Author Archives: Stephanie Pappas

Killer whales in a group near Spain and Portugal may be teaching one another to mess with small boats. They sank their third vessel earlier this month Continue reading →

Kissing probably predates Homo sapiens as a species, but the first texts documenting the beso go back to the early Bronze Age Continue reading →

Kissing probably predates Homo sapiens as a species, but the first texts documenting the beso go back to the early Bronze Age Continue reading →

A book-shaped rock spotted by the Curiosity rover on Mars is the result of an interplay of wind, water—and the human brain Continue reading →

Lañilawal, a Patagonian cypress that may be one of the oldest trees on Earth, needs greater protection if scientists are to understand its secrets of survival, an environmental scientist says Continue reading →

New research attempts to discern how bizarre particles of strange matter form in the nuclei of atoms Continue reading →

The first timekeeping devices were probably natural materials lost to the ages, but the ancient Egyptians were the first to leave records of their timekeeping methods Continue reading →

Killer whales rip open the bellies of sharks to snag the liver. Other predators also have dietary preferences for organs, brains and additional rich body parts Continue reading →

It’s probably a matter of when and how, not if, we humans will meet our doom Continue reading →

The World Health Organization declared the COVID outbreak a pandemic three years ago. Here’s what’s changed since then Continue reading →

The idea that wolf packs are led by a merciless dictator, or alpha wolf, comes from old studies of captive wolves. In the wild, wolf packs are simply families Continue reading →

Echoes from earthquakes suggest that Earth’s solid inner core has its own core Continue reading →

Trees communicate and cooperate through a fungal web, according to a widespread idea. But not everyone is convinced Continue reading →

In newly deciphered letters written from captivity in the late 1500s, deposed queen of Scotland Mary Stuart complained about her health and tried to negotiate her release Continue reading →

Does this all feel a little familiar? Called déjà vu, that sensation may be your brain correcting its own errors Continue reading →

A newly discovered interaction related to quantum entanglement between dissimilar particles opens a new window into the nuclei of atoms Continue reading →

Two-million-year-old DNA, the world’s oldest, reveals that mastodons once roamed forests in Greenland’s far northern reaches Continue reading →

Heavy rains may have set off an outpouring of ash and gases from Indonesia’s volcano Semeru “like uncorking a soda bottle” Continue reading →

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, erupted for the first time in nearly 40 years. Its eruptions tend to be shorter-lived than those of the other Big Island volcanoes, and its lava is more liquid and flows faster Continue reading →

Aye-ayes use their long middle finger to pick their noses, a first for this lemur species. But scientists aren’t sure why these animals picked up the habit Continue reading →

Researchers have identified a rare baby mummy as the firstborn son of a count of Austria, and rickets may have led to the child’s death Continue reading →

An ultradense pool of salty water at the bottom of the ocean holds a pristine record of hundreds of years of tsunamis, earthquakes and floods Continue reading →

A diamond contains the only known sample of a mineral from Earth’s mantle—and hints at oceans’ worth of water hidden deep within our planet Continue reading →

Fish fossils from Western Australia preserve the oldest 3-D hearts, livers, stomachs and intestines in a jawed vertebrate Continue reading →

Nanotubes may provide a cunning answer to the mystery of how the virus that causes COVID infects neurons and produces long-lasting neurological symptoms Continue reading →

New research suggests there are 14 percent more tree species out there than previously believed

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Why some tornadoes are able to travel so far and persist so long

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The surprising find has never shown up in nature before and reveals secrets about the earth’s mantle

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Tiny pockets of fluid inside imperfect diamonds show how Earth changed

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A new way of measuring the temperature of the seas could fill in gaps left by limited direct monitoring

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