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Articles by Science News Today

An archaeologist takes samples of pollen found in soil to understand the changing vegetation of a site: a companion technique to the authors' analysis of hazelnut shells. Credit: Nils Forshed.

The Unexpected Science Hidden in 10,000-Year-Old Nut Shells

This shows tattoo artist Danny Riday tattooing his own leg using a bone awl made from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). This variety of puncture tattooing, colloquially known as "hand poke" or "stick and poke" tattooing, involves the use of a sharp implement either held directly in the hand or hafted to the end of a handle. Credit: European Journal of Archaeology (2024). DOI: 10.1017/eaa.2024.5

The 5,000-Year-Old Tattoos That Still Speak Today

Illustration of elephant hunting using spears. Credit: Dana Ackerfeld

The Secret Path Where Humans and Elephants Once Walked Together

TM 1309. Danzantes associated with the set of vertical and sinusoidal lines. Photograph: A. Rozwadowski; drawing: Polish-Peruvian research team. Credit: Cambridge Archaeological Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1017/S0959774324000064

The Ancient Dance Etched in Stone That May Have Been Fueled by Hallucinations

This new study underscores the significance of directly comparing the spatial behavior of Neanderthals and ''Homo sapiens'' within the same site, using consistent parameters, to minimize analytical bias. Credit: University of Montreal

The Cave That Proves Neanderthals Were Far More Human Than We Believed

Visualization of the findings – a: double burial; b and c: location within the burial ground; d: 2 gold pendants, found as grave goods; e: Documentary photo of the two individuals; f: Documentation photo of the horse (data: City of Wels, basemap.at, OpenStreetMap, Natural Earth). Credit: Dominik Hagmann, 2024

The Roman Mother and Daughter Buried With a Horse

Scientists Detect a Mysterious Man-Made Void Beside the Great Pyramid

The gold earring found by the scientists, photographed against a dark background, in front of the jar it was found in. Credit: Marco Ansaloni

The Mountain Village That Vanished in Fire and War

The tombs and skeletons of the man with the left leg amputation, designated M693 (a-b), and the man with the right leg amputation, designated M432 (c-d). Credit: Qian Wang/Texas A&M School of Dentistry

The 2,500-Year-Old Amputation Mystery Finally Explained

Results of the geophysical survey of the previously unknown site of Jarkovac (Serbia). The settlement, whose surface material points to both the Vinča culture and the Banat culture (5400-4400 BCE), has a surface area of up to 13 ha and is surrounded by four to six ditches. The deep black angular anomalies indicate a large number of burnt houses. Credit: Cluster ROOOTS/Museum of Vojvodina Novi Sad/National Museum Zrenjanin/National Museum Pančevo

Secrets of a Forgotten Civilization Discovered Near the Tamiš River

Deep within the Umm Jirsan Cave system. Credit: Green Arabia Project

10,000 Years Ago People Lived in Lava Tubes Beneath Arabia’s Sands

A close look at a Quina-like scraper from Jaljulia. Credit: Tel Aviv University

The Incredible Story Behind the Sharpest Tools of 400,000 Years Ago

Ceramic remains from Espluga de Puyascada Cave (La Fueva, Huesca) analysed in the study. Credit: R. Laborda

The Milk Mystery Buried in the Pyrenees for 7,500 Years

The Langmahdhalde (left) and Vogelherd Cave (right) sites. Credit: University of Tübingen

The Ice Age Didn’t Keep Them Away for Long

Credit: University of Exeter

The Roman Surgeons Who Knew More Than We Thought

Signs of caries sicca on cranium C2, both photograph and X-rays image. Credit: Journal of Archaeological Science (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jas.2024.106040

The Secret Hidden in a 400-Year-Old Brain

A new international study suggests that ancient viral DNA embedded in our genome, which were long dismissed as genetic "junk", may actually play powerful roles in regulating gene expression. Credit: ASHBi/Kyoto University

The Ancient Viruses That Still Control Our Genes

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The Day Myanmar’s Fault Line Became a Supersonic Monster

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Science vs. Belief: Where Logic Ends and Mystery Begins

Although occupation of dodecahedral cages by TBAB had not been previously reported, it was found that utilizing dodecahedral cages allows for higher packing density of TBAB. Credit: Yokohama National University

The Crystal That Hid Its Secret for 80 Years

Establishing an abiotic phospholipid metabolic network. Credit: Nature Chemistry (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41557-025-01829-5

What If We Could Watch Life Begin All Over Again

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The Secret Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life You’ve Probably Overlooked

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Will Technology Change Human Evolution Forever?

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From Fish to Human: Tracing the Incredible Journey of Evolution

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How Evolution Shaped the Human Brain and Our Intelligence

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Survival of the Fittest or the Luckiest? What Natural Selection Really Means

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Evolution vs. Creation: Can Science and Religion Ever Agree

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Are We Still Evolving? What Human Evolution Looks Like Today

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What Darwin Didn’t Know: Modern Discoveries Reshaping Evolution

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The Future of Evolution: What Comes After Us?