Science

Australian scientists have discovered a razor-toothed whale that prowled the seas 26 million years ago, saying Wednesday the species was “deceptively cute” but a fearsome predator. Museums Victoria pieced together the species from an unusually well-preserved skull fossil found on Victoria’s Surf Coast in 2019. In a study published Tuesday, scientists say they discovered a “fast, sharp-toothed predator” that would …

While there is the expression “Once in a blue moon,” once in a while, there is a Black Moon too. Later in August, a rare Black Moon will be seen — or rather, hidden — in the night sky. A Black Moon is the moniker for a third new moon out of four in an astronomical season, instead of the …

Australia is home to a unique bunch of native land mammals, such as koalas, wombats and wallabies. These furballs evolved in isolation on this island continent and have become Australian symbols. But between 27 and 23 million years ago, the coastal seas of Australia were also home to sea mammals found almost nowhere else: whales. But not just any old …

The Perseid meteor shower peaked on Aug 12–13, overcoming the glare of a waning gibbous moon to put on a spectacular show of shooting stars that delighted onlookers worldwide. The Perseids are active every July and August as Earth barrels through the trail of dusty debris shed by the wandering comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Our planet plowed through the densest part of …

Exploring the depths of the ocean is a captivating and mysterious journey, revealing unexpected wonders that defy human comprehension. One such phenomenon is the “whale fall,” a life-sustaining event that happens when the remains of a giant creature, such as a whale, sink to the ocean floor, creating a temporary oasis for deep-sea organisms. This event was vividly captured in …

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Many groups in the animal kingdom have the remarkable ability to regenerate their eyes, but mammals are not one of them—at least, not yet. A new study analyzed the genetic mechanisms behind the ocular regenerative ability of the golden apple snail to see if a similar technique could be used in …

Astronomers at the Pan-STARRS Observatory in Hawaii made history in 2017 when they detected ‘Oumuamua, the first interstellar object (ISO) ever observed. Two years later, the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov became the second ISO ever observed. And on July 1st, 2025, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Rio Hurtado detected a third interstellar object in our Solar System, the …

Astronomers have identified what could be a new supermassive black hole, and with an estimated mass 36 billion times that of the sun, it is about 10,000 times heavier than the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This would make it among the most massive objects ever detected. The finding, published in the Monthly Notice of the …

Potatoes — both the wild species, and the domesticated ones we buy at the grocery store — evolved from a chance hybridization between two plants some nine million years ago. Natural History Museum, London hide caption toggle caption Natural History Museum, London The potato: Mash it, bake it, fry it … No matter how you slice it, the potato is …

A groundbreaking study, recently published in Papers in Palaeontology, has revealed the oldest known fossil of a docodontan mammal, shedding new light on the evolutionary journey of early mammals. The discovery, led by Dr. Sofia Patrocínio and her team, presents the oldest definitive docodontan found to date, narrowing the knowledge gap between early docodontans and later mammalian species by 7 …