Pluto's dunes made of frozen methane

The icy world has dunes, but unlike Earth's sandy versions, Pluto's seem to be composed of flecks of methane ice.

New map of Alaska’s ancient coast supports theory that America’s first people arrived by boat

New research supports an early sea arrival, by way of the Pacific coast. By dating rocks and animal bones, scientists conclude that the coast of southeastern Alaska was largely ice-free and full of plant and animal life some 17,000 years ago—a welcoming environment for people venturing south into a new world.

Ancient DNA shows first farmers in South-East Asia migrated from China 4,500 years ago

Researchers extracted DNA from ancient bones found in modern-day Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar to estimate when new genes started flowing into the Indigenous hunter-gatherer populations of the time.  They found an influx of genes from South China coincided with the appearance of agriculture in South-East Asia around 4,100 to 4,500 years ago, alongside pottery and tools made in the southern Chinese style.  A second gene "pulse" flowed from China to South-East Asia a couple of thousand years later.

A very distant fast-growing monster black hole discovered

Scientists have discovered the fastest growing black hole known in the universe.  It is growing at a rate of 1 per cent every 1 million years, and it is so big it is consuming a mass equivalent to the Sun every two days.

Artificial intelligence mimics human brain cells used for navigation — and takes shortcuts

A team from Google DeepMind and University College London in the United Kingdom have trained a form of artificial intelligence to traverse a virtual environment from one point to another.

New 'exploding ant' species: Colobopsis explodens

When confronted by an enemy insect, these tree-dwellers latch onto their foe, tear open their own body wall and release yellow toxic goo onto their rival, slowing or killing it.

'Tweezers of light' used to trap two single atoms and build molecule

For the first time, physicists have used lasers to cool, isolate and merge exactly two atoms — one sodium, one caesium — to form a molecule.

Fossilised Finger Bone May Be the Earliest Evidence of Sapiens on the Arabian Peninsula

Archaeologists on Monday announced the discovery of a fossilised human finger bone in the desert of Saudi Arabia that they said was 85,000 years old.  If confirmed, the finding would be the first and earliest Homo sapiens fossil found on the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the oldest specimen of our species to be directly dated outside of Africa and its doorstep, the Levant.

Icarus: the most distant star ever viewed

Scientists have detected the most distant star ever viewed, a blue behemoth located more than halfway across the universe and named after the ancient Greek mythological figure Icarus.

Scientists discover new human organ

A group of scientists say they have discovered a new fluid-filled space inside human tissue that could be its largest organ.  Called interstitium, the space is found everywhere throughout the body, from under the skin to between the organs.  It surrounds arteries, muscles, and the digestive and urinary tracts in a layer long thought to be dense connective tissue.

Mysterious 'ghost' galaxy with no dark matter

The galaxy, called NGC 1052-DF2, or DF2 for short, contains virtually no dark matter, challenging current theories about galaxy evolution and the role of dark matter.

Early humans used ochre and traded tools amid turbulent times in Africa 300,000 years ago

As the earth shook and the climate swung between extremes, early humans in East Africa underwent a radical shift in cultural behaviour. This happens to be around the time anatomically modern Homo sapiens appear in the fossil record.

Jupiter: deep jet streams, dense liquid core — and cyclone mystery

Below whirling jet streams, 3,000 kilometres deep, lies a dense, rotating core of liquid hydrogen and helium.  Under such crushing pressures, atoms are torn apart, and the fluid core acts like a solid mass.  But the new data also toss up a mystery of their own: what's causing the strangely symmetrical, stable pattern of cyclones at Jupiter's poles?

Signals from the first stars in the universe detected

Astronomers have detected a signal from the first stars as they appeared and illuminated the universe, in observations that have been hailed as “revolutionary”.  The faint radio signals suggest the universe was lifted out of total darkness 180m years after the big bang in a momentous transition known as the cosmic dawn. The faint imprint left by the glow of the earliest stars also appears to contain new and unexpected evidence about the existence and nature of dark matter which, if confirmed by independent observatories, would mark a second major breakthrough.

Chimps and bonobos share a similar protolanguage

If a bonobo and a chimpanzee ever crossed paths, they'd probably be able to understand each other. Although it has been known for some time that bonobos and chimps perform a number of similar gestures, this is the first time that the meaning of those gestures has been found to significantly correlate. Between 88 and 96 per cent of the gestures performed by bonobos are also used by chimpanzees.

World's oldest-known rock art created by Neanderthals, not modern humans

Neanderthals painted a ladder, dots and hand stencils on the walls of three limestone caves at least 20,000 years before modern humans set foot in Europe.

Ants rescue fallen comrades from the battlefield for emergency treatment

Researchers have learned that Matabele ants save their wounded comrades and transport them back to the nest for medical treatment.

Magpies' brain power may be boosted by living in larger groups

Australian magpies that hang out in large groups appear to be smarter and more successful at breeding than those in smaller groups.

