Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes, astronomers have traced a short-duration gamma-ray burst event called GRB 230906A to a faint dwarf galaxy embedded in a vast stream of intergalactic gas. This discovery suggests that some neutron-star mergers — violent collisions that forge heavy elements like gold and platinum — can occur far from the bright centers of galaxies,...

New measurements show that the DART impact in 2022 not only shortened the orbit of the moonlet Dimorphos around its parent asteroid, Didymos, but also subtly shifted the entire binary system’s path around the Sun. This artist’s illustration shows the ejection of a cloud of debris after NASA’s DART spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos. Image credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser. When NASA’s...

Ancient DNA from brightly colored feathers found in Peru shows that at least four distinct species of Amazonian parrots — the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), the blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), the red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus) and mealy amazon (Amazona farinosa) — were transported alive over the Andes centuries before the Inca Empire, evidence of sophisticated long-distance...

A new genus and species of archaic stem tetrapod from the Permian period has been identified from fossil jawbones found in Brazil. Named Tanyka amnicola, this strange amphibian relative had sideways-facing teeth and a rasp-like grinding surface, suggesting that some ancient four-limbed vertebrates began experimenting with plant-eating far earlier than paleontologists expected. Tanyka amnicola. Image...

In a new study led by University of British Columbia Ph.D. student Hannah Griebling, raccoons (Procyon lotor) continued manipulating complex puzzle boxes long after retrieving the only marshmallow reward, suggesting the animals seek information for its own sake — a behavior that may underpin their urban success. Multiaccess puzzle box with easy (a), medium (b) and hard (c) solutions. Image...

Astrophysicists from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago have developed an innovative method to measure the Hubble constant — the rate at which the Universe is expanding — using the subtle background hum of gravitational waves. As gravitational-wave detectors become more sensitive in the coming years, this approach could reshape our understanding of cosmic history...

Adding one avocado and a cup of mango each day improves vascular health indices and reduces key cardiometabolic risk factors in people with elevated blood sugar, suggesting a simple dietary shift could strengthen heart health long before diabetes develops. In adults with prediabetes, daily inclusion of avocado and mango increases fruit consumption, diversifies nutrient composition, and improves vascular...

Ancient DNA from brightly colored feathers found in Peru shows that at least four distinct species of Amazonian parrots — the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), the blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), the red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus) and mealy amazon (Amazona farinosa) — were transported alive over the Andes centuries before the Inca Empire, evidence of sophisticated long-distance...

New orbital data reveal that the most recently active volcanic systems on Mars weren’t simple one-off blasts into space; instead, long-lived magmatic plumbing beneath Pavonis Mons, one of the Red Planet’s largest volcanoes, reshaped lava flows over time, with distinct eruptive phases and evolving chemical signatures, offering fresh insights into the planet’s inner dynamics and how rocky planets...

A 7.2-million-year-old thigh bone unearthed at the fossil site of Azmaka in southern Bulgaria displays a mosaic of features suggesting a unique combination of locomotor capabilities, including aspects of terrestrial quadrupedalism and bipedalism, according to a research team led by Professor Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of...