Located 700 kilometers (440 miles) east of Madagascar, Réunion Island is the product of a long-lived mantle hotspot on the floor of the Indian Ocean. The island first emerged above the ocean’s surface about 2 million years ago. It remains active today, with frequent eruptions from Piton de la Fournaise, a shield volcano on the…
MANADO, Indonesia (AP) — An undersea magnitude 7.4 earthquake toppled buildings in parts of northern Indonesia, sent people fleeing from their homes, killed at least one person and generated a small tsunami Thursday. Strong shaking lasting 10 to 20 seconds was felt in Bitung in North Sulawesi province as well as in Ternate city in…
Using the Immersion Grating Infrared Spectrometer (IGRINS) on the Gemini South telescope at the International Gemini Observatory, astronomers have directly measured the atmospheric composition of WASP-189b and found it echoes the elemental makeup of its host star, offering the clearest evidence yet that planets inherit their chemical identities from the disks that formed them. An…
The history of gambling goes back way further than anyone imagined. This new discovery drastically alters the date of a key intellectual moment in the history of human culture—the recognition that some events in nature are random, under nobody’s control. All games of chance, from Yahtzee to horse race betting, rely on probability, a relatively…
If all goes according to plan, the Artemis II astronauts will spend the following three days journeying to the moon. Their next major milestone will come Monday, when they are scheduled to fly around the moon. When they do, they could venture farther from Earth than any humans have before, surpassing the distance record of…
Saunas and cold plunge pools are popping up everywhere in the UK, bringing fiery heat and icy cold to a beach, city farm or park near you. Their users will be ready with all the reasons why it’s good for both the mind and the body. But what’s the evidence for the benefits of sauna…
HONOLULU (AP) — Kaʻiulani Murphy is quick to spot white terns flapping their wings when she’s guiding Polynesian voyaging canoes across the Pacific. The birds hunt for food at sea and lay eggs on land. So traditional navigators like her, who look to the stars, waves and other elements in nature to pilot across the…
Thousands of endangered species in British Columbia are not receiving the help they need to survive, according to new Simon Fraser University research. B.C. is Canada’s most biodiverse province, but analysis of nearly 20 years of data indicates that very few of its threatened species are showing signs of recovery, largely due to a lack…
Animal Behavior, 2026. DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123491 (About DOIs). Human sperm gets lost in space Credit: Sperm and Embryo Biology Laboratory, Adelaide Universit Credit: Sperm and Embryo Biology Laboratory, Adelaide Universit When thoughts turn to the future of space exploration, particularly the potential for extended trips in microgravity, one can’t help but wonder how humans might breed…
Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Mushrooms are social butterflies. Seemingly small communities of fungi separated by hundreds of feet are frequently connected via vast underground webs known as mycelial networks. While these allow the fungi to share vital information about their surroundings and environmental…
