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Photo: Henry Horenstein / Getty Images 25,000-Year-Old Teeth Reveal Ancient Humans Were Addicted to Nut Sucking
Traces of psychoactive betel nut found in ancient teeth suggest humans were deliberately using mind-altering substances far earlier than believed.
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The Glaring Error in ‘Titanic’ That Neil deGrasse Tyson Helped James Cameron Fix
Tyson first informed director James Cameron of the problem in 1997, and was later enlisted to correct it for the film’s centennial rerelease
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2026’s Ig Nobel Winners Include Research on Buried Underwear, Cockroach Milk, and Urinal Splashback
This year’s strangest science honors also included research on kissing, teen body odor, nose-blowing aerodynamics, and mosquito 3D printers.
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Photo: Dave Hutchison Photography / Getty Images This 2.4-Acre Island Appeared, Disappeared, and Then Turned Up Somewhere Else
The 2.4-acre mass of trees and soil is actually a giant floating raft, pushed around a British Columbia reservoir by wind and high water.
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Photo: wildpixel / Getty Images Your Personality May Be Written Into Your DNA More Than We Realized, New Study Finds
A study of more than a million genomes linked 1,260 DNA variants to major personality traits, though genes explain only a small part of who you become.
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Screenshot: MBARI / YouTube Scientists Just Filmed One of the Deep Sea’s Creepiest Creatures for the First Time in This Part of the Pacific
The rare Magnapinna squid was filmed 10,751 feet below the Pacific, marking its first confirmed sighting in the region.
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Photo: Rasi Bhadramani / Getty Images These Are the Ages When Your Body Starts Aging Faster, According to Science
A new study found major bursts of tissue aging in the 30s and 50s, with different organs changing on surprisingly different timelines.
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Photo: Arkæologi Vestjylland / Facebook Archaeologists Found a 1,300-Year-Old Viking Dress Preserved by Its Own Jewelry
Metal salts from two ancient brooches slowed decomposition, preserving fabric that could reveal how the Viking woman dressed and lived.
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Photo: SafakOguz / Getty Images Scientists Just Found Another Way Neanderthals Were Built Tougher Than Us
A new study found Neanderthals had wider, sturdier heel bones, while modern footwear and sedentary life may have made our feet less rugged.
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Photo by Goedefroit Music/Getty Images Listening to This Music Genre Could Increase Your Pain Tolerance, According to Science
You’re not hardcore unless you live hardcore.
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Photo: SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images Scientists Say This Nerve Could Help Strengthen New Memories. Here’s How It Works.
In mice, vagus nerve stimulation appeared to improve learning over time, possibly by changing blood-flow rhythms in the brain.
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Photo: Stasya Yakovleva / Getty Images Your Dog Might Be Copying This Tiny Behavior Without You Realizing It
Researchers found dogs blinked more while watching blinking humans, with the strongest response occurring when they saw their own owners.
