Dinosaur Feather Varieties

New fossils found in China of Similicaudipteryx, an oviraptorosaur believed to be an ancestor of modern birds, reveal dramatic changes in feather types and shapes as the animal matured unlike anything known in modern bird species.

Ice Found on Asteroid

Originally thought to be too close to the sun to retain ice, scientists have detected frozen water ice and several organic molecules on the asteroid 24 Themis in the belt located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

New Moth Species

A new species of moth (Ectoedemia heckfordi), with a 6-mm wingspan and found only to the United Kingdom, has been identified by an amateur naturalist with a single unique specimen serving as the "type" for this species.

Undersea Asphalt Volcanoes

Seven huge mounds of extinct asphalt volcanoes have been discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean about 10 miles off the coast of California, the largest as tall as a six-story building and estimated to be about 35,000 years old.

Mammals Make Morphine

New research shows that mammals, including humans, are capable of naturally producing trace amounts of the narcotic morphine in their bodies, leading to questions of how and why such a complicated and costly chemical process evolved.

New Killer Whale Species

New genetic analysis of killer whales (orca) worldwide has lead scientists to propose classifying these animals in the wild into four or more distinct subspecies, each with distinct social and hunting behavior, vocalizations and physical appearance.

New Bony-Skulled Dinosaur

A new species of dinosaur (Texacephale langstoni) has been discovered in southwest Texas that had a softball-sized lump of solid bone on top of its skull and was about as big as a medium-sized dog.

Lungless Frog Found

A new frog species (Barbourula kalimantanensis) has been discovered on the island of Borneo that breathes without lungs, getting all necessary oxygen by respiring through its skin.

Unknown Celestial Object

An unknown and mysterious object has been discovered in the nearby galaxy M82, turning on very rapidly over a year ago and even growing slightly as it is three to ten times brighter than previously known micro-quasars, which generally peak in brightness over a few days or weeks.

New Nose-Dwelling Leech

A new large species of leech (Tyrannobdella rex, or "tyrant leech king") has been discovered in the remote parts of the Upper Amazon with a preference for inhabiting the mucous membranes of people and animals, among a few other relatively unique physical features.

Brain Limits to Multitasking

Researchers have shown how the human brain can handle two tasks at once by dividing attention between the two lobes of the medial prefrontal cortex (MFC), but this same physiology explains why we cannot effectively handle three or more tasks simultaneously.

Planets with Backward Orbits

A group of 27 exoplanets have been discovered with orbits in the opposite direction of their parent star's rotation and not even orbiting in the same plane as the star's rotational axis, challenging current theories of planet formation.

Natural Particle Accelerators

A lightning researcher has discovered that when particularly intense discharges in thunderstorms interact with cosmic rays high in the atmosphere, the conditions are right for a natural particle accelerator as free electrons stripped from air molecules can develop into narrow yet powerful particle beams.

Undersea Superhighway Found

Scientists have discovered an undersea "superhighway" amid a complex of newly disturbed hydrothermal vents responsible for repopulating an area after a recent eruption with tiny life forms from as much as 300 km away.