Mummy DNA reveals ancestry of the ancient Egyptians

Mummies from ancient Egypt have revealed that some of them share very little of the sub-Saharan African ancestry that dominates the genetic heritage of modern Egyptians.  Their DNA more closely resembles the genetic heritage of people from the Near East and Levant.

Jupiter: First data from Juno mission reveals massive cyclones and aurorae

The first close-up glimpse of Jupiter's poles reveals massive cyclonic storms, some as large as 1,400 kilometres in diameter, and powerful aurorae — the planet has a magnetic fields 10 times that of Earth.

The earliest-known life on land 3.5 billion years ago

Ancient red rocks in Western Australia's Pilbara contain traces of a hot spring that hosted the earliest-known life on land 3.5 billion years ago. A team of researchers discovered evidence of fossil stromatolites — structures formed by layers of cyanobacteria — in what appears to be an ancient freshwater hot spring.