FDA clears Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Saturday (Feb. 27), making it the third shot cleared for use in the country.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37UUYPe

Is an electric car better for the planet?

It's almost impossible to argue that gasoline-powered cars are better for the environment.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dUt9dq

Alligators in Oklahoma turn into 'popsicles' sticking out of the frozen water

Alligators often 'snorkel' during cold snaps, so they don't become trapped underwater without access to air.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2MtnS1c

Why does Christianity have so many denominations?

Schisms within the church have led to more and more denominations over the millennia.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2MuXbcx

Giant crack frees a massive iceberg in Antarctica

This dramatic breakup comes after a major crack formed on the shelf in November 2020 and continued to grow.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3swmGtr

Medium-size dinos are missing from the fossil record. Here's why.

Here's why there aren't more medium-size carnivorous dinosaurs.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZSmfxp

Perseverance is a tiny pale speck on Mars in this orbiter's eerie photo

A camera on the ExoMars orbiter recently captured a photo showing a very, very tiny Perseverance on Mars.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dOlKMX

Pirate attacks linked to destructive fishing

A new study reveals pirate attacks are more common in waters experiencing destructive and illegal fishing, suggesting the two may be linked.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37Ooo1u

Quick guide: COVID-19 vaccines in use and how they work

Here's a guide to the vaccines being used in different countries.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2XxcO5e

Hidden scenes in ancient Etruscan paintings revealed

Scientists using a new technique have uncovered the colorful and once-hidden scenes in paintings of the ancient Etruscans.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3ksykTl

How to see the full 'Snow Moon' and other celestial events this weekend

Here's why February's full moon is sometimes called the "Snow Moon" and how to watch it and other celestial events this weekend.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qS1rBT

Overgrown sheep 'Baarack' gets epic quarantine haircut, loses 78 lbs. of matted wool

A sheep found wandering wild in Victoria, Australia carried a massive coat of fleece weighing as much as a 10-year-old child.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3svC09y

Mysterious stripes spotted over Russia in satellite images — and NASA is perplexed

Scientists can't agree on why these hills in the Russian Arctic ripple with stripes.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37OpSZB

New coronavirus variant in NYC has vaccine-evading mutation

It has a mutation that may help the coronavirus partially evade COVID-19 vaccines.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3uvzSAx

Perseverance rover snaps gorgeous HD panorama of Mars landing site

Perseverance has captured a high-definition, 360-degree panorama of its surroundings on the floor of Mars' Jezero Crater, which harbored a lake and a river delta billions of years ago.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3kwwgd6

Why COVID-19 spreads more easily than SARS

The study researchers focused on the spike protein, the structure that allows coronaviruses to bind to and enter human cells.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aTBs7J

Snakes insert their heads into living frogs' bodies to swallow their organs (because nature is horrifying)

In two new studies, researchers identified more snakes that disembowel frogs to eat their organs, a gruesome habit that was only recently discovered.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3sxYO8V

1st time-lapse of rare moonflower blooming is stunning

The blooming process of a moonflower cactus has been captured on video for the first time and was watched by over 400,000 people online.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3uwIirq

Greek ship carrying parts of the Parthenon is giving up more secrets

The latest expedition by divers to the wreck of the Mentor, which sank just off the island of Kythera (also spelled Kithira and Kythira) in 1802, has recovered several pieces of the ship's rigging, coins, the leather sole of a shoe, a metal buckle, a token for playing cards, two chess pieces, fragments of cooking utensils and other seemingly mundane objects.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3snIZ4v

Ghost particle travels 750 million light-years, ends up buried under the Antarctic ice

Astronomers spot two highly delayed signals from two different black holes tearing apart stars in their vicinity.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3knTxh7

70,000 never-before-seen viruses found in the human gut

Hundreds of thousands of viruses can lurk in our guts — but how they impact our bodies is a mystery.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37MFcpw

Ancient Egypt's Mona Lisa? An elaborately drawn extinct goose, of course

Nearly five millennia ago, an artist inked an incredibly detailed painting of geese in the tomb of an Egyptian vizier and his wife.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dNcCYP

Why rescuers are feeding turtles mayonnaise after a disastrous oil spill

The condiment helps break down the tar in the turtles' digestive tracts.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bFUptL

Flu shot facts & side effects

The seasonal flu shot is a yearly vaccine administered to protect against the flu, or influenza. In the United States, flu shots are recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2vZZ0Ee

Puppy born with 6 legs, 2 tails called a 'miracle'

Despite her rare conditions, Skipper appears healthy and strong.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3spVooo

Atheists and believers have different moral compasses

The moral compass of believers and atheists is calibrated differently.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3kmHwZa

Martian dust storms may spark electric purple glow

Colliding dust particles on Mars probably produce static electricity, a new experiment reveals.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NBI15R

Conservatives aren't more fearful than liberals, study finds

Contrary to earlier research, a new international study finds that both liberals and conservatives respond to threats — just different ones.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37HYIDz

Hundreds of skeletons fill this remote Himalayan lake. How did they get there?

