Science
Global wildlife trade is twice previous species estimates, but major data gaps suggest true scale is even larger
More than 107,000 species are used and traded worldwide, more than double previous estimates, according to new research that suggests the true scale may be far greater due to majo…
The rocket scientist who summoned demons: The true horror story of Jack Parsons
Rocketry pioneer Jack Parsons engaged in an elaborate series of occult ceremonies intended to summon an otherworldly feminine goddess into physical existence.
The Guardian view on 50 years of The Selfish Gene: flawed, outdated, yet still a model of truly popular science writing | Editorial
Richard Dawkins’ first work has thrilled fans and frustrated critics for five decades. The science has moved on, but any writer looking to supplant its place must learn its lesson…
Maui Prosecutor to Hire Investigator Focused On Post-Wildfire Contractor Fraud
This story was originally published by Civil Beat. The Maui Department of the Prosecuting Attorney is expected to soon have an investigator working full-time on contractor fraud c…
A gamma-ray powerhouse's smoking gun? Gas trail points to microquasar jets
In 2016, a binary star system emitting unusually strong gamma rays was discovered in our galactic neighborhood. Now, astronomers have found the smoking gun, or rather, a smoking t…
Different transcription systems shape chromatin behavior in distinct nuclear regions
Inside the cell nucleus, DNA is wrapped around histone proteins to form nucleosomes, which are further organized into chromatin. Chromatin has traditionally been divided into tran…
Pulling the strings: How stem cells in the developing fruit fly brain organize their DNA from outside the nucleus
Cells are very particular about the proper locations of their contents. For example, DNA is packaged in the nucleus in a highly specific way, but researchers are still trying to u…
How fish schools swim in sync may come down to following one influential neighbor
Fish schools are a marvel of navigation. They move in concert without any one fish leading the way. Instead, their coordinated movements arise from individual fish continually adj…
Global change may alter how ocellated lizards move between shelters, food and predators
Global change is also affecting the behavior and mobility of the ocellated lizard, a reptile typical of Mediterranean ecosystems. This species—the largest lizard on the Iberian Pe…
The Taurid meteor shower isn't much to look at. That's why I love it
The Taurids produce only a handful of meteors an hour. That sounds disappointing, but I've learned that expecting almost nothing can make this one of the most enjoyable meteor sho…
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Captures Eerie Cat’s Head
Intricate structures within the Cat’s Head Nebula are illuminated in this mid-infrared view from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released on Oct. 29, 2026. The distinctive “cat’…
Quantum skyrmions outlast entanglement, hinting at more resilient networks
Quantum networks could one day connect quantum computers into more powerful systems and enable new forms of secure communication. But a fundamental obstacle stands in the way: Qua…
Scientists find that a 10-millisecond flash could help build more sensitive gas sensors
Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful gas that requires sensitive detection. Researchers used intense light pulses lasting 10 milliseconds to make molybdenum disulfide flakes and anchor i…
Buy a wind-up radio – and don’t forget the chocolate: survival experts on how to prepare for an emergency
UK government guidance says we should be ready for the unexpected, but what’s actually helpful to have at home? We ask the specialists• The best power banks – testedHow prepared a…
'Star Trek's' William Shatner and George Takei honor the death of Walter Koenig
'Rest well, my dear friend. Keep navigating a steady course.'
NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope
NASA issued a Request for Information Oct. 29 to learn more about industry capabilities for in-space servicing to support the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope.
On this day in space! Oct. 30, 1964: NASA's weird Lunar Landing Research Vehicle takes 1st test flight to help Apollo astronauts land on the moon
On October 30, 1964, NASA's Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, or LLRV, took to the skies for the first time. Here's why it mattered.
NASA's Voyager 1 conserves power, resolves brief communications pause
NASA's Voyager team is celebrating two recent developments with the Voyager 1 spacecraft: In September, they successfully completed a months-long effort to stretch the spacecraft'…
The genetic cost of being a lazy parent ... if you're a cuckoo finch
African cuckoo finches (Anomalospiza imberbis) are very deceptive birds, or at least the mothers are. They sneak into the nests of other birds, such as prinias and cisticolas, to …
Marine fossils in Colombia reveal possible evolutionary transition without mass extinction
A remarkably diverse fossil ecosystem in central Colombia that preserves an unusual overlap between survivors of older Jurassic groups and newer Cretaceous lineages has led resear…
Ghostly Cat's Head Nebula haunts the cosmos | Space photo of the day for Oct. 30, 2026
Just in time for Halloween, we have new, ghostly views of the Cat's Eye Nebula haunting the outer reaches of the cosmos.
JWST reveals a distant galaxy that may let most of its ionizing radiation escape
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have found evidence that a distant, exceptionally blue galaxy may allow most of its ionizing radiation to escape into space…
NASA's TRACERS first results offer peek into violent magnetic process
NASA's TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) mission has gathered its first clues to how space weather affects Earth's magnetic field. I…
Breeding advance could help protect East African rice harvests from bacterial blight
The rice disease bacterial leaf blight (for short: BB) is causing significant yield losses in Asia and Africa. It is triggered by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo)…