usfws-common-murre-colony-2021-semidi-islands.jpg
Brie Drummond/USFWS
The bird at the center of the worst single-species mortality event in modern history isn’t recovering, scientists say
Kaspar Hauser, c. 1812 - 1833. Hauser mysteriously appeared in 1828 claiming he had been locked in a dungeon since he was a small child. His strange case titillated public fancy. Amongst rumours were one that he was the hereditary Prince of Baden. His death from a stab wound in 1833 added further mystery to his case: some thought he had been murdered, others that he had stabbed himself. After a work by Friedrich Wagner. (Photo by: Ken Welsh/Design Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). udwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770- 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time. Beethoven in 1818 by August Klober
Design Pics Editorial/Getty Images; Universal History Archive/UIG/Shutterstock
Historical mysteries solved by science in 2024
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NASA/Johns Hopkins APL
History-making probe attempts closest-ever approach to the sun
Starship's Super Heavy Booster is grappled at the launch pad in Starbase near Boca Chica, Texas, on October 13, 2024, during the Starship Flight 5 test. SpaceX successfully "caught" the first-stage booster of its Starship megarocket Sunday as it returned to the launch pad after a test flight, a world first in the company's quest for rapid reusability. (Photo by SERGIO FLORES / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO FLORES/AFP via Getty Images)
Sergio Flores/AFP/Getty Images
Why sonic booms from the most powerful rocket ever built have some scientists worried
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Vesuvius Challenge
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Charterhouse Warren site, from the 1970s excavations
Tony Audsley
Bronze Age mass grave reveals grisly massacre in which victims were likely eaten
Jupiter Saturn Great Conjunction 2020 with Ursids Meteors. Oregon, Ashland, Winter
davidhoffmannphotography/iStockphoto/Getty Images
How to see the Ursids, the final meteor shower that peaks in 2024
The ‘blob-headed’ fish is new to science and was a shocking discovery due to its enlarged blob-like head, a feature that fish scientists had never seen before.
Robinson Olivera/Conservation International
‘Bizarre’ blob-headed fish and amphibious mouse among 27 new species found in Peru
A silver amulet discovered in Germany sheds new light on the spread of Christianity during the late Roman period.
Archaeologisches Museum Frankfur
Silver amulet discovered in Germany could rewrite Christian history in Europe
WILTSHIRE, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 07: The ancient neolithic monument of Stonehenge near Amesbury is viewed from a hot air ballon on September 7, 2016 in Wiltshire, England. To mark the 30th anniversary of Stonehenge becoming a World Heritage Site, English Heritage has launched a competition offering members of the public the chance of a hot balloon ride which allows the chance to see a unique view of Stonehenge within in a wider prehistoric landscape but also the see the recent changes to its setting in recent years including the removal of the A344 and the old car park. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Matt Cardy/Getty Images/File
Scientists think they know why Stonehenge was rebuilt thousands of years ago

Editor's picks

In 1922, American chemist, Thomas Midgley, Jr. discovered tetraethyl, an antiknock agent in gasoline, which led to the establishment of the ethyl gasoline industry. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis/Getty Images
Once celebrated, an inventor’s breakthroughs are now viewed as disasters — and the world is still recovering
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3D Illustration Getty Images/NASA
‘Dyson spheres’ were theorized as a way to detect alien life. Scientists say they’ve found potential evidence
KARS, TURKIYE - MAY 18: A view of moon, appearing in the sky in the evening hours in Kars, Turkey, on May 18, 2024. (Photo by Omer Tarsuslu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Omer Tarsuslu/Anadolu/Getty Images
Why scientists say we need to send clocks to the moon — soon
B8C6TT MEXICAN AXOLOTL
Stephen Dalton/Avalon.red/Alamy Stock Photo
Why axolotls seem to be everywhere — except in the one lake they call home

Space

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In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13.
NASA/AP
Astronauts who flew to space aboard Starliner face additional delay
Astronomers discover two populations of unusual dark comets in our solar system
Could mouse sperm orbiting Earth be the future of humanity?
December’s full moon will soon reach peak illumination. Here’s what to know

Archaeology

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coronado cannon
Deni Seymour
Cannons abandoned by doomed Spanish expedition are thought to be oldest firearms found in US
Grisly remains point to a bleak, ancient chapter in British history
Oldest human DNA reveals lost branch of the human family tree
Scans help solve a 3,000-year-old mystery of a high-status Egyptian woman

Life

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CAMBRIA, CA - MAY 11: A ground squirrel searches for food in parking lot at Moonstone Beach on May 11, 2021, in Cambria, California. Because of its close proximity to Southern California and Los Angeles population centers, and a year-round mild climate, the coastal regions around Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo have become a popular weekend getaway destination for millions of tourists each year. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
George Rose/Getty Images/File
California squirrels are eating another rodent for the first time, new study finds
An owl’s ‘shocking’ color should hinder hunting. Scientists may have figured out why it works
Scientists warn of ‘unprecedented’ risks of research into mirror life
The longest-living vertebrate could offer clues to extending the human lifespan, scientists say

Paleontology

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An illustration depicting the therapsid
Henry Sutherland Sharpe
Ancient saber-toothed predator found in Spain is the oldest of its kind
Fossilized poop reveals secrets of how dinosaurs came to dominate Earth
Baby saber-toothed cat mummy found in Siberia with intact skin, fur and toes is ‘mind-blowing,’ scientists say
Ancient ‘terror birds’ were giant apex predators. Suspected new species is among the largest ever known