Hundreds of people have died at a remote Himalayan lake, and some of them had no obvious reason to be there.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bz1z2T

Video captures unusual death of baby bird gobbled by a fish

Scientists recently captured video documenting the first reported instance of a fish preying on a newly-hatched baby bird, in a flooded nest in coastal Georgia.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3kj3YCE

There's a secret code in the Mars rover's parachute

NASA scientists teased the code's existence on Monday. The Internet solved it within 6 hours.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qSXIE8

'Homegrown' California coronavirus variant is more contagious and possibly deadlier

Lab studies found that the variant was 40% better at infecting human cells compared with earlier strains.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qQxaTX

FAA closes investigation of SpaceX's Starship SN9's test-flight crash

The path is now much clearer for the test flight of SN9's successor, SN10.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aMPYy0

Lumpy, 30-pound meteorite that crashed in Sweden recovered in local village

Two meteor enthusiasts have found a piece of an iron meteorite that fell over Sweden in November 2020.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3utjjFA

Mysterious oil spill covers Israel's coastline in toxic tar balls

Israel's Mediterranean coastline has been littered with tar as the result of an oil spill off the coast, putting marine life and those cleaning it up at risk.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bBdcpI

Weird rodent glows under UV light with disco swirls of pink and orange

New research spotlights fluorescence in a jumping rodent known as a springhare.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aJmfpC

Extremists struggle with certain kinds of brain processing, research shows

Extremists and dogmatists struggle with certain kinds of cognitive processing, but they also tend to be impulsive and risk-loving.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dC1k9F

Woman contracts COVID-19 from lung transplant in a first

A lifesaving operation turned tragic when a Michigan woman contracted COVID-19 from her double lung transplant last year and died soon after.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qOuUwn

40 beached whales 'refloated' in New Zealand

Some conservationists are worried that the whales might get stuck on shore again, though.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pNaYIY

Rare Roman era phallus carving found in UK

An excavation in the UK unearthed the Roman-era stone carving of a phallus.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aM87vW

Raising the flag on Iwo Jima: Here's the story behind that iconic World War II photo

On Feb. 23, 1945, six Marines raised the U.S. flag over the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Their photo is one of the most iconic images of World War II.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3c2coJU

Lengthy clinical trials to test vaccines modified for variants won't be necessary, FDA says

The testing process for modified vaccines will likely be similar to that of the annual flu shot, FDA says.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dx5n7k

Teachers may play a central role in spreading COVID-19 in schools, CDC says

The findings highlight "the importance of preventing infections among educators in particular," the authors said.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bzljU5

Watch the astonishing video of Perseverance landing on Mars

For the first time ever, you can watch video of a rover landing on Mars. It's amazing.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pEgVYM

Hidden 'madman' message on 'The Scream' traced back to Munch himself

Experts have long debated the identity of the inscriber, with some suggesting a dissatisfied vandalizer is the author, while others pointed fingers at the Norwegian painter himself.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dB80oH

Mary Anning, the first female paleontologist

Mary Anning’s discoveries shocked the 19th century scientific establishment. But her gender, poverty, and lack of formal education meant she often didn’t get credit for her work.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Nup98Q

This gooey, brainless blob can store memories

Slime molds imprint "memories" of where they've recently found food.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pI4iMj

Australia's oldest rock painting is an anatomically accurate kangaroo

Using an unusual dating method, scientists have identified the oldest known example of rock art in Australia.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bsrb1a

Russia reports first cases of humans catching bird flu H5N8

There were no reports of human-to-human transmission, only bird-to-human.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pJlaCq

Humpback whale survives 4-hour attack by gang of orcas

Whale watchers in Bermer Bay, Australia witnessed two pods of killer whales trying and failing to kill a young male humpback.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZEF9HL

Astronomers find the fastest spinning black hole to date

The first black hole ever discovered just put on a lot of mass, and it has astronomers confused.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3uuMxnx

