Science

Loch Insh, Cairngorms: In my three decades in Scotland I’ve adjusted to the darkness of this time of year, and found glory in the quality of light It is the one clear day in a fortnight of heavy cloud, wind and rain, so I am out by the loch, basking in the rays of light, breathing them in, hoarding for the weeks to come. This time of year makes them all the more precious. Here in the Highlands, once we are past the autumnal equinox , we can almost feel the Earth tipping away from the sun as the light grows shorter each day and the night steals back. It’s a turn that is especially obvious when the clocks change and our evenings are suddenly dark. Continue reading...

Earth is warming faster than ever recorded, with scientists detecting a major acceleration in global temperatures since around 2015. A new study reveals that the warming rate has surged to approximately 0.35°C per decade, nearly double the average pace observed from 1970 to 2015. After removing natural climate fluctuations, researchers confirmed the acceleration with more than 98% statistical confidence.

Astronomers have solved a 170-year-old planetary mystery in a nearby two-star system, discovering that a mysterious wobble was caused by stellar activity rather than a giant planet. Although Jupiter-sized worlds have been ruled out in key regions, smaller, potentially habitable planets could still be waiting to be discovered just 16 light-years from Earth.

Scientists have discovered that three bizarre deep-sea fish that look exactly like seahorses actually belong to a separate evolutionary group, proving that nature created the same unusual body shape more than once. Nicknamed "sea muppets," these elusive creatures are known from just seven specimens, and no one has ever seen one alive.

A surprising discovery at UC San Diego suggests that chronic lower back pain may become deeply embedded in the brain's sense of personal identity. Researchers found that movement-triggered pain activates a brain network associated with self-awareness and memories, even though ordinary acute pain typically shuts this network down. This unexpected difference could explain why conventional pain medications often provide limited relief and why fear, anticipation, and past experiences can intensify chronic pain.

Patrick Stewart, the distinguished British actor of stage and screen, passed away Wednesday (Oct. 28) in Los Angeles at the age of 86.

On Oct. 29, 1991, the Galileo spacecraft flew by the asteroid Gaspra on its way to Jupiter. Here's why it mattered.

Using the same techniques that allowed A.I. technologies to crack a million-dollar math problem, researchers are building new systems that aim to solve the world’s cybersecurity crisis.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has found what might be a new dwarf planet in our solar system, orbiting the sun on an inclined plane past Pluto.

Time is running out for one of the most ambitious environmental pledges in history.

The leader of NASA's first mission around the moon in half a century is the last to announce what's next for him after retiring from active astronaut duty.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency deployed a new solar array on Thursday (Oct. 29) during a seven-hour spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

The Voorhees legend continues in Crystal Lake, but Jason X remains the Citizen Kane of this franchise.