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Science News

Latest science news, discoveries and scientific developments.

South American 'Pompeii': Volcanic eruption 22 million years ago preserved a snapshot of the Andes forming
Science News

South American 'Pompeii': Volcanic eruption 22 million years ago preserved a snapshot of the Andes forming

A volcanic eruption 22 million years ago froze a snapshot of the Andes in their youth, revealing a slow-and-steady formation of this formidable mountain range. The eruption, which originated from the Lauca Caldera in what is now northern Chile, blanketed the landscape in a formation known as ignimbrite. This rock is left over after a pyroclastic flow ‪—‬ a mix of rock, volcanic gas and ash that sweeps over the landscape like a broiling tsunami. Pyroclastic flow is what buried the Roman town of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79, preserving buildings and people where they fell. Now, a new study published Sept. 11 in the journal Science Advances extrapolates the landscape ...

📅 2026-09-14 20:51:07    •    Live Science
We now have an incredibly detailed map to help predict which areas of LA are the most at risk from 'The Big One'
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We now have an incredibly detailed map to help predict which areas of LA are the most at risk from 'The Big One'

Scientists have a new view of the ground under Los Angeles, and it's a bit shaky. The 3D model of the Los Angeles basin shows that downtown LA is underpinned by up to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) of sediment, which will likely amplify shaking from any earthquake that hits the region. That's not entirely new information, but the underground map is more precise than ever before, and it should help earthquake scientists better understand which areas of the city are most vulnerable. "With this improved model of the basin, we now know the shape of the edges of the basin in a lot more detail," Elizabeth Cochran, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist who was not involved in the study, told Live Scienc...

📅 2026-09-14 19:49:56    •    Live Science
Feeling nervous? Work the system
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Feeling nervous? Work the system

Scientists are exploring new ways to regain control of overactive nervous systems including humming, tapping on the skin and cold-water immersion.

📅 2026-09-14 17:00:00    •    Science News
Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study
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Physicists zoom into the birth of cosmic rainstorms with new CERN study

Every second, particles zip through your body at nearly the speed of light. They rain down from a storm high in the sky, where cosmic rays, a powerful type of interstellar matter, constantly strike atoms in Earth's atmosphere. The impacts break them apart into a shower of particles that rain to the ground.

📅 2026-09-14 15:00:04    •    Phys.org
These deep-sea spiders give off an otherworldly glow
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These deep-sea spiders give off an otherworldly glow

An expedition of a deep-sea trench near Australia uncovered the eerie sea spider specimens, whose glow may have been chronicled in 19th century documents.

📅 2026-09-14 15:00:00    •    Science News
Cancer is rising in younger adults. Faster biological aging may help explain why
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Cancer is rising in younger adults. Faster biological aging may help explain why

Cancer rates are rising in adults under 55, and new research suggests accelerated biological aging may be one piece of the puzzle. Scientists found that people from more recent generations tended to have bodies that appeared biologically older than those of earlier generations at the same chronological age. Greater biological age acceleration was linked to a higher risk of early onset cancers, with specific patterns seen for lung, gastrointestinal, uterine and colorectal cancers.

📅 2026-09-14 14:47:07    •    ScienceDaily
Wildfire strategy doesn't need a winner—with 3 camps fighting for dominance, the system can't keep up with the risk
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Wildfire strategy doesn't need a winner—with 3 camps fighting for dominance, the system can't keep up with the risk

One of the problems with how America deals with wildfires is the belief that there is one primary strategy that can end the nation's wildfire crisis. Whether that's detecting and putting out every fire fast, increasing logging and forest thinning, or allowing fires to burn under safe conditions, the default choice today is to pour more money and effort into the star approach of the moment.

📅 2026-09-14 14:40:07    •    Phys.org
Evolutionary home advantage: Field experiment reveals adaptation to be surprisingly local
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Evolutionary home advantage: Field experiment reveals adaptation to be surprisingly local

A research team from the University of Bern has shown in a large-scale field experiment that populations of the same fish species can be much more fine-tuned to their local environments than previously thought. Habitats that appear nearly identical to us can therefore make a decisive difference in evolution. This hidden diversity is not only key to understanding how biodiversity arises, but also has important implications for its conservation.