Cosmologists create 4,000 virtual universes to solve Big Bang mystery

Cosmologists simulated 4,000 versions of the universe in order to understand what its structure today tells us about its origins.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bss2iu

Astrophysicists create the most accurate 'flat math' of Earth ever

Cartographers have struggled to map Earth accurately in 2D for centuries.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37BQ1uh

There's a rare yellow penguin on South Georgia island, and biologists can't quite explain it

Black-and-white tuxedos may be the conventional dress code in the penguin world, but one dashing individual is breaking the status quo with an à la mode yellow coat.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pBoH5K

Vampire squid fossil 'lost' during the Hungarian Revolution rediscovered

The ancestors of vampire squid started trawling deep, oxygen-poor waters around 30 million years ago, a long-lost fossil rediscovery reveals.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bpXqhp

Why do deserts get so cold at night?

Desert temperatures can fluctuate greatly between day and night, due to the poor heat-retaining properties of sand and a lack of humidity.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NhORxp

Why thousands of turtles were paralyzed off the coast of Texas this week

A cold snap left them stunned.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aEraZ0

Why a dazed deer in Tennessee had hair growing from its eyeballs

The buck was likely born with the odd condition.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dCgI6d

When did lap dogs become popular?

Trends, set by royals and movies, help to influence a dog breed's popularity.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aBXpaW

Another new coronavirus variant now detected in 13 countries

As of Feb. 17, there had been 46 cases of the new variant confirmed in the U.K.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dHGar1

30% of people with COVID-19 experience symptoms up to 9 months later

Most participants in the study initially had mild cases of COVID-19.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aAnCXo

Celtic god or 1980s hockey player? Ancient deity statue wears a mullet and mustache

A tiny statue of a deity dating to the Iron Age has a surprisingly modern hairstyle.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZxPzco

Now that Perseverance has landed on Mars, what will the rover do inside Jezero Crater?

Looking at the engineering and science behind selecting samples for NASA's Perseverance rover.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3ui8ZQn

Abandoned moonshine still linked to Al Capone uncovered in South Carolina woods

Archaeologists uncovered an illegal 1920s-era liquor still in South Carolina that may have been linked to Al Capone's criminal empire.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZyYhH2

Still no evidence of COVID-19 transmission from food, FDA says

The FDA statement pours cold water on a theory that the novel coronavirus emerged outside China and was brought in on imported frozen food.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZtEZmw

Disastrous Houston blackouts captured from space

More than one million people lost power in the Houston area.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Zzssy1

Great white-shark-sized ancient fish discovered by accident from fossilized lung

A 66 million-year-old fossilized lung belonging to a previously unknown giant coelacanth fish was recently discovered in Morocco.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Zttk7k

Critically endangered baby whale washes up dead on Florida coast

An endangered whale calf has been found dead on a beach in Florida with signs it was hit by a boat. Fewer than 400 North Atlantic right whales are left on Earth.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37s6LnG

Dogs know where their paws end and the world begins

Dogs may have self-awareness just like humans.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3s9LdV2

The Battle of Iwo Jima: A gruesome victory for the Allied Forces

Fought on a tiny volcanic island 75 years ago, this brutal clash between American and Japanese forces defined the horror of the Pacific theater.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/38GCJv9

Perseverance beams back first images of Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover sent home two images immediately upon its successful landing on the Martian surface Thursday (Feb. 18).

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2OLBzJD

Entire Brazilian city will be vaccinated against COVID-19 in giant experiment

Scientists will vaccinate all the adults in a single city to see whether a COVID-19 vaccine will reduce cases.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3u9YoXR

NASA rover Perseverance survives death-defying plunge, lands safely on Mars

NASA's rhinoceros-size Perseverance rover pulled off the most precise landing in Martian history Thursday (Feb. 18), touching down successfully in Jezero crater.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3azeCli

Malcolm X

This political activist and minister challenged the conventions of race and religion during the early years of the civil rights movement.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bmshLI

Endangered black-footed ferret cloned for the first time

The adorable clone, named Elizabeth Ann, was created using cells that were frozen more than three decades ago.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rYoivM

LSD alters consciousness by breaking down barriers in the brain

Brain scans reveal that LSD may free the brain from its own natural barriers.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3uaxK0N

Earth's magnetic field flipped 42,000 years ago, creating a climate 'disaster'

Earth's last magnetic flip 42,000 years brought environmental change and extinctions. Could that happen now?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3schOcV

Lucid dreamers can hear and answer questions while still asleep, scientists find

Researchers have successfully achieved real-time communication with a sleeping person by invading their dreams in several independent experiments.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dvS5rP

