A larkspur specimen in bloom at Beal Botanical Garden – credit, Paul Henderson, released by MSU Two famously toxic plants—known also to treat pain, malaria, cancer, and pests—may have had those medicinal properties synthesized in a lab for the first time. The researchers behind the discovery believe “plants are the best chemists”—and their breakthrough demonstrates … Read more
Scientists have captured images of the sun’s surface in the finest detail yet, revealing a strange and dynamic facade. It’s dangerous to look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. But researchers were able to peek at its scorching surface with the help of the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, located … Read more
A group of Stanford researchers recently discovered an explosive cell in flatworms that appears to sacrifice itself in order to kill other cells, possibly paving the way for a new method of medical treatment, a June 2026 article from the university says. According to a Stanford study, the flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea contains “ruptoblasts,” cells that undergo … Read more
WASHINGTON >> Astronomers have obtained the highest-resolution images to date of our sun’s visible surface, observing swirling, vortex-like patterns in superheated solar gases reminiscent of the shapes depicted in the nocturnal sky in Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 painting “The Starry Night.” The researchers made the observations of a portion of the sun’s photosphere, a relatively … Read more
The fact that you, or I, or any living creature, is here at all is a series of astonishing strokes of luck stretching back more than 4 billion years. One of the biggest hurdles was the very first one: How did life emerge from a primordial soup of stuff that very much wasn’t alive?A radical new … Read more
In the heart of urban Los Angeles lie the La Brea Tar Pits, a group of natural asphalt seeps made famous by the millions of ice age fossils preserved within the bubbling, dark pools of goo. Excavations of the pits have yielded bones of species that once roamed the area tens of thousands of years … Read more
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.Although no one observed the actual 5,400-mph (8,700-kph) collision, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting … Read more
We may owe our very existence to an ancient poop explosion. If the earliest animals hadn’t been such prolific poopers, life might not have diversified into all the weird and wonderful forms we see today. That’s the conclusion reached by a new review study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution.The team of scientists in Australia and … Read more
It’s been a particularly apocalyptic summer. Relentless, record-shattering heatwaves, untamable wildfires, and deadly floods are just some of the disasters that have made global headlines in the past few months. In a warming world, these extreme events are beginning to feel commonplace. But according to a staggering analysis, it’s probably going to get much worse … Read more
Scientists will track stray rocket parts striking the Moon to study crater formation and lunar dust from cosmic impacts.Published On 5 Aug 20265 Aug 2026A four-tonne chunk of debris the size of a school bus from a SpaceX rocket has crashed into the Moon, according to tracking data, creating a new crater on the lunar … Read more