Science

A new species of stiletto snake has been discovered living in the rainforests of Liberia and Guinea. The Branch’s stiletto snake (Atractaspis branchi) in its natural habitat. Image credit: Mark-Oliver Rödel. The stiletto snakes, also known as burrowing asps, are members of Atractaspis, a genus with over 20 validly described …

Paleontologists in Australia have found fossil fragments from a new genus and species of ornithopod dinosaur that walked the Earth during the Early Cretaceous epoch. Galleonosaurus dorisae. Image credit: James Kuether. The new dinosaur belongs to Ornithopoda (ornithopods), a major group of herbivorous bird-hipped dinosaurs. Dubbed Galleonosaurus dorisae, it inhabited …

Paleontologists largely agree that the Chicxulub asteroid impact, possibly coupled with intense volcanic activity in India’s Deccan Traps, wiped out non-avian dinosaurs (all dinosaurs except birds) at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 66 million years ago. However, there is debate about whether dinosaurs were flourishing before this, or …

By analyzing a tooth from the first fossil remains of the extinct Pan-American sloth (Eremotherium laurillardi) found in Belize, a team of paleontologists has uncovered insights into the creature’s dietary adaptations, as informed by local climate. The Pan-American sloth (Eremotherium laurillardi). Image credit: Sergio de la Rosa / CONABIO / …

A team of archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has unearthed the remains of a 1,600-year-old agricultural estate at Tzur Natan in Israel’s Sharon Plain. The ancient winepress and inscription uncovered at Tzur Natan, Israel. Image credit: Yitzhak Marmelstein / Israel Antiquities Authority. The team, led by IAA archaeologist …

A group of Roman inscriptions, known as the Written Rock of Gelt, was discovered in the 18th century, but has suffered in recent years as a result of the gradual erosion of the soft sandstone into which they were cut. Now, a team of archaeologists from Newcastle University will record …

  The Opportunity rover has gone to a better place — Mars. Then about 15 years after reaching Mars, it shut down for good in the midst of a planet-wide dust storm. Before the plucky little rover passed on, it beamed back one final gift to the people of Earth: …

  People used to argue about whether or not planets like the eight (or more) in our solar system were rare. Starting in the 1990s with the discovery of the first exoplanets, it became clear planets are common around other stars. What about planets without stars? Astronomers have identified a …

  We know our Milky Way galaxy is big, but how big has been something of an open question. In the past, estimates of the total mass ranged from 500 billion to 3 trillion solar masses. It was difficult to pin down because of the unmeasurable dark matter making up …

  Satellites are physically quite secure orbiting the Earth, but the advent of cheaper high-power antennas makes them vulnerable in other ways. Engineers have only recently started taking cybersecurity seriously in satellite design, and as PCMag reports, that means hacking a satellite might not be as difficult as you think. …