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A newly discovered Arctic process can dramatically boost the number of particles that help form clouds. Near melting sea ice, sunlight reacts with chemicals released by the ocean, algae, and ice, causing cloud-seeding particles to multiply by as much ...

Scientists are searching some of Earth's oldest rocks for tiny fossils that could reveal how simple microbial life made the extraordinary leap toward plants, animals, and other complex organisms. Solving that ancient mystery may also help determine . ...

Nature invented biodegradable plastic long before humans did--and animals may have been feeding on it for hundreds of millions of years. Researchers discovered that dozens of animal species possess enzymes capable of breaking down microbial ...

Scientists have discovered a new extinct amphibian species hiding in the fossil collections of Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits. Named Spea labreae, the Ice Age spadefoot toad is an exceptionally rare find--only one other extinct Pleistocene amphibian . ...

Rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be leaving a measurable imprint inside the human body. Researchers analyzing more than two decades of U.S. health data found that blood bicarbonate levels have climbed about 7% since 1999, while calcium and ...

Fossils collected in Osaka more than 30 years ago have revealed a surprise hiding in plain sight: four previously unrecognized bones from a giant Cretaceous mosasaur. Among them is the first confirmed premaxilla--the frontmost bone of the upper jaw- ...

Scientists have long thought an unusual genetic system helped ants, bees, and wasps evolve their extraordinary social colonies. A massive new analysis suggests that genetics alone can't explain it--and the real secret may lie in other traits unique . ...

Researchers have found strong evidence that original collagen can survive inside dinosaur fossils for tens of millions of years, overturning a long-standing assumption about fossilization. The discovery could unlock hidden molecular clues about ...

Scientists have found that the AMOC may be far more vulnerable to rapid warming than to temperature alone. When warming happens slowly, the ocean can adapt, but at faster rates similar to today's, the massive Atlantic circulation could reach a ...

Scientists may have uncovered evidence that a mammal ancestor was giving birth to live young 236 million years ago. A fossilized cynodont showed a neonatal growth line and an unusually large birth size that closely match patterns seen in modern ...