Latest Science News

These oldest inhabited termite mounds have been active for 34,000 years

Jul. 04, 2024 01:26 AM EDT

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Scientists in South Africa have been stunned to discover that termite mounds that are still inhabited in an arid region of the country are more than 30,000 years old, meaning they are the oldest known active termite hills. Some of the mounds near the...

To save spotted owls, US officials plan to kill hundreds of thousands of another owl species

Jul. 03, 2024 17:25 PM EDT

To save the imperiled spotted owl from potential extinction, U.S. wildlife officials are embracing a contentious plan to deploy trained shooters into dense West Coast forests to kill almost a half-million barred owls that are crowding out their cousins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife...

Yes, some animals can have babies without a mate. Here's how

Jul. 03, 2024 16:58 PM EDT

A boa constrictor in the U.K. gave birth to 14 babies — without a mate. Is it a miracle? The result of a secret rendezvous? Probably not. Females of species have the ability to reproduce asexually, without sperm from a male. The process is called parthenogenesis, from the Greek...

Fossils show huge salamanderlike predator with sharp fangs existed before the dinosaurs

Jul. 03, 2024 15:50 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamanderlike beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived. The predator, which was larger than a person, likely used its wide, flat head and front teeth to suck in and chomp unsuspecting...

Massive makos, Queen Bosses and a baby angel shark on Discovery 'Shark Week,' where women shine

Jul. 03, 2024 11:10 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Imagine stepping into a life-sized whale carcass decoy and steering it into deep water. You're looking — yes, looking — for a group of hungry sharks to spark a feeding frenzy. To attract them, you shoot out hundreds of gallons of synthetic blood and chum. Then watch them lose...

New fossil study shows giant salamanderlike animal with sharp fangs existed some 40 million years before the dinosaurs

Jul. 03, 2024 11:03 AM EDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — New fossil study shows giant salamanderlike animal with sharp fangs existed some 40 million years before the dinosaurs.

To save West Coast spotted owls, US officials plan to use trained shooters to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls

Jul. 03, 2024 08:47 AM EDT
DENVER (AP) — To save West Coast spotted owls, US officials plan to use trained shooters to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls.

Newborn white rhino Silverio takes his first giant steps in a Chilean zoo in a boost to his species

Jul. 02, 2024 23:53 PM EDT

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Hannah, a 13-year-old white rhinoceros, has delivered a newborn calf in a rare zoo birth for the almost endangered species. The arrival of the male calf, named Silverio, two weeks ago marked the third time that a white rhino had ever been born in South...

Dan David Prize names 9 historians as winners of prestigious award

Jul. 02, 2024 18:00 PM EDT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Dan David Prize on Tuesday named nine historians as the 2024 winners of the prestigious award, with each of them receiving $300,000 to advance their research. The winners' areas of study are vast, from the birth of democracy in India, to the underground...

Flying objects and shrunken heads: World UFO Day feted amid surge in sightings, government denials

Jul. 02, 2024 16:36 PM EDT

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — For those of you who don't celebrate World UFO Day, consider this: A former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer told Congress last summer about a government program that retrieves and reverse engineers unidentified flying objects. The Mexican...