Top News

June 24, 2026

Top Headlines

The Universe May Be Hiding Conscious Minds Stranger Than We Can Imagine

June 24, 2026 What if consciousness isn’t limited to brains like ours? Philosophers Eric Schwitzgebel and Jeremy Pober argue that consciousness could arise in many different forms of life, even in beings built from radically different materials than those found ...

Scientists Discover Ancient Brain Cells That Help Block Distractions

June 24, 2026 Scientists have discovered a tiny group of neurons in an ancient brain region that acts like a built-in focus filter, helping the brain ignore distractions and zero in on what matters most. When researchers temporarily switched off these neurons in ...

Scientists Discover Hidden “Footprints of Death” That May Help Viruses Spread

June 24, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new twist in what happens when cells die. As dying cells break apart, they leave behind tiny “footprints of death” packed with newly discovered particles ...

Why South Africa’s Leopards Shrank to Half Their Normal Size

June 24, 2026 A hidden population of South African leopards has revealed a remarkable evolutionary story. Researchers analyzing entire leopard genomes discovered that the Cape Floristic Region’s leopards are not only much smaller than most African leopards, but ...

Early Humans Were Bringing Fire Into Caves 1.8 Million Years Ago

June 24, 2026 A new study suggests early humans were using fire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave as far back as 1.79 million years ago. Researchers found burned bones deep inside the cave, where natural wildfires could not have reached, indicating that fire ...

Scientists Just Discovered How Queen Bees Are Really Made

June 24, 2026 For decades, scientists thought royal jelly was the secret ingredient that turned an ordinary honeybee larva into a queen. New research reveals the process is far more remarkable: young worker bees create special “royal cribs” made from ...

The Tea in Your Kombucha Changes More Than Just the Taste

June 23, 2026 Scientists discovered that kombucha’s flavor, chemistry, and antioxidant activity vary dramatically depending on the tea used to make it. Green and oolong tea kombuchas emerged as the most biologically active, while fermentation transformed each ...

A Rare Interstellar Visitor Triggered a SETI Search for Alien Technology

June 23, 2026 SETI scientists searched the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS for radio signals that could indicate extraterrestrial technology but found nothing beyond human-made interference. Even so, the rapid-response observations helped confirm the object's ...

Scientists Finally Solved How H5N1 Bird Flu Hid in Dairy Cows

June 23, 2026 Researchers uncovered why H5N1 bird flu attacks cows’ udders instead of their lungs: the virus’s preferred receptors are concentrated in mammary tissue. The breakthrough could help scientists predict future bird flu jumps and spot unusual ...

Hidden Bird Species Discovered in Japan After DNA Reveals a Stunning Secret

June 23, 2026 A bird long thought to be a single rare species in Japan has turned out to be two. Scientists discovered that the elusive Ijima’s Leaf Warbler and a newly identified Tokara Leaf Warbler look almost identical, but their DNA and songs reveal they ...

This Four-winged Dinosaur May Have Terrorized Earth's Earliest Birds

June 23, 2026 A newly discovered feathered dinosaur called Jian changmaensis may be the missing predator responsible for mysterious piles of crushed prehistoric bird bones in China. The four-winged glider, a close cousin of Velociraptor, helps reveal how early ...

A Tiny Diamond Defect Could Reveal a Mysterious New Kind of Magnetism

June 23, 2026 A newly proposed quantum sensing technique could make it much easier to identify one of physics’ newest and most intriguing classes of magnets: altermagnets. These unusual materials, discovered only a few years ago, appear to combine the speed and ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:06am EDT

New Brain Study Reveals Speech Learning Works Differently Than We Thought

June 23, 2026 A new study suggests that learning and remembering speech relies more on how the brain processes sounds and sensations than on the areas that control mouth and face movements. The discovery could ...

One of the World’s Most Popular Weedkillers May Be Fueling Deadly Superbugs

June 23, 2026 Researchers found that highly drug-resistant bacteria from hospitals are also resistant to glyphosate, a commonly used weedkiller. The discovery ...

Scientists Open a Million-Year-Old Time Capsule Hidden Beneath New Zealand

June 23, 2026 A cave in New Zealand has yielded fossils from a lost ecosystem that existed about 1 million years ago, including a possible flying ancestor of the kākāpō. The discovery reveals that volcanoes and ...

Meteorite Reveals a Lost Moon-Sized World from the Dawn of the Solar System

June 23, 2026 A rare meteorite has revealed evidence of a massive lost world that once orbited the young Sun before being destroyed in a catastrophic collision. The discovery suggests some early planets formed ...

NASA’s Cold Atom Lab Is Creating One of the Weirdest Forms of Matter in Space

June 23, 2026 NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is turning the International Space Station into a frontier for quantum research, creating ultra-cold matter that ...

Future Astronauts Could Walk Across Rocks from Deep Inside the Moon

June 22, 2026 A colossal ancient collision may have left some of the Moon’s deepest secrets surprisingly close to future Artemis landing sites. By recreating the impact that formed the giant South Pole-Aitken ...

Butterfly That Barely Ages Could Help Unlock Longevity Secrets

June 22, 2026 Scientists discovered that Heliconius butterflies have evolved an extraordinary lifespan, living several times longer than closely related species. Even more surprising, some show little sign of ...

T. Rex Took 40 Years to Reach Full Size, Scientists Find

June 22, 2026 Tyrannosaurus rex may have been a much slower grower than scientists realized. A new study of 17 tyrannosaur fossils found that the giant predator likely took about 40 years to reach its full size of ...

