8 crested ibises released in Japan decades after extinction

Eight crested ibises were released into the wild in a north-central Japanese town, decades after the birds went extinct in ...

A giant star may have destroyed itself in one of the universe's rarest explosions

Astronomers may have discovered one of the clearest examples yet of a rare "pair-instability" supernova. It is a catastrophic explosion thought to completely destroy some of the most massive stars in ...

Student astronomer discovers 'Rosetta Stone' for mysterious cosmic signals

An international team led by astronomers at the University of Sydney has uncovered the clearest evidence yet for the origin of an unusual class of cosmic signals. In doing so, they have identified a ...

What 'biodegradable' packaging really means—and three key questions to ask about it

"Biodegradable" has become one of the most reassuring words in modern packaging. It appears on coffee cups, shopping bags and ...

In Senegal, a 2,000‑year‑old iron workshop sheds new light on the past

How was iron produced 2,000 years ago in Senegal? A recent study at the Didé West 1 archaeological site, in the Falémé Valley ...

JWST finds a stellar bar in the early universe that breaks all rules

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a stellar bar in GN20, a massive galaxy seen just 1.5 ...

Legal reforms to stop abusive SLAPPs fail to stop chilling effect of the powerful, study warns

Legal reforms designed to curb the abusive use of "SLAPPs" are insufficient to stop the rich and powerful trying to block ...

Record wildfire losses rocked 2025 even as global burned area neared all-time lows

A new analysis of global wildfire activity in 2025 reveals the world experienced some of the most destructive and deadly fire events in recent history, despite the second lowest area burned since 2002 ...

Bacteria uncover distinct strategy to import rare sugar polymers, crystal structures show

Even though sugars are often framed as simple sources of energy, they also serve as structurally complex and functionally diverse molecules that mediate interactions between organisms. Among these, ...

Parasitic fly 'sacrifices sight' after finding host, study shows

Deer keds—biting flies found across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas—use their eyes and flight to locate a host, typically deer, but occasionally humans or other mammals. Once they land, however, ...

A natural chemistry laboratory in protostar shock waves

Life exists because elements combine to form complex organic molecules. Astrochemistry studies this process, trying to understand how nature creates carbon-based molecules critical for life. One ...

Supermassive black holes could be the universe's biggest planet nurseries

Supermassive black holes are the largest known black holes in the universe, sitting at the center of most large galaxies. They are sometimes described as cosmic monsters because they feed on ...