Mystery surrounds ancient but advanced tools found in India

More than 7,000 ancient stone tools have been discovered in India that show a distinct upgrade in stone-shaping techniques — including advanced blades, points and scrapers — dating as far back as 385,000 years ago.  This suggests that modern stone tools were being made in India 250,000 years earlier than previously thought. The tools may have been made by an archaic species of hominin, rather than modern humans.

60,000 Mayan structures found preserved under dense Guatemalan jungle

Researchers using a high-tech aerial mapping technique have found tens of thousands of previously undetected Mayan houses, buildings, defence works and pyramids in the dense jungle of Guatemala's Peten region, suggesting that millions more people lived there than previously thought.

Ancient arachnid trapped in amber a missing link in spider evolution

A tiny arachnid discovered in 100-million-year-old amber looks just like a spider, except for one thing: its whip-like tail. The fossil fills a critical gap in the arachnid family tree between today's spiders and spider-like arachnids that lived before the dinosaurs.

The Very First Exoplanets Found Outside The Milky Way

Astrophysicists have discovered for the first time a population of planets beyond the Milky Way galaxy. Using microlensing—an astronomical phenomenon and the only known method capable of discovering planets at truly great distances from the Earth among other detection techniques — researchers were able to detect objects in extragalactic galaxies that range from the mass of the Moon to the mass of Jupiter.

Ancient jaw bone found in Israel shows modern humans left Africa 180,000 years ago

Modern humans were wandering out of Africa at least 180,000 years ago — some 60,000 years earlier than previously thought.  The new migration date comes after ancient stone tools and part of a fossilised Homo sapiens jaw bone with teeth were discovered in a cave in northern Israel.  Until now, the oldest evidence for modern humans outside Africa were only 90,000 to 120,000 years old.

Huge water ice reserves found on Mars

The discovery of a mountain of frozen water lying just under the surface of Mars has been hailed by scientists as game-changer for exploration of the Red Planet. The massive ice cliffs soar 100 metres high, but scientists believe they could be just the beginning when it comes to what lies beneath the surface of the arid planet. The ice could also provide a frozen record of the planet's changing climate over millennia.

A duck-like dinosaur with killer claws ran, swam and tore prey to shreds

It had a graceful, swan-like neck but bizarre "killer claws" that could tear prey to shreds: The fossil of a new, 75-million-year-old species of "duck dinosaur" has been discovered in Mongolia.  The fossil represents a new species of amphibious dinosaur, one that walked on two legs on land like ducks, but also used its flipper-like forelimbs to manœuver in water like penguins. It also relied on its long neck for foraging and ambush hunting.  The scientific name of the creature is Halszkaraptor escuillie.

Dark matter space probe detects tantalising signal

Results reported today by a space science mission provide a tantalising hint—but not firm evidence—for dark matter.

Sponges declared to be sister of all other animals

Longstanding question of whether sponges or comb jellies were first to branch off the evolutionary tree from the common ancestor of all animals may be settled.

Hundreds Of Eggs From Ancient Flying Reptile Found In China

A cache of hundreds of eggs discovered in China sheds new light on the development and nesting behaviour of prehistoric, winged reptiles called pterosaurs.  A single sandstone block held at least 215 well-preserved eggs that have mostly kept their shape. Sixteen of those eggs have embryonic remains of the pterosaur species Hamipterus tianshanensis.

Lone exoplanet has most eccentric orbit ever detected around old giant star

Astronomers have detected a planet orbiting an elderly star in our galactic neighbourhood.  The new planet, known as HD76920b, is four times the size of Jupiter and orbits a star much larger than the Sun, nearly 600 light years away in the constellation of Volans — also known as the flying fish.  It has the most eccentric orbit yet detected around any giant star.

Mars 'flowing streams' found to be sand avalanches

What some planetary scientists thought were trickling salty streams on the Red Planet, potentially harbouring microbial life, could be nothing but avalanches of dry sand.

Ancient pottery reveals humans have made wine for at least 8,000 years

Humans have made and quaffed wine for at least 8,000 years, with the earliest evidence for the grape drink found in what is now Georgia. Archaeologists found telltale chemical traces of the fermented drop in pieces of pottery dug from ancient villages.

Colour patterns of feathered dinosaur fossil

A small feathered dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx sported a stripy tail, "bandit mask" across its eyes and a pale belly to help it blend into the background, according to new research. The researchers suggest the bird-like dinosaur that lived 130 million years ago had camouflaging patterns in order* to escape being eaten.

* This misrepresents evolutionary theory.  Adaptations arise 'because of' ('as a result of'), not 'in order to'.  That is, this wording falsely ascribes purpose to evolution instead of reason and result.

Jupiter's two strange auroras pulse to their own X-ray beat

Scientists have detected a powerful X-ray aurora hotspot near Jupiter's south pole and it does not behave how they expected. Rather than pulsing in sync with the northern aurora, the southern hotspot runs to its own regular beat.

12-month-old babies recognise emotional reactions and link them to their cause

Researchers have shown what parents everywhere already know: babies can recognise a range of emotional reactions such as "mmm!" and "aww!" and connect them to their probable cause, such as a dessert or another cute baby.