As Lakes Turn Brown, Trout and Bass Decline While Pike and Walleye Thrive

June 21, 2026 Freshwater lakes across North America and Europe are becoming noticeably browner, reducing underwater visibility and reshaping fish populations. Research found that several popular sport fish, ...

Think Human Anatomy Is Finished? Scientists Say Think Again

June 21, 2026 Despite centuries of study, scientists are still finding new details and even overlooked structures within the human body. As researchers explore anatomical differences between individuals, it’s ...

Ebola and Hantavirus Can Start Like the Flu but Turn Deadly Fast

June 22, 2026 Two dangerous viruses are back in the spotlight, reminding health officials how quickly infectious diseases can become serious threats. Hantavirus, often linked to rodents, can cause severe heart and ...

This Simple Twist Could Bring Quantum Computers Closer to Reality

June 20, 2026 Researchers found that twisting layered sheets of hexagonal boron nitride can dramatically change the light produced by quantum emitters embedded within the material. The technique offers an ...

The Secret Language Behind Animal Cooperation

June 20, 2026 Animals from different species often rely on surprisingly sophisticated communication to work together, whether finding food, cleaning parasites, or gaining protection. New research suggests these ...

New Superconducting X-Ray Detector Is Up to 1,000 Times More Sensitive

June 24, 2026 A groundbreaking superconducting X-ray spectrometer has begun operation at BESSY II, giving Europe its first TES-based system and boosting photon detection efficiency by up to 1,000 times. The ...

This Emerging Treatment Is Helping People Avoid Knee Replacement Surgery

June 22, 2026 A minimally invasive treatment called GAE is helping people with chronic knee pain get back to gardening, cycling, and other activities without undergoing knee replacement surgery. Early studies ...

Scientists Say Most People Need More Protein Than Current Guidelines Suggest

June 22, 2026 A new review suggests that doing more exercise and eating more protein than current minimum recommendations may help people stay stronger, sharper, and more independent as they age. The goal ...

Scientists Discover Neurons Must Break Their DNA to Build the Brain

June 21, 2026 As newborn neurons make their way through the developing brain, they must squeeze through incredibly tight spaces to reach their final destinations. Researchers discovered that this physical journey ...

Hidden Geological Process Offsets Carbon Emissions from Thawing Permafrost

June 20, 2026 Scientists found that thawing permafrost can trigger increased rock weathering, a natural process that absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. In some regions, this carbon uptake was strong enough to fully ...

Scientists Expected a Black Hole but Found a Neutrino Factory Powered by Stars

June 19, 2026 A distant galaxy nicknamed Shadow Blaster may have revealed a surprising source of cosmic neutrinos: extreme star formation instead of a supermassive black hole. The discovery suggests that hidden, ...

Researchers Found a Wordle Strategy That Wins 99% of the Time

June 19, 2026 Researchers developed a Wordle-solving strategy that succeeds 99% of the time by focusing on information gain rather than likely answers. The method uses Shannon entropy to identify guesses that ...

Scientists Reprogram Brain Immune Cells to Fight Alzheimer’s

June 19, 2026 A newly identified molecule called OLE helped restore the brain’s immune cells to a more protective state in Alzheimer’s models. The treatment reduced toxic plaque buildup and improved memory, ...

Ozempic Changed Obesity Treatment, but Experts Say the Real Revolution Is Next

June 20, 2026 The obesity treatment landscape is changing fast, with GLP-1 drugs opening the door to more effective care than ever before. Experts now envision a future where medications, minimally invasive ...

Arizona Reservoir Nearly Vanishes After Snowpack Collapse Triggers Massive Fish Kill

June 18, 2026 A historic lack of snow in the Gila River watershed has left Arizona’s San Carlos Reservoir less than 1% full, triggering a massive fish kill and an indefinite closure. Despite the bleak ...

Ancient DNA Reveals Plague Was Already Killing Humans 5,500 Years Ago

June 18, 2026 Plague was already a deadly killer 5,500 years ago, long before cities, farming, or the rat-infested conditions usually linked to historic outbreaks. By analyzing ancient DNA from hunter-gatherer ...

Ozempic and Wegovy Linked to Surprising Drop in Violent Behavior

June 17, 2026 A Rutgers study suggests GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may weaken the link between impulsive tendencies and violent behavior. The surprising finding hints that these medications could affect ...

A Daily Probiotic May Help Relieve Depression and Anxiety

June 17, 2026 A small clinical trial suggests that probiotics may offer a surprising mental health boost for older adults with depression. Seniors who took a daily probiotic alongside their regular antidepressant ...

SpaceX Wants to Build AI Data Centers in Space. Will It Work?

June 18, 2026 The race to build data centers in space is gaining momentum as AI drives unprecedented demand for computing power. Orbital facilities could tap into abundant solar energy and avoid many of the ...

A Surprising Discovery Reveals the Kidney Has a Secret Backup System

June 17, 2026 Scientists at Mayo Clinic have uncovered a surprising new way the kidneys conserve water, revealing a hidden backup system that works independently of the hormone long believed to control the ...

New Plasma Trick Could Unlock Smaller, More Powerful Computer Chips

June 17, 2026 A new technique could solve one of the biggest challenges in making future computer chips from ultrathin materials. Researchers found that coating molybdenum disulfide with oxygen or fluorine lets ...

New Procedure Delivers Lasting Knee Arthritis Pain Relief Without Surgery

June 17, 2026 A minimally invasive treatment that blocks inflammation-driving blood vessels in the knee provided significant pain relief and improved function for osteoarthritis patients, with benefits lasting at ...