At least 20 million years of life have been lost to COVID-19, study suggests

On average, each COVID-19 death resulted in 16 years of life lost.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3atPwo7

Incredibly detailed video shows DNA twisting into weird shapes to squeeze into cells

Scientists recently captured a high-resolution video of DNA shimmying into weird shapes in order to squeeze inside cells.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2OGzfUe

Dinosaur-killing space rock may have originated at the edge of the solar system

The chunk of space rock that killed the nonavian dinosaurs may have been a piece of a comet that Jupiter's gravity kicked onto a collision course with Earth.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3uiDpST

Planet 9 probably doesn't exist, new paper argues

Does the solar system really have a big, dark ninth planet drifting somewhere far beyond the orbit of Neptune? A new paper argues that Planet 9 is a statistical mirage.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3k7eCwb

Antarctic lakes deep beneath the ice could be teeming with microbial life

Heat from the Earth's interior may help sustain life in this bizarre environment.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3bg1Lnn

Read a free issue of History of War magazine

Read a free History of War issue online! Plus, save money on each issue with fantastic print and digital subscription deals

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3asle59

Bermuda's hurricanes are twice as strong as they were six decades ago

Hurricanes have more than doubled in strength since 1955, increasing at a rate of 6mph every decade. Now researchers better understand exactly why.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3s0wlIo

Giant 14-foot-long crocodile found with human remains in stomach

The remains likely belong to a local fisherman who went missing last week, the government said.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2LXuhS2

Severe COVID-19 may damage the eyes, small study hints

The researchers saw "nodules" at the back of patients' eyes, which can be signs of inflammation or direct damage to the eye.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3babtYq

Oldest sequenced DNA belonged to 1 million-year-old mystery mammoth

The oldest sequenced DNA on record belongs to a 1.2 million-year-old mammoth.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qwsbaL

World's largest iceberg disintegrates into 'alphabet soup,' NASA photo shows

The world's largest iceberg has disintegrated into an 'alphabet soup' of mini ice island, new NASA imagery shows.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZsglT6

Here's how NASA will safely land a $2.7 billion rhino-sized rover in a dangerous Martian crater

When NASA's $2.7 billion Perseverance rover plunges like a meteor into the Martian atmosphere on Thursday (Feb. 18), it will put on a show unlike any before in the five-decade history of Red Planet exploration.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qvuKd9

Stained-glass 'graphic novel' reveals miracles of Archbishop of Canterbury

Thomas Becket's miraculous acts — presented "graphic-novel-style" in stained glass — leave Canterbury Cathedral for a museum exhibit.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qvmFVV

Here's how to watch NASA's Perseverance rover land on Mars

Follow along as the Mars rover Perseverance lands on Mars on Feb. 18. Don't miss out on the final 7 minutes of terror.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37o3NAF

Egyptian pharaoh was executed on the battlefield, mummy reveals

Egyptian pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II seems to have been overwhelmed by multiple attackers on the battlefield, perhaps after being captured and bound.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3u60NTm

What is the cosmological constant?

What we know about the history and properties of "Einstein's biggest mistake," the cosmological constant

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3biqqYG

Rare snow covers Acropolis of Athens in dazzling white blanket

Unusual weather blanketed the Acropolis with snow on Tuesday (Feb. 16), turning the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site in Athens into a scene from a holiday card.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qtun2P

A new 7 minutes of terror: See the nail-biting Mars landing of NASA's Perseverance rover in this video

Perseverance will attempt to land inside Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18. A new video shows how the spacecraft’s harrowing entry, descent and landing will work.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qr9025

Hundreds of animal species could harbor novel coronaviruses

A new model predicts which mammals might be likely hosts for new coronaviruses.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qszOzb

Spectacular 'ice volcano' appears in Kazakhstan

An 'ice volcano' has formed above a hot spring in the Almaty region of southeastern Kazakhstan. What is causing this unusual phenomenon?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dicekK

'Ice age' horse skeleton found in Utah backyard isn't what we thought

The skeletal remains of a horse unearthed in Utah thought to date to the last ice age are actually much younger.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZklYmi

Scientists find first evidence of rare Higgs boson decay

Scientists have spotted the first evidence of a rare Higgs boson decay, expanding our understanding of the strange quantum universe.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pupFjX

Original 'Stonehenge' discovered, confirming a legend of the wizard Merlin

The earliest megalithic circle at Stonehenge, now in the southwest of England, was first built in the west of Wales more than 5,000 years ago.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NdSR1N

Photo tour of Jezero Crater: Here's where Perseverance will land on Mars

Here's a look at Mars' Jezero Crater, the gorgeous basin where the Perseverance rover is expected to touch down and look for signs of ancient microbial life.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37B98F9

Why do we breathe so loudly when we sleep?

