It's the absolute nadir of our universe's thermometer. And it gets pretty weird down there. ...read more

Typhoon, cyclone, hurricane ... all different names for the same swirling storms. ...read more

The disorder makes it difficult to concentrate, and usually manifests itself during childhood. But the exact causes are still unknown. ...read more

It's in our power plants, underneath New York City and in our buffets. In a digital world, steam is still very much relevant. ...read more

Researchers at Harvard Medical have found that elite athletes like marathon runners have more of a gut microbe, Veillonella, that gives them an endurance boost. They're working on turning it into a probiotic so us slowpokes can get a boost, too. (Credit: lzf/Shutterstock) More and more, researchers have been studying how your gut microbes might be making you sick. Scientists have linked these vital bugs to everything from schizophrenia, to autism, allergies and obesity. But what do the micro ...read more

(Credit: ElROi/Shutterstock) CBD, or cannabidiol, is growing in popularity as a stress-relieving wonder drug that may help ease anxiety, inflammation and pain. Many enthusiasts also say it can cure a smorgasbord of other conditions. CBD is a non-active ingredient in cannabis -- it doesn't get you high. And that's helped retailers avoid legal problems while plopping the substance into all manner of products. But does the CBD chemical craze carry any weight? There's one surprising new way ...read more

The dark streaks seen on Martian slopes might be an indication of where water sometimes flows, especially since orbiters have also observed salts in the same locations. (Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) Mars’ surface is dry and dusty. But researchers know there’s water there. It's locked up in the polar ice caps, and occasionally it probably seeps to the surface as liquid. And at night, the Red Planet’s plummeting temperatures raise the humidity drastically, possibly ...read more

If large impacts ceased early in Mars’ history, that would leave plenty of time for life to have formed in its ancient oceans. (Credit: NASA/GSFC) When the solar system was young, some scientists suspect it was too wild and raucous a place for life to develop. Earth, Mars, and the other planets were all being pelted by massive asteroids and rocky debris. Some of those rocks might have delivered the very water that later made life possible. But the unrelenting impacts may have made the s ...read more

(Credit: Yulliii/Shutterstock) When the Neanderthal genome was first sequenced in 2010 and compared with ours, scientists noticed that genes from Homo neanderthalensis also showed up in our own DNA. The conclusion was inescapable: Our ancestors mated and reproduced with another lineage of now-extinct humans who live on today in our genes. When the Denisovan genome was sequenced soon after, in 2012, it revealed similar instances of interbreeding. We now know that small populations from al ...read more

A capuchin using a stone to break open its next meal. (Credit: Lisa Crawford/Shutterstock) Among the rocky monoliths of Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park, wild monkeys crack cashews and seeds with an array of stone tools. Now, caches of ancient monkey tools reveal the primates started the culinary tradition 3,000 years ago. This archaeological record also shows they adapted their food processing tactics over time. It's the first time tool use stretching back thousands of year ...read more