Why do dogs sniff each other's butts?

And like dogs, why do cats also sniff fellow felines' behinds? | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Boost your running speed with training — but don't fall for these myths, scientists say

Your running speed partly comes down to factors you can't control, like genetics, and partly relies on your training. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

'It would be within its natural right to harm us to protect itself': How humans could be mistreating AI right now without even knowing it

How can we truly know if AI is sentient? We do not yet fully understand the nature of human consciousness, so we cannot discount the possibility that today's AI is indeed sentient — and that we are mistreating it to potentially grave consequences. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Hammer-headed bat: The African megabat that looks like a gargoyle and holds honking pageants

Hammer-headed bats are named after the males' oversized boxy heads, which evolved to amplify and project the honking sounds they produce to impress females during courtship displays. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Key events in the Bible, such as the settlement and destruction of Jerusalem, confirmed using radiocarbon dating

The research combined radiocarbon dating with measurements of atmospheric radiocarbon from tree rings to build a chronology of the ancient city. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

How do cats land on their feet?

Cats are masters of contortion — and the laws of physics — which helps them stick the landing more times than not. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

China launches Chang'e 6 sample-return mission to moon's far side

China's launched its Chang'e 6 sample-return mission, which will haul dirt and rocks home from the mysterious lunar far side. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

3,500-year-old 'rest house' used by ancient Egyptian army discovered in Sinai desert

A 3,500-year-old rest house in the Sinai desert may have been used by an Egyptian pharaoh. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

1st Americans came over in 4 different waves from Siberia, linguist argues

The languages of the earliest Americans evolved in 4 waves, according to one expert. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

170 people 'likely exposed' to tuberculosis in Long Beach outbreak

Health officials have warned of an ongoing tuberculosis outbreak in Long Beach, California. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Lab-grown mini-placentas reveal clue to why pregnancy complications happen

Infections can trigger pregnancy complications, and now, new miniature versions of the placenta are helping show why. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Antarctic ice hole the size of Switzerland keeps cracking open. Now scientists finally know why.

The Maud Rise polynya has been sporadically opening up in Antarctica's ice since at least the 1970s. Now climatologists finally know why. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

James Webb telescope spots wind blowing faster than a bullet on '2-faced planet' with eternal night

New James Webb Space Telescope observations of the exoplanet WASP-43b reveal that the hot gas giant is tidally locked, meaning one side permanently faces its sun while the other always stares out into space. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

1,700-year-old Roman shipwreck was stuffed to the gills with fish sauce when it sank

The wreck near a beach on Mallorca gives a snapshot of sea trade in late Roman times. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

China's 'lobster eye' Einstein telescope releases 1st batch of trippy space images

Flaring stars, black hole outbursts and gamma-rays are just some of the cosmic exotica that Einstein Probe will hunt for. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Cave of Crystals: The deadly cavern in Mexico dubbed 'the Sistine Chapel of crystals'

The Cave of Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico, is buried almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) beneath Earth's surface and contains giant gypsum crystal beams that are up to 37 feet (11 m) long. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

It's the best time of year to spot Mercury. Here's how to find it.

Mercury is about to reach its "greatest elongation west" of the sun, meaning stargazers will have their best view of the "swift planet" all year. Here's how to see it. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Charging future EVs could take seconds with new sodium-ion battery tech

A new type of hybrid sodium-ion battery that offers both high capacity and rapid-charging capabilities could power mobile devices, electric vehicles and space tech. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

New algorithm slashes time to run most sophisticated climate models by 10-fold

Climate models can be a million lines of code long and can take months to run on supercomputers. A new algorithm has dramatically shortened that time. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

No, the James Webb Space Telescope probably didn't detect signs of alien life — but it soon could

The James Webb Space Telescope's possible detection of biological chemicals on the exoplanet K2-18b may just have been methane gas, a new study cautions. Planned follow-up observations could solve the mystery for good. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Follow Live Science on social media

Read about the latest news, incredible discoveries and mind-bending advances in science by following us on social media. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Tiny, transparent chip could transform your smartphone into a professional-grade camera

Scientists built a "smart filter" that can work with a cheap smartphone camera to transform low-resolution photos into supersharp images without glare and other issues. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Neanderthal woman's face brought to life in stunning reconstruction

With her long, brown hair and determined gaze, the new facial reconstruction lets us peek into the world of an archaic human who lived tens of thousands of years ago. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

'You certainly don't see this every day': Ultra-rare backward-spinning tornado formed over Oklahoma

A pair of odd twisters spun out from a supercell thunderstorm in Oklahoma Tuesday (April 30). | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Asteroid that exploded over Berlin was fastest-spinning space rock ever recorded

Scientists have calculated the rotational speed of asteroid 2024 BX1, which exploded over Berlin earlier this year, by letting it trail in images of the sky. It turns out, 2024 BX1 was spinning faster than any other near-Earth object ever seen. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Are electric vehicles safer than gas-powered cars? Maybe for the passengers—but not for everyone else.

