Large Human Sculptures

Archaeologists have discovered large human sculptures in the Tayinat Archaeological Project of southern Turkey including one figure that would have stood 4 meters tall when intact, part of a larger gate complex to the Neo-Hittite city of Kunulua dating to about 1000 B.C.

The Smell of Space

NASA astronauts returning from spacewalks through an airlock have consistently reported a unique and overpowering scent in their vicinity and on their suits and equipment, a mysterious "smell of space" with no known source that is described as a mix of meat, metal, gunpowder, rum and raspberries.

New Mayan Temple Found

Archaeologists have uncovered a "dramatic" new Mayan temple in the Guatemalan jungle, a once blood-red Temple of the Night Sun decorated with five-foot-tall stucco masks that reveals some of the rivalries of the local Mayan kingdoms dating from AD 350 to 400.

Artificial Jellyfish from Heart Cells

Researchers have built a free-swimming artificial medusoid from a silicon base and heart cells harvested from rats, complete with synchronized contractions controlled by electric current that resemble the swimming motion of a live jellyfish.

Neanderthals Cooked Vegetables

A new examination of the dental plaque collected from Neanderthal fossils reveals a range of carbohydrates and starches as well as phenols and hydrocarbons, meaning the extinct species of hominids were not just strict carnivores but also smoked and roasted plants and vegetables as part of their diet.

More First American Ancestors

Analysis of stone tools and DNA from human coprolites found in the Paisley Caves in Oregon prove to be about 14,300 years old and different from the Clovis population, providing evidence for a distinct fourth prehistoric human settlement of North America from Asia.

Fifth Moon of Pluto Found

Astronomers working with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and its Wide Field Camera 3 have discovered a fifth moon orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto, temporarily designated "P5" and with an estimated diameter between 10 and 25 km.

Diagnosing Parkinson's Audibly

A researcher at MIT has developed audio-recognition software trained to identify 10 dysphonias in human voices and diagnose the early onset of Parkinson's disease with 99% accuracy, taking advantage of the disease's early effect on controlling the vocal chords and soft palate.

"Frankenstein" Bog Mummies

Two bog bodies discovered in Cladh Hallan, a prehistoric village on an island off the coast of Scotland, present an archaeological mystery as DNA analysis has revealed the 3000-year-old mummified remains (male and female) are composed of parts from six other bodies buried about 300 to 600 years after death.

Middleweight Black Hole Found

Astronomers have discovered the first representative (HLX-1) of a new class of middleweight black holes, a type between the smaller varieties and supermassive black holes equivalent to about 90,000 solar masses.

Dust Around Star Disappears

Astronomers are baffled at the discovery of a sizable amount of planet-forming dust surrounding a star 450 light years away (TYC 8241 2652), enough to fill an inner solar system, has almost instantly vanished from recent observations with no satisfactory scientific explanation for its disappearance.

CERN Discovers Higgs Boson

The European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) has released data it claims is "consistent with" the Higgs boson, a particle theoretically predicted in the 1960s and one of the final unknown elements of the Standard Model as the key to understanding the nature of matter itself.

Shrews Warm Up Before Dive

Scientists have found the American water shrew rapidly elevates its body temperature moments before diving into icy waters for its prey, an unexpected attribute and contrary to other aquatic animals whose body temperature drops to slow oxygen consumption while underwater.