Why do people breathe so loudly when they're asleep?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pk2YyZ

Who should get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine over the mRNA vaccines?

Each vaccine has its pros and cons, but all work extremely well.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3b9owte

Bones of St. James the Younger, one of the 12 apostles, belong to someone else

Bone fragments long thought to have come from St. James the Younger, one of the 12 apostles who may have been Jesus' brother, couldn't have come from him, a new study finds.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rZKF43

Giant hair ball tears through teen's stomach, requiring surgery

The hair ball was more than a foot long and completely filled her stomach.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3b2U6bY

New video captures discovery of spongy animals deep under Antarctic ice

All the knowledge we have of these animals comes from a single video.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NawmL9

New AI 'Ramanujan Machine' uncovers hidden patterns in numbers

A new artificially intelligent 'Ramanujan Machine' can generate hundreds of new mathematical conjectures, which might lead to new math proofs and theorems.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3dccH89

Is champagne stronger than non-bubby alcoholic drinks?

Do you need to exercise extra moderation with the champagne this Valentine's Day?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Zj6rmI

Prior infection with common cold viruses won't protect against COVID-19

For months, scientists have wondered whether past exposure to seasonal coronaviruses that cause common colds might prevent people from getting a severe case COVID-19.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pfi7l7

White dwarfs wear the crushed corpses of planets in their atmospheres

When a star collapses into a white dwarf, it throws its solar system into total chaos. Sometimes, that chaos leaves a mark in its atmosphere.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ZeTri4

Why do the queen's guards wear such tall hats?

To scare off the queen's enemies.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/37aHnmw

CDC issues new guidelines for safely reopening schools

The recommendations provide a "long-needed road map" for reopening schools, officials said.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2N1IDRZ

Cause of mysterious dark streaks on Mars found

Landslides may be causing mysterious dark streaks on the Martian surface, scientists have found.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3acNSHc

Scientists prepare for their last good look at asteroid Apophis before 2029 flyby

On March 5, wave hello to the most infamous asteroid that won't slam into Earth in 2029. Scientists sure will.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Z9fiaT

Diabetes drug led to dramatic weight loss in large trial

A diabetes drug may also be a promising treatment for obesity — in a new study, people taking the drug lost a stunning 15% of their body weight, which is more than has been seen with any other obesity drug on the market.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3u0aLFZ

Snow blankets Hawaii volcanoes in stunning satellite image

Hawaii has seen the second-largest covering of snow on the mountain peaks of Big Island since recordings began.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3afTBfE

'Extraterrestrial crystal ball' hits the auction block at Christie's

Spectacular space rocks from Mars and the moon could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at a Christie's auction.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jEWrOg

California coronavirus variant is spreading rapidly. Should we worry?

Known as CAL.20C, the variant now accounts for nearly half of COVID-19 cases in Southern California.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rPJ8xn

Most distant object in our solar system spotted. But it's not Planet Nine.

There's a dwarf planet in our solar system, far beyond the orbit of Pluto, that swings so far away from the sun that from its perspective Earth and Saturn look like neighbors.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3abYvdl

Earth's mountains disappeared for a billion years, and then life stopped evolving

For a billion years Earth's mountains stopped growing, and may have starved the sea of nutrients, new research finds.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qbrMug

European beads found in Alaska predate Columbus, controversial study claims

Blueberry-size beads might have traveled more than 10,000 miles from Venice to Alaska in the 1400s.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aYfYVQ

Particles zipping around Earth at near light-speed finally explained

When the plasma of the Van Allen belts drops in density during a solar storm, it can set up the perfect conditions for electrons to travel nearly as fast as light.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rJ6gO2

King Richard III had the 'Princes in the Tower' murdered, historian finds

The assassination of two young boys in line for England's throne secured the monarchy for King Richard III, and new evidence links him to their murder.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Z5xJNF

China's first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, successfully enters orbit around Red Planet

China's first fully homegrown Mars mission, Tianwen-1, arrived in orbit around the Red Planet Wednesday (Feb. 10).

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3d3iRHF

COVID-19 vaccines: What does 95% efficacy actually mean?

