Chile's Atacama Desert, which gets less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) of rainfall each year, started to form more than 40 million years ago ‪—‬ 20 million years before the Andes.

A man went to hospital complaining about weakness in his left leg, and subsequent brain scans revealed his abnormally small brain.

The silver in a Viking Age hoard found in Denmark was from melted-down coins from the faraway Islamic world, a new study finds.

Researchers have filmed goblin sharks in the deep sea for the first time. Until now, these sharks had been seen alive only after being hauled up to the surface with fishing lines.

China is building a dam system that will generate more hydroelectric power than the U.S. generates yearly. But the project comes with huge risks for people downstream.

Antarctica was long thought to be seismically calm, but new technology makes it possible to detect unexpected types of earthquakes beneath the ice.

A meteorite shows evidence that an ancient crash on the moon 3.5 billion years ago was so powerful, it turned the surface molten.

This skull-shaped mask was made to be used in a ritual involving the Aztec god of death.

There are many theories as to how human language first evolved. But none completely explains why it happened.

An analysis of corn, cassava and coca plants discovered with sacrificed Inca children reveals they died during the reign of one of the last Inca emperors.

Neuroscientists are discovering that spending time with others may be a basic biological necessity, like need for food or water.

The four astronauts on NASA’s Artemis II mission captured more than they bargained for when they photographed the nightside of Earth, right after starting their historic journey to the moon.

Rice is eaten by more than half of the world's population daily. Should everyone be washing it before it's cooked?

NASA and Lockheed Martin's experimental X-59 aircraft has broken the sound barrier twice, achieving a top speed of Mach 1.4. The feat could set the stage for "quiet" supersonic flight.

Live Science spoke with two authors of a "progress report" detailing America's ongoing measles outbreak.

June 13, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend

Water, water, everywhere … has all of it been peed out at least once?

Around 58 of Indonesia's Tapanuli orangutans were crushed or buried alive by landslides brought on by the climate-change-fueled Cyclone Senyar.

A new study shows that the Small Magellanic Cloud is being pulled apart by its larger sibling on the Milky Way's periphery, upending our understanding of our cosmic neighbor.

People with a rare condition experience "pauses" in their heart beat that cause them to faint. A new procedure could change their lives, research suggests.