising from the ashes of a dying alien sun. The discovery, which the scientists say was "completely unexpected," raises hopes that more of these reborn alien worlds could be lurking throughout the cosmos — and may offer a glimpse of our own solar system's fate. The unnamed exoplanet was spotted circling the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, which is located roughly 270 light-years from Earth. White dwarfs are stellar remnants, sometimes dubbed "zombie stars," that form from the leftovers of massive red giants that run out of fuel before eventually collapsing into shriveled husks. HS 0209+0832 is a particularly young white dwarf, s...
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be flipped off by an orangutan or seduced by a mantis? Well, wonder no more, thanks to the 2026 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. This photography competition showcases the amusing side of nature, usually by anthropomorphizing it in some way, and features a variety of comical critters from across the globe. This year, a surprised owl and a brown bear striking a pose are featured among the more than 10,000 entries, with photographers competing for a luxury safari in Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve. Live Science rounded up some of the funniest photos from the 2026 finalists for your enjoyment. And yes, the orangutan and mantis have made it to the final...
Fresh boulder tracks on Mars could reveal how a quake shook the planet and help scientists detect future tremors from orbit.
A new study explores what goes on in the brain when mice get high on marijuana
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is giving astronomers a glimpse of the kinds of violent collisions that may have shaped our own solar system, including the giant impact thought to have created the Moon. By studying 21 rare “extreme debris disks” around young stars, researchers found that their dust can reveal the scale and intensity of planetary collisions.
Eating more sugar while taking antibiotics was linked to greater disruption of the gut microbiome and increased growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Researchers say temporarily cutting back on sweets during and after antibiotic treatment could be a simple way to reduce this damage, though clinical trials are still needed.
A decades-old claim linking caregiving stress to risk of death has stuck around, hampering research into its benefits. But caregivers still need support.
Giving zoo lions whole carcasses on a feast-and-fast schedule appears to bring out more natural behavior. The lions spent nearly three times longer feeding, engaged in more tearing and manipulating of food, and rested more heavily after meals. Their activity then increased gradually during the fasting period, closely resembling the rhythm seen in wild lions.
Physicists have found striking evidence for an unusual form of superconducting behavior in uranium ditelluride, where electron pairs organize into rippling patterns called pair density waves. Even more surprisingly, these patterns appear to survive after ordinary superconductivity disappears, suggesting that the electron pairs responsible for superconductivity may begin forming before the material actually becomes superconducting.
Blocking a receptor called P2X7 significantly reduced inflammation in human brain tissue, revealing a potential new treatment strategy for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The discovery could help researchers repurpose existing drugs for conditions including traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, and schizophrenia.
The James Webb Space Telescope has found strong evidence that the rocky lava world HD 3167 b has an atmosphere, despite circling its star every 24 hours under extreme heat. The surprising discovery could help scientists understand how rocky planets retain atmospheres and what the young, molten Earth may once have looked like.
Earth’s center of mass is constantly on the move, shifting by a few millimeters as enormous amounts of water, ice, and even air migrate around the planet with the seasons. NASA scientists have developed a more precise way to track these tiny swings using laser-ranging satellites, GPS data, and measurements of how water and ice deform Earth’s crust.
The Draconids, one of the year's most unpredictable meteor showers, will peak this week. Although only a few "shooting stars" are expected, the shower has a history of producing spectacular meteor storms with little warning.The Draconid meteor shower takes place Oct. 6-10 each year, peaking on Oct. 8-9, when around 10 "shooting stars" per hour are expected. Whereas most meteor showers are best seen after midnight or during the dark hours before dawn, the best time to view the Draconids is in the evening, according to Timeanddate.com, making it one of the more convenient meteor showers of the year. Just after dark Thursday (Oct. 8) will be the best time to look.The Draconids are different fro...
Anthropic and OpenAI accused Chinese AI developers of mining their models’ answers to train cheaper copycats. Here’s how distillation works and why it’s so hard to stop
Emerging treatments aim to reverse or stall signs of aging in the body and thus cut the risk of age-related diseases. One of those signs is an accumulation of "zombie cells" — damaged cells that spew harmful substances rather than dying off and getting cleared away by the immune system. Some scientists are designing treatments aimed at killing those zombies directly. But what if we instead helped the body's cleanup crew get rid of them?"I think rejuvenating the immune system could rectify a lot of problems," said Roel de Maeyer, an immunologist at the University of Oxford. "We know hospitals are full of older people suffering from infections that younger people don't need to go to [the] hosp...
The patient: A 65-year-old woman in MichiganThe symptoms: The woman arrived at the emergency room via ambulance and asked to see a psychiatrist for her visual hallucinations. "I'm seeing dead people," she told clinicians, adding that she'd even fired a gun at her hallucinations in one instance, according to a report of her case. (The report does not describe what the hallucinations looked like.)Despite this reaction to her hallucinations, she was calm and alert during her physical exam, with normal vital signs other than high blood pressure. She reported a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure and chronic back pain but no prior psychiatric history.What happened next: Since ...
Behind the headlines about AI agents lies a deeper debate over accountability, safety and control.
Scientists at UC San Francisco have developed a way to create cancer-fighting CAR-T cells directly inside the body, potentially avoiding the slow and extremely expensive process of removing, engineering, and reinfusing a patient’s immune cells. Using a two-particle delivery system, the researchers sent CRISPR gene-editing tools and new cancer-targeting DNA specifically into T cells, where the DNA was inserted at a precise location in the genome.
The prize recognizes Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai’s discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis
Ozone pollution caused by Amazon wildfires is significantly reducing the rainforest's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, new research reveals. Ground-level ozone is formed when pollutants from sources such as wildfires react in the presence of sunlight. This harms human health and interferes with plants' ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
The animal kingdom has influenced several robot designs over the years to solve fundamental challenges in propulsion and movement — from horses to insects. Now, frogs are the latest creatures to inspire roboticists. As seen in a new study published Sept. 18 in the journal Science Advances, researchers probed how twisting bent elastic rods could produce a "snapping motion" that enabled a small robot to hop or swim. This mechanism could be used to improve robots with limited power and ones that need to traverse rough terrain and even water, the scientists said in the study. They also built a prototype to demonstrate the work. The palm-sized robot weighs just 3.4 ounces, or about as much as a d...
Some flowers have petals with small semitranslucent sections. Research in New Phytologist reveals that these "windows" alter the amount of light and heat entering the flower and create conditions that influence microbial abundance.