Science

A new genus and species of prehistoric crocodile, Paludirex vincenti, has been identified from fossils unearthed in Queensland, Australia. Paludirex vincenti belongs to Mekosuchinae, an extinct subfamily of crocodylids from Australia and the South Pacific. Image credit: University of Queensland. Paludirex vincenti roamed Earth during the Pliocene epoch, between 5 …

An ancient wolf pup, named Zhùr (means ‘wolf’ in the Hän language of the local Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people), lived approximately 57,000 years ago and died in her den during a collapse of the sediments; during her short life, she ate aquatic resources, and is related to ancient Beringian and Siberian …

The supplementation of a novel strain of Bifidobacterium longum, designated APC1472, in otherwise healthy overweight and obese individuals reduced their fasting blood glucose levels and normalized active levels of both ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger, and the stress hormone cortisol. Bifidobacterium longum APC1472 has promising potential to be developed …

  NASA has a wealth of space rocks, known more properly as astromaterials. Some of them came directly from the surface of the moon during the Apollo era, and others were discovered after falling to Earth in Antarctica. Now, you can check out NASA’s collection in extreme detail using the …

  Jupiter and Saturn, our solar system’s two largest worlds, have been drawing ever closer to each other in the sky in recent months as seen from our Earthly vantage, an event that has come to be known as a great conjunction. The two planets will appear closest together on …

  For years, satellite internet has been a last resort for people living in remote areas. SpaceX has made waves offering its new Starlink service to select regions with much higher speeds than traditional satellite connections — testers are reporting as much as 150Mbps down. Amazon thinks it can do …

A new genus and species of medium-sized python that lived during the early-middle Eocene period has been identified from several nearly complete skeletons and partial skulls found in Germany. Messelopython freyi. Image credit: Senckenberg Research Institute. The newly-identified python species lived in what is now Germany, approximately 47.6 million years …

The wings of an angelic figure, complete with halo, can be seen sweeping up and off the top of the frame in a new image from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, while a large heart sits just right of center. This image comprises data gathered by ESA’s Mars Express on November …

The Aral Sea basin in Central Asia and its major rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, were the center of advanced river civilizations, and a principal hub of the Silk Roads over a period of more than 2,000 years. The region’s decline has been traditionally attributed to the Mongol …

Kangaroos, marsupial mammals that have never been domesticated, can intentionally communicate with humans, according to new research led by the University of Roehampton. The western gray kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in Donnelly Mills, Western Australia. Image credit: Sean Mack / CC BY-SA 3.0. “Domestication is generally assumed to have resulted in …