Latest Science News

This whale species is so rare it's never been seen alive. A dissection may decode its mysteries

Dec. 02, 2024 20:02 PM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — It is the world’s rarest whale, with only seven of its kind ever spotted. Almost nothing is known about the enigmatic species. But on Monday a small group of scientists and cultural experts in New Zealand clustered around a near-perfectly preserved spade-toothed...

Financial and community hurdles slow geothermal energy development in Southeast Asia

Dec. 02, 2024 01:58 AM EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Providing round-the-clock energy, using minimal space and considered a clean source of power — geothermal energy seems like an ideal option for countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, where the potential is high, and governments are seeking to transition away...

British lawmakers give initial approval to a bill to allow terminally ill adults to end their lives

Nov. 29, 2024 13:55 PM EST

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers gave initial approval on Friday to a bill to help terminally ill adults end their lives in England and Wales, following an impassioned debate that saw people sharing personal stories of loss and suffering. Members of Parliament approved the assisted...

Muddy footprints suggest 2 species of early humans were neighbors in Kenya 1.5 million years ago

Nov. 28, 2024 22:50 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Muddy footprints left on a Kenyan lakeside suggest two of our early human ancestors were nearby neighbors some 1.5 million years ago. The footprints were left in the mud by two different species “within a matter of hours, or at most days,” said paleontologist...

Bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales faces heated parliamentary debate

Nov. 28, 2024 12:45 PM EST

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers are expected to vote Friday on a law proposed to help terminally ill adults end their lives. The contentious bill would allow adults expected to have fewer than six months to live to request and be provided with help to end their life, subject to...

Northern lights may be faintly visible across parts of the US this Thanksgiving

Nov. 27, 2024 13:18 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — This Thanksgiving, solar storms may produce faint auroras across the northern rim of the United States. Pale auroras may be seen across many northern states Thursday and Friday, but they may be brief and and seeing them will depend on how intense the solar storms...

Fossilized dinosaur feces and vomit help scientists reconstruct the creatures' rise

Nov. 27, 2024 11:07 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Using fossilized feces and vomit samples from Poland, scientists have reconstructed how dinosaurs came to dominate the Earth millions of years ago. Researchers aren't sure whether dinosaurs' rise over the course of 30 million years happened because of luck, skill,...

Vatican and Microsoft create AI-generated St. Peter's Basilica to allow virtual visits, log damage

Nov. 27, 2024 04:38 AM EST

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican and Microsoft on Monday unveiled a digital twin of St. Peter’s Basilica that uses artificial intelligence to explore one of the world’s most important monument’s while helping the Holy See manage visitor flows and identify conservation problems. ...

First right whales of season gorge on critical food off Massachusetts, giving hope for a strong year

Nov. 25, 2024 13:10 PM EST

Scientists who study a critically endangered species of whale that lives off New England said encouraging early signs suggest the animals could have a strong season for feeding and breeding. The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world and it is...

New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them on sheets

Nov. 25, 2024 03:57 AM EST

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand’s conservation...