"Exotic" Metallic Superconductor

A new "dual-identity" crystalline material known as a topological superconductor has been developed that at very low temperatures displays the zero resistance of superconductors on the interior while behaving with conventional metallic conductive properties on the surface.

Fourth Neutrino Flavor

Results obtained by Fermilab's Mini Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE) suggest the existence of a previously unanticipated fourth flavor of neutrino, a weakly interacting new particle in addition to the three known electron, muon and tau neutrinos.

Walls Around Sphinx

New excavations around the Great Sphinx of Giza have revealed ancient mud walls approximately 1 meter high built around the Sphinx to protect it from blowing sand, presumably built by the ancient King Thutmose IV.

"Balloon Head" Dolphin

A fossil skull dredged up from the floor of the North Sea by a Dutch fisherman reveals a new species of "balloon head" dolphin (Platalearostrum hoekmani) that lived two to three million years ago, with the function of the bulbous forehead a matter of speculation.

Human Liver in Lab

Whole miniature human livers about the size of plums have been grown in a laboratory environment from biological scaffolding of ferret livers stripped of native cells and replaced by human liver cells, a large step forward toward the goal of growing full-sized, personalized replacement livers for transplant patients.

Evidence of Martian Water

By analyzing the very soil it became stuck in 2009, the NASA's Mars Expedition Rover Spirit has found further evidence of water in recent geologic history as stratified layers close to the surface formed from seepage of surface frost or snow.

Early Sauropod Found

The first complete fossil skeleton of an early ancestor of the sauropods (Yizhousaurus sunae) has been discovered in China, a critical evolutionary link that helps to show how the iconic four-legged, long-necked sauropods developed.

Heaviest Neutron Star

Astronomers have found the heaviest neutron star yet discovered (formally classified as PSR J1614-2230), more than 20% heavier than the previous maximum with a mass twice that of the Sun yet packed into an object the size of a metropolitan city such as London (radius about 10 km).

New Snub-Nosed Monkey

A previously unknown species of snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri) has been discovered in the forests of northern Myanmar, with a tail longer than its body length and an upturned nose that causes it to sneeze when it rains.

"Starquakes" Yield Data

Although designed to search for exoplanets, by analyzing data collected from the Kepler spacecraft astronomers can detect stellar oscillations ("starquakes") that yield new insights about the age, size, composition and evolution of stars.

New Amazon Species

A new report issed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) details more than 1200 new species discovered over a decade-long study of the Amazon rainforest, including an new anaconda species, a "goliath" catfish that feeds on monkeys, a pink river dolphin and hundreds of new amphibians, spiders and plant species.

Insects in Indian Amber

More than 700 new species of insects have been found in 150 kg of amber recovered from lignite mines in the Cambay Shale of the Indian state of Gujarat, many new to science and related to species found in distant parts of the globe.

Peruvian Residential Pyramid

A half-excavated 1400-year-old Moche pyramid in Peru is unusual in that it shows signs of permanent residence for a few dozen elite citizens with evidence of meal preparation, storage of corn beer and copper smelting as well as ritualistic human sacrifice.

Rinderpest Virus Eliminated

For only the second time in history, humanity has succeeded in eliminating a disease virus completely -- namely, the rinderpest (German for "cattle plague") virus that once killed cattle by the millions and lead to famine among human populations for thousands of years, with the last known case reported in Kenya in 2001.