📅 2026-09-14 14:40:04    •    Phys.org
Hidden brain wiring may help keep the mind sharp as gray matter shrinks
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Hidden brain wiring may help keep the mind sharp as gray matter shrinks

Scientists have discovered that the brain’s short-range wiring may help protect cognition even as gray matter shrinks with age. Healthier connections just beneath the brain’s surface were linked to better language skills and appeared to weaken the impact of gray matter loss.

📅 2026-09-14 14:23:40    •    ScienceDaily
Diagnosing parasites that pose health risks for dogs, humans
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Diagnosing parasites that pose health risks for dogs, humans

Parasites in wildlife don't just pose a risk to their wild hosts—they can also spread to domestic animals and humans, making safe and reliable ways to screen for these pests critical to promoting better health for all.

📅 2026-09-14 14:20:04    •    Phys.org
Chemistry textbooks have been getting this wrong for nearly 100 years
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Chemistry textbooks have been getting this wrong for nearly 100 years

A foundational chemistry concept found in textbooks for almost 100 years may have been taught incorrectly. Researchers say the inductive effect in neutral molecules appears to extend only across one chemical bond, rather than gradually weakening over three or four bonds as traditionally taught. The team argues that updating this explanation could make organic chemistry easier to understand and provide a stronger foundation for future research and innovation.

📅 2026-09-14 14:13:47    •    ScienceDaily
Physicists help uncover 'spooky' quantum effect in the Large Hadron Collider
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Physicists help uncover 'spooky' quantum effect in the Large Hadron Collider

Physicists at the University of Oxford have helped confirm that one of the strangest phenomena in physics—quantum entanglement—occurs even among some of the heaviest and most fleeting particles ever created. The discovery, made using the world's most powerful particle collider at CERN, has been published in Physical Review Letters.

📅 2026-09-14 14:12:41    •    Phys.org
Snail shells are surprise weather time capsules
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Snail shells are surprise weather time capsules

Snails carry weather records on their backs that could be used to map prehistoric cyclones, a University of Queensland study has shown. The project led by School of the Environment researchers examined the rings on the shell of a Biggenden Banded Snail (Figuladra bayensis) collected from Coalstoun Lakes National Park in southeast Queensland.

📅 2026-09-14 14:00:04    •    Phys.org
PISA 2025 and school rankings: Are we asking the right questions about schooling?
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PISA 2025 and school rankings: Are we asking the right questions about schooling?

The publication of the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2025) on Sept. 8 prompted the usual flurry of commentary, comparisons and rankings. France has slipped, some countries have improved, while others have proved more resilient. As always, attention quickly turns to where each country stands.

📅 2026-09-14 14:00:01    •    Phys.org
Scientists find a hidden cause of high blood pressure that routine tests can miss
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Scientists find a hidden cause of high blood pressure that routine tests can miss

A wearable device has revealed nighttime hormone surges that may expose a frequently missed cause of high blood pressure. The discovery could help explain why primary aldosteronism often escapes standard blood tests and point toward a more accurate way to diagnose it.

📅 2026-09-14 13:57:49    •    ScienceDaily
Crocodiles are famous for finding their way home. These ones didn’t
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Crocodiles are famous for finding their way home. These ones didn’t

Captive-raised saltwater crocodiles released into Bangladesh’s Sundarbans surprised scientists by settling into the wild rather than trying to return to their breeding facility. The result suggests that releasing larger, mature captive crocodiles could help restore depleted populations more successfully than relying only on vulnerable hatchlings.

📅 2026-09-14 13:46:25    •    ScienceDaily
Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes, study finds
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Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes, study finds

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live—it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have found that pollinator seasons shifted later in the year across some of the most human-modified landscapes in the eastern United States.

📅 2026-09-14 13:40:10    •    Phys.org