You have likely heard that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine efficacy is 95%, Moderna's is 94% and Johnson & Johnson's is 66%. But what do these numbers actually mean?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3a6IghH

Is there a limit to how much the coronavirus can mutate?

The number of possible genetic mutations is greater than all the atoms in the visible universe,

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jF7xTx

Next flu season could be extra weird, and potentially very bad

Upcoming flu outbreaks will be less predictable than those of the past.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3tKlaVW

Coronavirus may infect key brain cells, causing neurons to die

A preliminary study hints that the virus may infect astrocytes, triggering downstream effects.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jAkga1

Ancient graves and mysterious enclosure discovered at Stonehenge ahead of tunnel construction

Archaeological work ahead of the construction of a controversial road tunnel beside Stonehenge has led to the discovery of ancient graves, including one with the remains of a baby dating back more than 4,500 years.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3d1B5sT

CDC says double-masking improves protection from COVID-19

The study tested several methods for improving mask fit.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3a87FI0

Europe's oldest person survives COVID-19

Sister André has recovered from COVID-19 in time for her 117th birthday this week.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3b746Bd

Asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge will whiz past Earth in March

An asteroid the size of the Golden Gate Bridge will get close enough to Earth to be classified as "potentially hazardous." What's the risk?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3qbS9jN

Why Mars is having its busiest two weeks in 47 years

It's a busy February for Mars, with three probes from three separate space agencies arriving at the red planet over the course of just nine days. Here's why.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aQc4hL

'Rivers of gold' rush through the Peruvian Amazon in stunning NASA photo

An ISS astronaut got a perfect view of the gold prospecting pits in the Peruvian Amazon.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2ML3BVg

A Russian 'space truck' just burst into flames on purpose and the photo is amazing

A Russian "space truck" has met its fiery doom on its way home to Earth.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pbCmQx

Welcome to Mars! UAE's Hope probe enters orbit around Red Planet.

After a nail-biting 27 minutes, the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) first-ever interplanetary mission has successfully reached orbit around Mars.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Z0Rx4x

COVID-19 may lower sperm counts, small study finds

In a study of 43 men who had recovered from COVID-19, nearly 20% had azoospermia, or the total absence of sperm in semen.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Z2XUEG

What is ozone?

Exploring the molecule known as ozone, which can both protect and harm us here on Earth.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36W0PDg

SpaceX's Crew-1 astronauts break 47-year US space record

SpaceX's Crew-1 astronauts have now spent more time in space than the crew of any other mission launched from U.S. soil.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36XNdHI

Who was buried at Sutton Hoo?

A medieval ship burial in England is now captivating viewers of the Netflix drama "The Dig." But who is actually buried at the 1,400-year-old site known as Sutton Hoo?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3q4uEZP

18 dead and hundreds missing in catastrophic Himalayan avalanche

Part of a glacier collapsed in the Indian Himalayas, triggering an avalanche that destroyed one dam and damaged another. Hundreds are feared missing or dead.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3a3kV0n

NASA appoints climate advisor to prioritize Earth science in Biden administration

Tackling the climate crisis is one of President Joe Biden's top priorities, and NASA has created a new role to match.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36ZH39U

Could there be a cluster of antimatter stars orbiting our galaxy?

We don't know why the universe is dominated by matter over antimatter, but there could be entire stars, and maybe even galaxies, in the universe made of antimatter.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3aNcm91

Stash of more than 600 Roman-era silver coins discovered in Turkey

A newly discovered coin hoard features Roman emperors engraved on the sides.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36VlNSP

Mystery of gamma radiation solved: Hidden cannibal star is just having dinner

The mystery at the heart of an unexplained, bright point of gamma-ray light in the sky has been solved: a violent, whirling redback.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2LzqMBe

Fast-spreading coronavirus variant is doubling every 10 days in the US

The variant is rapidly spreading in the U.S. as it has in the U.K. and elsewhere around the world.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NabB1z

China's Tianwen-1 Mars mission snaps its 1st photo of Red Planet

China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft snapped its first image of Mars as the mission makes its final approach; the probe will enter orbit around the Red Planet in less than a week.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3q0Xvyp

The #PeepYourScience contest wants to see your sugary scientific dioramas

You can submit your own marshmallowy diorama between Feb. 15 and March 21.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2YZcrRH

Superpowerful 'oscillon' particles could have dominated the infant universe, then vanished

A weird, super-powerful particle that's not truly a particle could have dominated the universe when it was just a second old, releasing a flood of ripples that permeated all of space-time.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2NbbqU4

Devious sperm 'poison' their rivals, forcing them to swim in circles until they die

Mouse sperm carrying a genetic sequence called the t-haplotype will poison their competitors, then make an 'antidote' only for themselves, new research finds.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3ryGGLm

How does the rubber pencil illusion work?