Ring discovered around 'potato-shaped' dwarf planet Haumea

A ring system has been found around a dwarf planet for the first time — the distant, potato-shaped Haumea, which lies beyond Neptune.

Volcanic eruptions may have contributed to war in ancient Egypt

Distant volcanic eruptions may have indirectly triggered a series of revolts by the people of ancient Egypt against their despised Ptolemaic overlords.

Diprotodon may have been seasonal migrant

The largest marsupial to have ever lived, Diprotodon optatum, a 3,000-kilogram herbivore that stood 1.8 metres tall at the shoulder, may have been a migratory species, an analysis of a fossil tooth suggests.

Gravitational waves detected for fourth time

Scientists have detected gravitational waves — tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time — for the fourth time. Just like the first three detections, these ripples were caused by the merging of two black holes.

How Therapod Dinosaurs Swapped Teeth for Bird Beaks

Using fossils and a large comparative analysis of modern animals, a team of evolutionary biologists has found that the loss of teeth and the emergence of beaks are connected processes in theropods. As the beak grew across the dinosaur’s face, it also inhibited the growth of teeth. On an evolutionary scale this transition happened until theropods developed mouths that resembled the bird beaks seen today.

The source of high-energy cosmic rays finally detected

Scientists confirm for the first time that high-energy cosmic rays come from a galaxy-dense area of sky 100-200 million light years away.

Scientists build 'DNA robots' that transport molecular cargo

Researchers have built a team of robots, made entirely out of DNA, that can walk around and sort molecules.

Baleen whales are descended from predatory carnivores

The ancestors of baleen whales were equipped with the razor-sharp teeth and could have hunted seals and penguins, rather than the tiny krill they eat today.

Chimpanzees understand circular hierarchies

Chimpanzees of all ages can learn the simple circular relationship between the three different hand signals used in the well-known game rock-paper-scissors.

Organic molecule found in Titan's atmosphere

A compound that may form cell wall-like structures has been detected in the dense atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan.

Canaanites survived Biblical 'slaughter', ancient DNA shows

The ancient Canaanites, who the Bible says were commanded to be exterminated, did not die out, but lived on to become modern-day Lebanese, according to the first study to analyse their DNA.

First exomoon may have been discovered

NASA’s Kepler space telescope has received signal of what could potentially be the first discovered “exomoon,” a moon orbiting a planet beyond our solar system. Astronomers believe the candidate moon, which lies some 4000 light-years from Earth, is about the size and mass of Neptune, and is orbiting a planet the size of Jupiter but with 10 times the mass. Further observations of the exomoon using the Hubble Space Telescope will take place in October.

October 2018 Update:

Hints of a potential alien moon strengthen with Hubble data

Indigenous rock shelter pushes Australia's human history back to 65,000 years

New excavations of a rock shelter near Kakadu National Park indicate humans reached Australia at least 65,000 years ago — up to 18,000 years earlier than archæologists previously thought.

Scientists create 3D-printed brain-like tissue from stem cells

Scientists have used a 3D printer to create nerve cells found in the brain using a special bio-ink made from stem cells.

New particle Xi-cc++ opens up physics mystery

A new particle detected in the atom smasher at CERN called Xi-cc++ has rekindled interest in an experiment that claimed evidence for a similar Xi particle, back in 2002.

Milky Way's fast-moving stars may have come from another galaxy

The fastest-moving stars in our galaxy may have been shot off the bow of a passing smaller galaxy. These so-called "galactic hypervelocity stars" are large and short-lived but travel up to 1,000 kilometres per second. Strangely, most of them appear to be in an unusual cluster in the northern hemisphere sky, and the origin of these huge speedsters has been a bit of a puzzle. But now, researchers from the University of Cambridge argue these stars may have been flung off the front of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a dwarf galaxy travelling at high speed past the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.

Bee brain formula for seeing colours more effectively could be used in drones, robots

Scientists investigating how bees see colours say the insect's highly efficient visual system could revolutionise the way robots and drones view the world.  The way humans see colour is heavily affected by the changing light around them, such as during a sunset or in the middle of the night, but bees see the same colour regardless.  The Melbourne-based team has studied how bees solve this problem, by using three special eyes on top of their head, in addition to two main eyes at the front. The three eyes point skyward, and they directly sample the colour of the light above us.

Deep-sea coral reef glow-in-the-dark secrets revealed in new research

Scientists have discovered the reason why some deep-sea coral reefs glow in the dark.  Researchers from the University of Southampton found corals in deep water survived by making a special type of fluorescent protein.  The research found the proteins responsible for acting as sunblock in corals in shallow waters worked differently in deep-sea reefs.  The protein absorbs blue light and converts it, to help improve the photosynthetic capacity of algae living in the coral.

Palm cockatoos drum a regular rhythm to attract a mate

Just like a human drummer, male palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) use drumsticks from branches and seed pods to beat out a steady rhythm. And it appears they use their drumming, along with a complex array of calls and wing-flapping, to attract female birds.