Apr 20th, 2026 - Kea parrot missing his upper beak "has rewritten what disability means for behaviorally complex species." Bruce the kea—a species of alpine parrot native to New Zealand—lost his upper beak in an accident as a young bird. But that hasn't stopped him from becoming the dominant male in his kea community (known as a "circus") at the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. According to a new paper published in the journal Current Biology, Bruce achieved his alpha status via a unique fighting method, essentially "jousting" with what remains of his beak. Researchers already knew Bruce was special. ... [Read More]

Apr 19th, 2026 - Quantum computing could lead to the discovery of new drugs and treatments (through advanced protein folding and analysis of reaction pathways), financial prediction models that could reshape Wall Street, or energy grid optimizations that may help alleviate the global energy crisis. Troublingly, they may also lead to the ability to crack some of the most popular existing encryption methods, which could lead to vulnerabilities in industries like banking and data security. The breakthrough at Caltech demonstrates that a practical quantum computer built around only 10,000 to 20,000 qubits may be ... [Read More]

Apr 19th, 2026 - It's quick and easy to access Live Science Plus, simply enter your email below. We'll send you a confirmation and sign you up for our daily newsletter, keeping you up to date with the latest science news. Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Join the conversation Add us as a preferred source on Google Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter ... [Read More]

Apr 18th, 2026 - University of Washington physicist David Hertzog can't wait to find out how hundreds of researchers who worked on a geeky project known as the Muon g-2 Collaboration will react when they hear they've each won thousands of dollars for that work. The money is coming from this year's $3 million Breakthrough Prize for fundamental physics, which was awarded tonight during a gala ceremony in Los Angeles. Hertzog and his colleagues decided that the prize should be divided equally among everyone who was an author on research papers relating to the decades-long series of muon experiments. "There are ... [Read More]

Apr 18th, 2026 - Follow Earth on Google Deep underground in parts of Africa, naked mole rats run their world like a tightly controlled kingdom. One queen produces all the offspring, while the rest work nonstop. They dig tunnels, gather food, and care for the young. Everything depends on that one female. For a long time, scientists believed that when a queen could no longer reproduce, the colony fell into chaos. Fights would break out. Rivals would battle for control. It sounded harsh, but it made sense in a system built around a single ruler. But now, researchers have discovered a different side of this ... [Read More]

Apr 18th, 2026 - We've had good reasons to look up at the skies lately: the pink moon earlier this month and the launch and splashdown of the Orion spacecraft, which carried humans to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years on the Artemis II mission .  And now we have two meteor showers. The first is the Lyrids, which began on Tuesday and continues until the end of the month. It's a relatively minor meteor shower fed by the C/1861 G1 comet, also known as Thatcher after its discoverer, A.E. Thatcher, in 1861. It's a long-period comet that takes 415.5 years to orbit the sun. The Lyrids meteor ... [Read More]

Apr 18th, 2026 - The sharks might also be the most physiologically vulnerable to warming waters. The evolutionary edge that fueled great white shark dominance for millions of years could soon become its greatest downfall. The ocean's most iconic predators maintain warmer body temperatures than the surrounding seawater and are paying an increasingly steep price for it. As the oceans warm due to climate change, they now face the risk of potentially fatal overheating, according to a new report in Science. Several large tuna species and sharks, known as "mesothermic" species for the way their bodies run hot, ... [Read More]

Apr 17th, 2026 - Welcome! Log into your account Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. Hedgehog Care Guide: Complete Setup, Feeding, and Health Reference for New Owners Hedgehog Care Guide: Complete Setup, Feeding, and Health Reference for New Owners An African pygmy hedgehog needs a warm enclosure, single-animal housing, a solid-surface wheel, an insectivore-friendly diet, and an exotic-vet plan before problems start. When those basics are steady, pet hedgehogs usually live several years and settle into a predictable nighttime routine. This hub pulls the whole care system together and ... [Read More]