The rubber pencil illusion works because our brain can't keep up.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3oVdUmE

Stressful animation shows blue whale dodging hundreds of ships while trying to feed

Scientists recently animated the hazards of being a blue whale that's trying to avoid collisions with ships at sea.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jnCJq9

Did the Amazon female warriors from Greek mythology really exist?

The Amazons were fierce female warriors of ancient Greek mythology, but did they really exist?

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2LqyTjv

Diamonds need an electric zap to crystallize deep inside Earth

A lab experiment mimicking mantle conditions revealed how diamonds need an electric field to grow.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3oRKl5n

Sea cucumbers pinch out '5 Eiffel Towers worth' of poop per reef, per year

Sea cucumbers poop an incredible amount — and that's really important.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3oSWzun

Venus flytraps produce magnetic fields when they eat

These carnivorous plants generate tiny magnetic signals when they clamp down on insects.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/39TR4qY

Is it OK to mix and match COVID-19 vaccines? Oxford researchers begin trial.

Amid a shortage of vaccine supplies and the threat of emerging coronavirus variants, such an approach might provide an answer for both.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2MCyECu

Scientists narrow down the 'weight' of dark matter trillions of trillions of times

Scientists are finally figuring out how much dark matter — the almost imperceptible material said to tug on everything, yet emit no light — really weighs.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2YLbbBB

Read a free issue of All About Space magazine!

Created by space experts, our sister publication is the cutting-edge magazine that features the latest developments in space science, exploration and more

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2LLcDB9

Tiny dinos with fancy neck frills were big showoffs

The frills of protoceratops were probably the result of sexual selection.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3awRx1A

The sneaky way the coronavirus mutates to escape the immune system

The mutations 'disguise' the virus from antibodies.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2O9m2mN

Read a free issue of All About History magazine

All About History magazine is offering a free issue to read online! Plus, you can save money on each issue with fantastic subscription deals

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3fzfB4O

Cancer patients weren't responding to therapy. Then they got a poop transplant.

The gut microbiome may be critical to immunotherapy.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3tqthH9

Greek gods and ancient mortals 'resurrected' in terracotta figurines discovered in Turkey

The terracotta figurines opened up a window into life of ancient Myra.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pNCGGo

'Pile of rope' on a Texas beach is a weird, real-life sea creature

Frequently mistaken for discarded piles of beach trash, ropelike sea whips are a type of colorful coastal coral.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2MQaYdA

Satellite spots SpaceX's Starship SN9 from space ahead of explosive test flight

New satellite imagery shows SpaceX's Starship prototype poised on the launch pad ahead of its high-altitude test flight Tuesday (Feb. 2), which saw the prototype crash-land after successfully completing complex maneuvers in flight.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pKNwgm

A giant black hole suddenly went dark, and no one knows why

In 2018, one of the brightest X-ray lights in the sky went dark, and scientists still aren't sure why.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2MSl6T5

Seas will likely rise even faster than worst-case scenarios predicted by climate models

Sea levels will probably rise faster than the most mainstream climate models predict, according to a new study.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Li7pwi

Whale that stranded off Florida is completely new species (and already endangered)

A 38-foot-long (11.5 meters) whale that washed ashore in the Florida Everglades in January 2019 turns out to be a completely new species. And it's already considered endangered, scientists say.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36GTebs

Children's ID tags unearthed at Nazi death camp in Poland

Identity tags worn by children during the Holocaust have been found at the Sobibor death camp in Poland as part of excavations going back a decade.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pPZaqb

These star-shaped brain cells may help us understand depression's biological roots

The brains of people with depression have fewer astrocytes, a type of brain cell, according to a small study.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3tyVnjF

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may cut spread of virus

This is the first time that a coronavirus vaccine has shown it may reduce the spread of the virus.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rf5KXy

Never-before-seen 'mud mummy' from Egypt discovered in wrong coffin

An ancient Egyptian mummy was damaged and then wrapped in an unusual mud carapace.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3cCOWpv

Chemists create and capture einsteinium, the elusive 99th element

Scientists have finally uncovered some of the basic chemical properties of einsteinium — one of the hardest elements to study.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2YTYXqt

Arctic Ocean was once a tub of fresh water covered with a half-mile of ice

At least twice, the Arctic Ocean was a freshwater pool cut off from other oceans and capped with almost 3,000 feet of ice.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/39K5Lgt

The story you heard about Genghis Khan's death is probably all wrong

Genghis Khan may have died of bubonic plague, and not from blood loss after being castrated or other causes bandied about over the centuries, a new study finds.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3oKNR1o

Subscribe to your favorite magazines from just $3 for 3 issues!

