NASA News

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Watches Earth Vanish Behind Martian Moon

Earth and the Martian moon Phobos dance together in a series of images recently acquired by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Earth appears as a point of light in the Martian sky, disappearing behind the crescent of Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two moons. This is the first time humanity has captured from the surface of […]

science  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Science

Unprecedented images may explain one of greatest mysteries of the sun

Highest-ever resolution pictures of our star could help show why its corona is millions of degrees hotter than its surfaceGolden bands and swirling vortices have been spotted on the sun in the most detailed images ever captured of the turbulent surface of our home star.Astronomers observed the sun with the Inouye solar telescope in Hawaii, the world’s most powerful solar telescope, and saw new features smaller than 20km (12 miles) across in a magnetically active region close to a sun spot. Conti

science  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Science

Gene-edited beagles may offer a future option for people with dog allergies

Scientists at a biotech company have used gene editing to create two hypoallergenic beagles that don't trigger allergiesMatt Walker couldn’t pet a dog without sneezing – until he and other scientists used a gene editing technique to produce a hypoallergenic beagle named Bailey.Now, he can feed Bailey spoons of peanut butter while she lies on his lap and play fetch with her in Central Park. His allergies didn’t go away: Bailey’s saliva and hair no longer contain a key allergy-causing protein. Con

science  Aug 5, 2026

NASA News

Advanced Mini-laboratories Automate Space Station Research

The International Space Station hosts hundreds of science experiments at a time. Some experiments can take hours to perform, and researchers need to account for astronauts’ limited time. Fully automated devices, like Redwire’s  ADvanced Space Experiment Processors (ADSEPs), have been designed to conduct more space science with less crew time. Within each ADSEP facility there […]

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Sitting up straight may improve your mood and decision-making

A simple change in posture may subtly affect how people feel and make decisions. Participants who sat upright reported greater feelings of pride and took more successful risks in a virtual balloon game than those who hunched over. Most did not realize researchers had influenced their posture, helping rule out the possibility that they were merely responding to expectations. The results suggest workplace ergonomics could influence more than physical comfort.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover the brain cells that keep you motivated

A group of brain cells called orexin neurons appears to help us keep working when reaching a reward becomes increasingly difficult. Blocking their activity weakened motivation in rats, pointing to a possible new target for understanding why people sometimes struggle to sustain goal-directed behavior.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

80-million-year-old snake brain reveals a surprising evolutionary secret

An exceptionally preserved snake fossil from Brazil reveals that early snakes were far more diverse than scientists once thought. Detailed brain reconstructions show that Tametara mirim was adapted for burrowing, while another ancient snake was suited to life above ground. Other fossils point to marine lifestyles as well. By 80 million years ago, snakes were already experimenting with very different habitats and sensory systems.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

This school-bus-sized “terror croc” ate dinosaurs. Now it’s back

A massive crocodilian capable of attacking dinosaurs has been brought back to life as the first scientifically accurate mounted skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri. The 31-foot replica at Georgia’s Tellus Science Museum was built from detailed fossil scans and more than 40 years of research by paleontologist Dr. David Schwimmer, for whom the species was named.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

A colossal magma system has been hiding beneath Tuscany

A massive magma reservoir has been detected deep beneath Tuscany, despite showing no obvious signs at the surface. Scientists mapped the roughly 6,000-cubic-kilometer body using natural ground vibrations recorded by dozens of seismic sensors. It poses no immediate danger, but the discovery reveals how enormous volcanic systems can remain hidden and could transform the search for geothermal energy and critical minerals.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Europe’s wildfires became so intense they created their own storm

Historic wildfires scorched huge areas of Spain and France, with one Spanish blaze burning an area about the size of New York City and a French fire generating a rare, towering fire cloud. A dangerous combination of lush winter growth, severe heat, drought, and strong winds helped turn the landscape into explosive fuel.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Stanford scientists discover immune cells that explode like microscopic bombs

Stanford researchers discovered immune cells in flatworms that explode within minutes, killing nearby bacteria and foreign cells before vanishing completely. Their unusually fast and localized attack could offer clues for developing targeted treatments against infections and cancer.

science  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Science

Specieswatch: Wild deer release millions of tonnes of methane a year

Scientists find ruminants emit more of greenhouse gas individually than cows, although total contribution tiny compared with domesticated livestockWhen cows belch and fart they release methane, which is warming the planet, but how does this compare with the digestive gases emitted by wild animals? A new study shows that deer add the greatest amount of methane to the atmosphere, but compared with domesticated livestock their total contribution is minuscule.Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, whic

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

A solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower arrive on the same day

August brings four major celestial events, including a solar eclipse and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Dark New Moon skies could make the Perseids especially impressive, while Venus will blaze in the west after sunset. A deep partial lunar eclipse closes the month, darkening most of the Moon.

science  Aug 5, 2026

NASA News

APOD: 2026 August 5 – Spokes on Saturn’s B Ring

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 5 – Spokes… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Brad Croslin […]

science  Aug 5, 2026

NASA News

The Paradox of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The coastal dune field in Brazil looks like a desert but fills with freshwater lagoons every year.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Did T. rex leave these 66-million-year-old bite marks?

Fossilized dinosaur bones from Wyoming are offering a rare glimpse into the feeding behavior of Tyrannosaurus rex. Researchers examined more than 3,000 bones dating back 72 to 66 million years and found just 12 with possible tooth traces, including four with patterns that closely matched the shape and spacing of T. rex teeth.

science  Aug 5, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists catch a “jumping gene” mid-leap between species

Scientists have uncovered a surprising way that “jumping genes” may move between species and speed up evolution. While these mobile genetic elements were thought to travel mainly inside viruses or plasmids, researchers found circular intron RNA from a tiny predatory bacterium inside the dead cells of another microorganism. Because the RNA forms a stable ring that resists breakdown, it may provide jumping genes with a previously unknown route for spreading between species.

science  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Science

SpaceX rocket hours away from crashing into the moon in unintentional collision

Piece of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket weighing four tonnes will hit the lunar surface on Wednesday at 5,400 miles per hourA four-tonne piece of a SpaceX rocket that has been floating in space since last year is set to unintentionally crash into the moon at high speed on Wednesday, a collision that poses no danger to Earth but will leave behind a new lunar crater and afford an opportunity for further scientific research.The ​school-bus-size object is the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that ha

science  Aug 5, 2026

The Guardian Science

AI-generated stories rated better quality than human-written ones, study finds

Researcher says simpler writing by AI is easier to read and digest, but this does not mean human authors are obsoleteFrom Homer’s Odyssey to Agatha Christie’s crime fiction, humans have produced plenty of tales to grace the bookshelf. But research suggests artificial intelligence may now be providing some competition.In a study published in the journal Judgment and Decision Making, 1,682 adults were asked to read one of six short stories, three of which were written by humans and three by ChatGP

science  Aug 4, 2026

NASA News

NASA Will Attempt to Observe Rocket Part’s Lunar Impact

Using ground-based telescopes and space-based assets, NASA and SpaceX are tracking a used Falcon 9 upper stage from a commercial mission expected to impact the Moon on Wednesday, Aug. 5, near the Einstein and Bell craters. The impact poses no danger to Earth and NASA scientists are planning to collect lunar data from the event […]

science  Aug 4, 2026