“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.” Stanford University researchers have discovered virus-like ‘lifeforms’ that exist inside human mouths and guts. Smaller than a virus and not considered standard life, the genetic material can still transfer information that can be read by a cell. We had no […]
Researchers have found a new way in which great apes are similar to humans: they tease each other. A new study by an international team of scientists has documented “playful teasing” in orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, according to a press release published Wednesday. “Like joking behavior in humans, ape teasing is provocative, persistent, and […]
Wildlife officials killed a mountain lion they suspected of attacking goats — and a pet dog — in Colorado. The first report of a mountain lion attacking goats came in Feb. 1 from a property in Silverthorne, about 65 miles west of Denver, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a news release. The cougar had […]
The future of Mars exploration will be greatly enhanced by humans that make the sojourn to the Red Planet. The work that could be performed by astronaut crews on that distant world would far outstrip what mechanized Mars machinery can attain – but certainly at a far greater cost. To that end, NASA is blueprinting […]
DNA locked in the bones and teeth of more than 5,000 humans who lived in Asia and Europe up to 34,000 years ago are providing vital clues to a myriad of present-day medical conditions. The descendants of these ancient peoples are living now in Europe and throughout the world. But their forebearers’ genetic legacy lingers, […]
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. A towering new rocket has taken flight, carrying what could be the first commercial lander to touch down on the moon — and the first lunar landing mission to launch from the United States since […]
A microbiologist named João Pedro de Magalhães has proposed the idea that the reign of dinosaurs forced mammals to speed up their reproductive cycle, eliminating key longevity genes. de Magalhães posits that in order to survive amidst dinosaurs, mammals may have actively evolved away from long life, something he calls the “longevity bottleneck hypothesis.” He […]
Chronic wasting disease is sometimes referred to as “zombie deer disease,” or affected deer can be called “zombie deer” due to the neurological signs of the disease, which include weight loss, lack of coordination, listlessness and drooling. The disease mainly affects free-ranging deer, elk and moose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. […]
An artist’s concept of a tidal disruption event (TDE) that happens when a star passes fatally close to a supermassive black hole, which reacts by launching a relativistic jet. The gravitational pull from black holes is so strong that nothing can escape its grasp. So could we ever harness the gargantuan power of black holes […]
We need more humans. That’s the message from two of the world’s richest billionaires, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. While the two compete in the space business—Bezos owns Blue Origin while Musk has SpaceX—they agree on certain aspect’s of humanity’s future. “I think in a lot of these endeavors we’re very […]
The U.S.-crewed spaceflight to the moon on Dec. 7, 1972, was known as Apollo 17 — also known as the final flight of the Apollo program. This particular spaceflight included two historic astronauts: Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt. These Apollo 17 astronauts would become — on this day in history, Dec. 11, 1972 — the last […]