Plus grab a rolling print subscription today for just $2.38 per issue

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3474mMt

Mosque built decades after death of Prophet Muhammad found near Sea of Galilee

Archaeologists have discovered one of the oldest known mosques on record.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jbUusc

Spiders hoist big prey with silk 'pulleys' — and now scientists know how

Ingenious web construction allows tangle web spiders to lift animals too heavy for the spiders' tiny muscles to support.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2O5YfnT

Horse tranquilizer emerges as new and deadly street drug in US

Called xylazine, the drug is a sedative used in veterinary medicine, and is not approved for us in humans.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rdYHyw

2nd SpaceX 'Starship' explodes during landing test

SpaceX tested one of its giant, silver "Starship" prototypes Tuesday (Feb. 2). And for the second time in two months, it exploded on landing.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pMl9yn

Video catches split second before intense lightning strike

Scientists captured high-speed footage of the moment before lightning strikes.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rdQJp4

UK coronavirus variant develops vaccine-evading mutation

This mutation has also been seen in a novel coronavirus variant in South Africa.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3cBoEUO

What is plate tectonics?

Blame plate tectonics for Earth’s mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, and why its continents fit together like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2w0HFY9

Rare purple textiles from the time of biblical kings found for the first time in Israel

Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered 3,000-year-old textiles stained with a valuable purple dye made from Mediterranean mollusks.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/39IAQkK

How accurate are Punxsutawney Phil's Groundhog Day forecasts?

As legend goes, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, you should expect six more weeks of winter; if he doesn't, plan for spring.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/395AKAt

100,000-year-old story could explain why the Pleiades are called 'Seven Sisters'

A speculative hypothesis tries to uncover the world’s oldest story written across the night sky in the Pleiades constellation.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3apQlgo

Quick guide: COVID-19 vaccines in use and how they work

Here's a guide to the vaccines being used in different countries.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2XxcO5e

Perfectly-preserved 'bog beetles' nearly as old as Egypt's pyramids

Beetles that lived during the late Bronze Age in a bog look as though they died yesterday.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Yzp7yx

Ruins of ancient fort, church and temple discovered in Egypt

Archaeologists have found the ancient ruins of a Roman fort, early Coptic church and Ptolemaic temple in Egypt.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36yG3tp

World's largest iceberg shatters into a dozen pieces

The world's largest iceberg broke off of Antarctica in 2017; now, it's shattering into more than a dozen pieces.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pBgbEB

Hundreds of ‘highly cannibalistic’ spiders invade teen’s bedroom in Australia

Extreme heat in Australia can send spiders scurrying for indoor shelter, and one family found themselves with a few hundred new roommates.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jhfmP2

4-year-old discovers impressive dinosaur footprint on Wales beach

A dinosaur track found by a 4-year-old on a Welsh beach belongs to one of the earliest dinos.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/36zhjRz

Apollo 15 landing site is strikingly clear in image captured from Earth

Scientists used powerful radar signals to capture the image.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3rhE8Bn

Embryos of Northern white rhino created. Will they save nearly extinct creature?

More northern white rhino embryos have been created in a lab in the race to save the subspecies from extinction. There are now five in total.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pF56Cx

Chinese researchers to send an 'uncrackable' quantum message to space

It's now possible to send uncrackable quantum messages through thin air, and the people who figured out how to do it are getting ready to send the messages into space.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3jegSkP

Greenland is careening toward a critical tipping point for ice loss

The Greenland Ice Sheet is one of the largest ice sheets in the world. But it might not be for much longer, if Earth continues to warm.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/2Ywjxgi

Mummy with a gold tongue found in Egypt

Archaeologists have found a 2,000-year-old mummy with a gold tongue at an ancient Egyptian site called Taposiris Magna.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3ar6hPB

South African coronavirus variant: All your questions answered

Experts are particularly alarmed by this variant because of its potential to "escape" protection from current vaccines.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3pEQx1A

Why do wombats have cube-shaped poop?

Wombats have cubed dropping because of this internal organ.

via Livescience.com https://ift.tt/3r9cXIP