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A study of fossils from the Permian-Triassic extinction event 252 million years ago shows that forests in many parts of the world were wiped out, disrupting the carbon cycle and ensuring that Earth remained hot for millions of years

The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” now enacted, directs that space shuttle Discovery be removed from the Smithsonian and placed on display at Space Center Houston by January 2027.

The “Golden Handle” appears each month when the sun illuminates a mountain range lining a vast impact crater.

In the frozen reaches of the planet—glaciers, mountaintops, and icy groundwater—scientists have uncovered strange light-sensitive molecules in tiny microbes. These “cryorhodopsins” can respond to light in ways that might let researchers turn brain cells on and off like switches. Some even glow blue, a rare and useful trait for medical applications. These molecules may help the microbes sense dangerous UV light in extreme environments, and scientists believe they could one day power new brain tech, like light-based hearing aids or next-level neuroscience tools—all thanks to proteins that thrive in the cold and shimmer under light.

Scientists are on the trail of a mysterious five-particle structure that could challenge one of the biggest theories in physics: string theory. This rare particle—never seen before and predicted not to exist within string theory—might leave behind vanishing tracks in the Large Hadron Collider, like ghostly footprints that suddenly disappear. Spotting it wouldn’t just shake up physics theory—it might also reveal clues to dark matter, the invisible stuff that makes up most of the universe.

Australian scientists have discovered a method to produce ammonia—an essential component in fertilizers—using only air and electricity. By mimicking lightning and channeling that energy through a small device, they’ve bypassed the traditional, fossil fuel-heavy method that’s been used for over a century. This breakthrough could lead to cleaner, cheaper fertilizer and even help power the future, offering a potential alternative fuel source for industries like shipping.

Mice taught to link smells with tastes, and later fear, revealed how the amygdala teams up with cortical regions to let the brain draw powerful indirect connections. Disabling this circuit erased the links, hinting that similar pathways in humans could underlie disorders like PTSD and psychosis, and might be tuned with future brain-modulation therapies.

Smarter people don’t just crunch numbers better—they actually see the future more clearly. Examining thousands of over-50s, Bath researchers found the brightest minds made life-expectancy forecasts more than twice as accurate as those with the lowest IQs. By tying cognitive tests and genetic markers to real-world predictions, the study shows how sharp probability skills translate into wiser decisions about everything from crossing the road to planning retirement—and hints that clearer risk information could help everyone close the gap.

Researchers from Sweden have discovered that the human brain continues to grow new cells in the memory region—called the hippocampus—even into old age. Using advanced tools to examine brain samples from people of all ages, the team identified the early-stage cells that eventually become neurons. These findings confirm that our brains remain more adaptable than previously believed, opening the door to potential treatments for memory loss and brain-related disorders.

Scientists have discovered that starving and then refeeding worms can reveal surprising secrets about aging. When a specific gene (called TFEB) is missing, these worms don’t bounce back from fasting—they instead enter a state that looks a lot like aging in humans, with signs of stress and cell damage. This research gives scientists a simple but powerful way to study how aging begins—and how it might be stopped. Even more intriguing, the same process might help explain how some cancer cells survive treatment by going into a kind of sleep mode.