Fears of electric vehicle fires are blown out of proportion, but because EVs are heavier on average, they're safer for passengers but more dangerous for non-occupants, studies suggest. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Enormous 'San Andreas fault' on Saturn's moon could help reveal signs of alien life

Huge "tiger stripe" fault lines seen on Saturn's moon Enceladus raise hopes that a "long-lived" ocean containing potential alien life may lurk beneath the moon's icy shell. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Optical illusion reveals key brain rule that governs consciousness

A study of mice starts to unravel how the brain gets tricked by this kind of optical illusion, and it gives clues about how visual perception works. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Breakthrough 6G antenna could lead to high-speed communications and holograms

Scientists build the world's first 6G antenna that, when fitted into devices, can transmit data at high speeds. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Rare 'Excalibur' sword from Spain dates to Islamic period 1,000 years ago

The sword is the first weapon from the Islamic period to be found in the Spanish city of Valencia. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

'We were amazed': Scientists reveal Southern Ring Nebula's unexpected structure in stunning new images

Submillimeter wavelength radio observations of the Southern Ring Nebula have identified that it's actually a double ring, shaped by the interactions of three stars. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Sun's chaotic peak triggers record-breaking 'global auroras' on Mars

Mars has had frequent planet-wide auroras in recent months, including an unprecedented trio of events in February. Experts say the sudden increase is the result of the ongoing solar maximum. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Super-detailed map of brain cells that keep us awake could improve our understanding of consciousness

A new map of a brain network that sustains wakefulness in humans could help improve our understanding of consciousness. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Stunning image shows atoms transforming into quantum waves — just as Schrödinger predicted

A new imaging technique, which captured frozen lithium atoms transforming into quantum waves, could be used to probe some of the most poorly understood aspects of the quantum world. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

DARPA's autonomous 'Manta Ray' drone can glide through ocean depths undetected

Northrop Grumman Corporation has built its Manta Ray uncrewed underwater vehicle, which will operate long-duration missions and carry payloads into the ocean depths in partnership with DARPA. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

See up to 50 'shooting stars' per hour as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks this weekend

Up to 50 "shooting stars" per hour may be visible in moonless skies as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks Saturday and Sunday (May 4 and 5). The annual shower is linked to debris from Halley's comet. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

'Frankenstein' mice with brain cells from rats raised in the lab

In recent experiments, rat brain cells filled in for lost neurons in mouse brains, raising new possibilities for growing donor tissues across species. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Villa near Mount Vesuvius may be where Augustus, Rome's 1st emperor, died

Researchers say a villa buried by the eruption in A.D. 79 corresponds with records of the Roman emperor's death in A.D. 14. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

When did humans start getting the common cold?

Prehistoric cold viruses are hard to find in the historical record, but scientists have unearthed some evidence in ancient human teeth. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Dusty 'Cat's Paw Nebula' contains a type of molecule never seen in space — and it's one of the largest ever found

Scientists have detected a new, unusually large molecule never seen in space before. The 13-atom molecule, called 2-methoxyethanol, was detected in the Cat's Paw Nebula. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Woman's sudden blindness in 1 eye revealed hidden lung cancer

Doctors say it's very unusual to develop a visual impairment as the first symptom of lung cancer. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

James Webb telescope reveals fiery 'mane' of the Horsehead Nebula in spectacular new images

Captured in infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope, the star-forming Horsehead Nebula is located 1,300 light-years away in the Orion Constellation. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

China reveals most detailed geological map of the moon ever created

Chinese astronomers have shared the most detailed geological map of the moon ever created, revealing more than 12,000 structures. The new atlas will be essential for picking out landing locations and resource sites for future lunar missions. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

2 plants randomly mated up to 1 million years ago to give rise to one of the world's most popular drinks

Arabica coffee plant appears to have evolved between 600,000 and 1 million years ago after two other coffee species crossbred in the forests of what is now Ethiopia. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

6G speeds hit 100 Gbps in new test — 500 times faster than average 5G cellphones

Scientists in Japan have transferred data at 100 gigabits per second in high-frequency wavelength bands over a distance of 330 feet for the first time. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Black hole 'traffic jams' are forcing cosmic monsters to collide, new study finds

Supermassive black holes may create conditions akin to "cosmic intersections with failed traffic lights" that make collisions between smaller stellar-mass black holes inevitable. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Deepest blue hole in the world discovered, with hidden caves and tunnels believed to be inside

Scientists have yet to reach the bottom of the Taam Ja' Blue Hole in Mexico's Chetumal Bay, which new measurements hint could be connected to a labyrinth of submarine caves and tunnels. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago

Researchers just found more than 1,000 new solar system objects hiding in plain sight

Artificial intelligence trained by asteroid-hunting citizen scientists helped identify more than 1,000 never-before-seen solar system objects from old Hubble images spanning two decades. | Continue reading


@livescience.com | 6 months ago