snow break
Courtesy Alan W Chambers
He’s searching for a human-made problem in areas largely untouched by humans. Answers are just emerging
Polar adventurer Alan Chambers has teamed up with climate scientists to see if microplastics and nanoplastics have reached some of Earth’s remotest corners.

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View from the Nuvvuagittuq greenstone belt, Nunavik, Quebec, Canada.
Jonathan O’Neil
Scientists say they have identified Earth’s oldest rocks. It could reveal an unknown chapter in our planet’s history
Drone footage reveals orcas using tools in a stunning first
Scientists say a tiny brown moth navigates 600 miles using stars — just like humans and birds
First methane-powered sea spiders found crawling on the ocean floor
Glow-in-the-dark axolotls reveal a clue in the mystery of limb regeneration
Video Researchers capture elusive squid on camera 1:12
Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears
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Perez et al. 2025/Current Biology
First evidence of ‘living towers’ made of worms discovered in nature
Yersinia pestis, formerly pasteurella pestis, Bacteria responsible for the plague. Seen under optical microscopy X 1000.
BSIP/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
One of the world’s most notorious pathogens has survived for centuries. Scientists say they now know why
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• Video 1:31
Kayleigh Grant
Rare video shows 12 sharks co-feed socially 1:31
On May 11, USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists visited the western rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater to observe episode 21 of the ongoing Kīlauea summit eruption. While there, they captured this photo of lava fountains that were reaching approximately 500 feet (150 meters) in height above the northern eruptive vent and feeding several open lava channels onto the crater floor. USGS photo by M. Zoeller.
M. Zoeller/USGS
A reservoir of gold lies hidden in Earth’s core. Scientists say it’s leaking

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This photograph taken on September 30, 2022 shows eryngii mushrooms produced by the company Eclo which recycles beer and bread waste to grow organic mushrooms in Brussels. - The company from Brussels recycles beer residues and unsold bread to grow exotic species of mushrooms in a the ancient Anderlecht slaughterhouse cellar which previously held techno parties and exhibitions. (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP) (Photo by KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images/FILE
Robot controlled by a king oyster mushroom blends living organisms and machines
Earth core structure. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
forplayday/iStockphoto/Getty Images
Earth’s core has slowed so much it’s moving backward, scientists confirm. Here’s what it could mean
circa 1805: German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827). Original Artwork: Engraving after painting by Kloeber
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
New analysis of Beethoven’s hair reveals possible cause of mysterious ailments, scientists say
B8C6TT MEXICAN AXOLOTL
Stephen Dalton/Avalon.red/Alamy Stock Photo
Why axolotls seem to be everywhere — except in the one lake they call home

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Jeremy McCormack with a fossilized megalodon tooth (<em>Otodus megalodon</em>).
Uwe Dettmar for Goethe University
What megalodon really ate to meet its 100,000-calorie daily requirement, according to a new study
Young orange tomcat stalking in grass.
Tambako the Jaguar/Moment RF/Getty Images
What’s so special about orange cats? Turns out they’re freaks of nature
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Brendan Barrett/Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
Monkeys are kidnapping babies of another species on a Panamanian island, perplexing scientists
A Ming Dynasty woodblock-printed poem from Sancai Tuhui CREDIT “Sancai Tuhui,” compiled by Wang Qi.jpg
Sancai Tuhui
Ancient poetry unveils hidden history of critically endangered finless porpoises, scientists say
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UW/NSF-OOI/CSSF-ROPOS
Mile-wide underwater volcano ready to erupt off the West Coast
David Attenborough stands at the coast in Southern England. (Credit: Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios/Keith Scholey)
Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios/Keith Scholey
On his 99th birthday, David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ highlights ‘the most important place on Earth’
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Xinhua/Shutterstock (14223158c) A group of Haenyeo (women divers) walk on the beach after diving catch on Jeju Island, South Korea, Nov. 19, 2023. Jeju Island, located in the southern part of South Korea, is a popular tourist destination in the country. South Korea Jeju Tourism - 19 Nov 2023
Xinhua/Shutterstock
Did South Korea’s legendary female free divers evolve for a life underwater? Scientists find new evidence
CN7CJ3 Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia in South America
Michael Sayles/Alamy Stock Photo
Scientists explore the anatomy of a ‘zombie volcano’ that’s showing signs of activity
Tim Friede with a water cobra.
Centivax
He injected himself with snake venom hundreds of times. His blood could ‘revolutionize’ snakebite treatment
External appearance of the mummy from the ventral (A) and dorsal side (B) showing a completely intact body wall .
Courtesy Andreas Nerlich
A mummy called the ‘air-dried chaplain’ has long been shrouded in mystery. Scientists say they now have answers
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Maren Stubenvoll
Fungi could be used to build homes one day. Meet the researchers trying to make it possible
Captured goslings are seen in a box in Atlanta.
Courtesy AWARE Wildlife Center
Feathered family stuck on a rooftop gets a fairytale ending
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• Video 0:42
Bowland et al
Video New video shows how chimpanzees may bond over ‘boozy fruit’ 0:42
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CA - MARCH 27: Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome, Clouds Rest, and El Capitan, is revealed from Tunnel View after a brief rainstorm clears on March 27, 2025, in Yosemite National Park, California. Federal cuts to the National Parks budget have left many areas of Yosemite Valley vulnerable this spring and summer to short staffing issues, including layoffs by the concessionaire, Aramark. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
George Rose/Getty Images
Scientists stumble across rare evidence that Earth is peeling underneath the Sierra Nevada
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NASA
New evidence challenges theories on the origin of water on Earth, study suggests
This is the first confirmed live observation of the colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, in its natural habitat. The team on Schmidt Ocean Institute's Research Vessel Falkor (too) captured footage of the 30-centimeter-long squid (nearly one foot) at a depth of 600 meters (1968 feet) using their remotely operated vehicle SuBastian on March 9 during an Ocean Census flagship expedition searching for new marine life. The expedition took place in the remote South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. This year (2025) is the 100-year anniversary of the identification of the colossal squid, which are estimated to grow up to seven meters (23 feet) in length.
ROV SuBastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Colossal squid resembles a ‘glass sculpture’ in first footage taken from the deep sea