Is the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ really a planet? A bright visitor this month may hold a clue.
A brilliant point of light is rising in the eastern sky soon after dark this month, drawing comparisons to the “Star of Bethlehem.”
Category: Science
Today’s biggest science news: Japan earthquake | Robot kicks CEO | Northern Lights forecast
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
How many species are on Earth?
There are roughly 2.5 million known species on the planet, but scientists estimate that’s only a fraction of the biodiversity on Earth. A new study
Rare ‘sunglint’ transforms Alabama River into a giant ‘golden dragon’ — Earth from space
A 2023 astronaut photo shows the moment the Alabama River briefly morphed into an undulating golden serpent, similar in shape to a Chinese dragon. This
Glue strong enough to tow a car made from used cooking oil
Chemists used waste cooking oil to create a sustainable, super-sticky adhesive that’s strong enough to hold up hundreds of pounds of weight.
Geminids 2025: The year’s best meteor shower peaks this week, with a second shower hot on its tail
The Geminid meteor shower peaks this week! The Geminids peak overnight on Dec. 13 and 14, when up to 150 “shooting stars” per hour will
Huge relatives of white sharks lived earlier than thought
Lamniform sharks such as great whites and tiger sharks are famous for their size. The first such giants evolved 15 million years earlier than thought.
Historic search for ‘huge missing piece’ of the universe turns up negative — but reveals new secrets of particle physics
Scientists hunted dark matter and solar neutrinos with one of the largest experiments yet. While the neutrinos likely appeared, dark matter results couldn’t be confirmed.
Today’s biggest science news: Japan earthquake tsunami | Kilauea lava fountains | Northern Lights forecast
Monday, Dec. 8, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
Science history: Female chemist initially barred from research helps develop drug for remarkable-but-short-lived recovery in children with leukemia — Dec. 6, 1954
In December 1954, Gertrude Elion and colleagues described a new compound they had developed that sent children with leukemia into remission. It would guide a
GLP-1 drugs failed to slow Alzheimer’s in two big clinical trials
Tantalizing results from small trials and anecdotes raised hopes that drugs like Ozempic could help. Despite setbacks, researchers aren’t giving up yet.
Drought may have doomed the ‘hobbits’ of Flores
Stalagmite data suggest Homo floresiensis faced prolonged drought that stressed both them and their prey, contributing to their disappearance.
NASA’s New Astronaut Candidates
NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United
Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
The reason we can gracefully glide on an ice-skating rink or clumsily slip on an icy sidewalk is that the surface of ice is coated