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Researchers find convenience, drinking water access and advertising drive global bottled water consumption
Science News

Researchers find convenience, drinking water access and advertising drive global bottled water consumption

Over 1 million plastic water bottles are bought globally every minute. That translates into more than 1.3 billion every day and more than 500 billion every year. That's a lot of plastic, and much of it winds up in human bodies and landfills. The long-term health implications are still unknown, but preliminary research shows risks to human health, with nano- and microplastics accumulating in our livers, kidneys and intestines.

📅 2026-09-23 11:00:05    •    Phys.org
Zika virus assembles without protein segment long deemed essential
Science News

Zika virus assembles without protein segment long deemed essential

For years, scientists were certain that two factors were involved in the assembly of active, highly infectious Zika viruses in human cells: a specific viral protein in its entirety and a turncoat human enzyme that assured viral maturity. New research suggests that Zika virus has been far less reliant on those components than previously thought.

📅 2026-09-23 11:00:02    •    Phys.org
Curiosity's top 10 photos of Mars after 5,000 days of exploration
Science News

Curiosity's top 10 photos of Mars after 5,000 days of exploration

As of Aug. 30, 2026, NASA's Curiosity rover has officially seen the sun rise and set over Mars' reddish horizon more than 5,000 times in its quest to discover if life ever existed there. The rover was originally planned to operate for only two years, but the mission is still going strong more than 14 years after landing on Mars in August 2012. During that time, the rover has weathered global dust storms and climbed more than 3,200 feet (1,000 meters) up a mountain — although its tires have gotten some rather large holes in them in the process. The rover still uses its 17 cameras to take hundreds of photos every single sol (Martian day), beaming a total of more than 780,000 photos back to Ear...

📅 2026-09-23 11:00:00    •    Live Science
Why Viking museums still can’t escape the warrior myth
Science News

Why Viking museums still can’t escape the warrior myth

Scandinavian museums are trying to move beyond the familiar image of Vikings as sword-wielding male warriors, highlighting women, farmers, traders, and a far more complicated society. But the enduring popularity of the Viking myth means exhibitions often balance historical accuracy with stories that reflect modern ideas about national identity and culture.

📅 2026-09-23 10:58:43    •    ScienceDaily
Stonehenge’s 6-ton altar stone may have traveled from Scotland by glacier
Science News

Stonehenge’s 6-ton altar stone may have traveled from Scotland by glacier

Stonehenge’s six-ton Altar Stone may have been carried from Scotland to Dogger Bank by glaciers before prehistoric people transported it hundreds of kilometers to Salisbury Plain. The possible multistage journey suggests remarkable organization and raises the possibility that the stone was valued long before it became part of Stonehenge.

📅 2026-09-23 10:26:41    •    ScienceDaily
Pigeons' proposed inner-ear compass runs into a noise problem
Science News

Pigeons' proposed inner-ear compass runs into a noise problem

A pigeon turning its head might seem an unlikely electricity generator. Yet one proposed explanation for the bird's magnetic sense depends on exactly that: Turning through Earth's magnetic field would produce tiny electrical signals inside its ears. However, a theoretical study suggests that this miniature generator cannot supply directional information fast enough to work as a compass. The problem is electrical noise produced within the proposed sensor itself.

📅 2026-09-23 10:00:01    •    Phys.org
Weird spikes poking through a teen's eyelid turned out to be a wayward tooth
Science News

Weird spikes poking through a teen's eyelid turned out to be a wayward tooth

The patient: A 16-year-old boy in IndiaThe symptoms: The teen developed swelling on his left upper eyelid that persisted for a few months but was painless. However, he later noticed two sharp, white projections poking out from the skin above his eye. About a month after these projections appeared, he went to a hospital. What happened next: Doctors examined the teen's eyelid, noting that the spikes had a "fairly smooth surface and were hard on palpation," said Dr. Meghana Tanwar, a medical consultant at the Aravind Eye Hospital in India who co-authored a report of the case. The texture and color of the projections suggested they might be teeth, she told Live Science in an email.Initially, the...

📅 2026-09-23 10:00:00    •    Live Science