The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, found in South and Southeast Asia, and is considered vulnerable due to habitat destruction and human conflict.
A fossil bird, Plumadraco bankoorum, from 121 million years ago in China, has revealed unusually long tail feathers, nearly twice its body length. Discovered among other avian remains, the well-preserved feathers suggest dark pigmentation and provide key clues about early bird appearance.
Scientists are using advanced technology like mobile lidar to map the Grand Canyon's hidden cave and fracture systems, crucial for understanding its water supply. Research combines cave mapping with snow and climate data to assess how drought and climate change impact this vital groundwater network.
A hand stencil found in Liang Metanduno cave on Muna Island, Indonesia, has been dated to at least 67,800 years old, making it one of the oldest known examples of early human symbolic behavior. The dating process involved analyzing mineral layers over the pigment, with research conducted by Indonesian and international teams.
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected methane within interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, a finding that challenges existing comet science. The comet also shows an unusual dominance of carbon dioxide and an uneven decline in gas release as it moves away from the Sun, suggesting formation under different conditions than solar system comets.
A new mathematical model from researchers at the University of Wyoming, Stanford, and CU-Boulder suggests optimal ambition lies above average but finite, warning against perfectionism and comparing oneself to highly successful individuals.
Alphabet's Verily is seeking EPA approval to release 32 million Wolbachia-infected male mosquitoes in California and Florida to combat diseases like West Nile virus. The project aims to shrink local mosquito populations by preventing viable egg hatching.
