Sep 16th, 2025 - CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The bottom of the world is front and center for a partial solar eclipse next week. Antarctica, New Zealand and a sliver of Australia are in prime position as the moon slips between the sun and Earth , obscuring a good portion of our star. The action unfolds on Monday local time Down Under, two weeks after a total lunar eclipse wowed Asia . It will be the fourth and last eclipse of the year. Another back-to-back pair of eclipses opened the year in March. The sun will put on even better shows in 2026, hitting both polar regions. A "ring of fire" eclipse will ... [Read More]

Sep 16th, 2025 - Mummies are most often associated with Egypt , where the oldest ones are about 4,500 years old. But researchers say they have found mummies that are much older, on the other side of the world. "We found that in southern China and Southeast Asia, there were many archeological sites that contain human burials that are between four and 14,000 years old," Professor Peter Bellwood, a co-author of the study, told NBC News in a phone interview on Tuesday. The study, which was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined 54 pre-Neolithic burials from 11 ... [Read More]

Sep 16th, 2025 - The only dengue vaccine ever approved in the United States is being discontinued, raising questions about control of the mosquito-borne virus amid a decades-long surge in cases. The vaccine, Dengvaxia, was approved by the FDA in 2019 for children aged 9 to 16 years living in U.S. territories where dengue is endemic, including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Despite dengue's proliferation globally — WHO estimates that half of the world's population is at risk for infection — Sanofi Pasteur cited lack of demand when it announced that it would stop ... [Read More]

Sep 16th, 2025 - How a corpse plant makes its terrible smell − it has a strategy, and its female flowers do most of the work Sometimes, doing research stinks. Quite literally. Corpse plants are rare, and seeing one bloom is even rarer. They open once every seven to 10 years , and the blooms last just two nights. But those blooms – red, gorgeous and massive at over 10 feet (3 meters) tall – stink. Think rotting flesh or decaying fish. Corpse plants definitely earn their nickname. Their pungent odors attract not only the carrion insects – beetles and flies normally drawn to ... [Read More]

Sep 15th, 2025 - The octopus is a creature that continues to surprise scientists and inspire engineers. With eight arms that move in ways no human limb can, it demonstrates flexibility and control that seem almost otherworldly. Each arm bends, twists, elongates, and shortens with unmatched precision, enabling these animals to hunt, hide, and explore with ease. Researchers hope that unlocking the secrets of these movements may guide the design of flexible robotic arms capable of lifesaving missions. Imagine a robotic arm slipping through rubble after a building collapse, delivering food or medicine to someone ... [Read More]

Sep 15th, 2025 - 6 min read See all topics Hunter-gatherers in parts of ancient Asia prepared their dead for burial with smoke-drying up to 14,000 years ago, resulting in the oldest known evidence of human mummification, according to a new analysis of dozens of burials. People around the world have long practiced mummifying, or preserving organic remains, using various techniques — including heat, smoke, salts, freeze-drying and embalming — to remove moisture from the body's soft tissues and prevent decay. The remains from China, Vietnam and Indonesia that scientists investigated weren't visibly ... [Read More]

Sep 15th, 2025 - Once again, an endangered orca in Washington state has been seen carrying her dead newborn calf in what appears to be an effort to revive it.   Researchers with the Center for Whale Research , Sea Doc Society and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said they received reports on Friday that the whale — identified as J36 — was pushing the dead calf in Rosario Strait, part of the Salish Sea in the San Juan Islands. They were able to confirm that the female calf, which still had its umbilical cord attached, was deceased. "Based on the size of the calf, we estimate that the calf was ... [Read More]

Sep 15th, 2025 - The world's oldest known human mummies were created by smoke-drying corpses 10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia and China , long before mummification became commonplace in Chile and Egypt , new research shows. A study of dozens of ancient graves found in China, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia revealed that many skeletons that were found in a tight fetal position were treated by an extended period of smoke-drying over fire before being buried. The research was published Monday (Sept. 15) in the journal PNAS . "Smoking likely carried spiritual, religious, or cultural ... [Read More]