Warmer oceans and disease are threatening coral reefs globally, with a 14% loss since 2009 and record bleaching events. The Great Barrier Reef has lost 28% of its coral cover in the north.
NASA's Icing Research Tunnel is being used to study supercooled droplets and ice crystal icing, phenomena that can cause dangerous ice accumulation on aircraft and lead to engine power loss.
A new study in Science using genomic data suggests grasses originated about 100 million years ago, much earlier than previously thought, and diversified rapidly after the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs.
Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering light-gated ion channels and developing optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control specific neurons.
Great white sharks are returning to Atlantic Canadian waters in growing numbers, drawn by rebounding seal populations and warming seas. Scientists call it a conservation success story.
Scientists at the University of Sydney and Chalmers University have developed new methods to produce green hydrogen from water using sunlight, liquid gallium, and platinum-free conductive polymers.
PBS offers a lineup of space documentaries this year, including Apollo 11 reconstructions, black hole explorations, and ISS footage, bringing the wonders of the universe into the living room.
NASA's October 2026 skywatching highlights include Saturn at opposition on October 4, the Orionid meteor shower peaking October 21-22, and the Moon passing near the Pleiades on October 27-28.
ALICE researchers at CERN observed quark-gluon plasma signatures in proton-proton and light-ion collisions, challenging assumptions about how small a system can produce the universe's primordial state of matter.
A blazing unidentified object streaked across the sky before crashing off the western coast, triggering loud explosions that shook nearby shorelines as authorities launch an offshore investigation.
A 28-year-old lab technician in Siberia died after reportedly breaking a test tube containing plague bacteria, prompting quarantine of nearly 200 people and official silence that has fueled public panic.
Researchers drilling at the Durupınar formation in Turkey say radar data shows organized underground structures that challenge the natural-rock theory, but geologists remain skeptical and peer review is pending.
The human brain is arguably the most complex object known to science. It controls movement, memory, emotion, language, decision-making and our perception of reality, yet scientists still understand only a fraction of how it produces conscious experience. Advances in brain imaging, artificial intelligence, genetics and neuroscience are beginning to reveal the brain at unprecedented levels of detail. From repairing damaged neural circuits to decoding brain activity and potentially understanding consciousness, the coming decades could transform our relationship with the organ that makes us who we are.
COVID-19 changed the world and exposed how vulnerable modern society can be to a rapidly spreading infectious disease. But it also accelerated the development of vaccines, genomic surveillance, wastewater monitoring, artificial intelligence and global disease-detection systems. The next pandemic may emerge from a completely different pathogen, making prediction difficult. What is becoming increasingly possible, however, is detecting outbreaks earlier and responding faster. The real question for the future is not whether another pandemic will happen, but whether humanity can build the technology, infrastructure and international cooperation needed to stop the next outbreak from becoming a global catastrophe.
Swiss glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice in 2026 after a record heatwave and winter snowfall accelerated melting.
The Holei Sea Arch, a 90-foot lava formation in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, collapsed into the Pacific Ocean after 550 years, prompting safety warnings about unstable cliffs.
A new study in Science Advances reveals that transposable elements—"jumping genes"—spurred the rapid diversification of ants after the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
New research maps 16 large river drainage basins on ancient Mars, suggesting asteroid-triggered rainstorms created localized habitable hotspots where life could have thrived.
A University of Nottingham study found fruit flies with mitochondrial defects lived 20% longer when shielded from Earth's magnetic field, suggesting magnetism may influence aging.
Singapore researchers identify three vulnerabilities in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria—energy production, viral defenses, and toxin delivery—opening new pathways for treatment.
Redbird Reef, an artificial habitat off Delaware, contains hundreds of retired NYC subway cars and military vehicles, creating a thriving marine ecosystem larger than Central Park.
The moon Dione transits Saturn on Saturday night, visible through telescopes, with Tethys, Rhea, and Titan positioned nearby for observers.
Astronomers detect the first radio signal directly from an exoplanet, revealing Beta Pictoris b's powerful magnetic field through auroral emissions—not alien life.
Elon Musk's remarks about Starship launch frequency reflect aspirational ambition rather than formal guidance cuts, as the market and analysts recognize the difference.