A newly discovered crocodile relative from the Triassic had a beak, tiny arms, and walked on two legs, making it look more like an ostrich-like dinosaur than a crocodile. During the Triassic Period, the ancestors of many modern animal groups were branching into an astonishing variety of shapes and lifestyles. Evolution was experimenting with body [...]

A study suggests pigeons navigate using iron-rich immune cells in their livers that can respond to Earth’s magnetic field. The findings may solve a decades-old mystery about bird navigation and reveal a surprising new sensory role for the immune system. Pigeons are famous for their ability to travel long distances and still find their way [...]

Scientists have uncovered a fish-hunting raptor from Patagonia that may have stalked prey like a giant prehistoric heron. A newly identified dinosaur from Patagonia is giving scientists fresh insight into how some raptor relatives lived during the final chapter of the age of dinosaurs. The species, named Kank australis, appears to have spent much of [...]

New evidence suggests calcium and vitamin D supplements may do far less to prevent fractures and falls than widely believed. Calcium and vitamin D supplements, whether taken separately or together, provide little to no meaningful benefit in preventing fractures or falls in most older adults, according to a major review published in The BMJ. Nearly [...]

Brain scans suggest long COVID’s biggest clues may lie in the brain’s emotion centers, not widespread inflammation. A new brain imaging study suggests that persistent symptoms of long COVID may not be driven by ongoing brain inflammation, as many researchers have suspected. Scientists in Finland used advanced imaging techniques to examine the brains of people [...]

A large phase 3 clinical trial has revealed promising results for a once-nightly pill designed to treat obstructive sleep apnea by targeting the biological mechanisms that cause airway collapse during sleep. A once-nightly pill significantly improved obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms in a large phase 3 clinical trial presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference. [...]

Wild chimpanzees in Uganda split into two separate communities and later engaged in deadly attacks against each other. Researchers believe the conflict shows how social relationships alone can fuel polarization and violence. The world’s largest known community of wild chimpanzees has permanently divided into two separate groups. Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin [...]

A new AI framework called MouseMapper allows scientists to examine disease-related changes across the entire body at cellular resolution. Obesity does much more than affect metabolism and fat storage. It also changes immune activity, nerve structure, and tissue organization throughout the body, raising the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, [...]

Scientists identified phosphatidylcholine loss as a key driver of mitochondrial aging and showed that restoring it can rejuvenate cellular energy networks. Why do cells age, and why do people gradually lose energy and vitality over time? Scientists have long focused on mitochondria, the tiny structures inside cells responsible for producing energy. Researchers now understand that [...]

New research suggests a widely used herbicide may have subtle but significant effects on honeybees. Growing flowering plants for pollinator gardens, farms, and home landscapes often requires herbicides to control weeds. Honeybees are naturally drawn to these areas and are essential for pollination. But researchers wanted to know what happens when bees are exposed to [...]

A newly identified prehistoric crocodile relative, Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa, was discovered alongside another croc species in New Mexico fossils dating back 210 million years. Around 210 million years ago, two crocodile relatives about the size of modern jackals stood together along a humid riverbank in what is now northern New Mexico. One of them, Hesperosuchus agilis, [...]

An Iliad fragment discovered inside an Egyptian mummy shows how Homer’s influence extended across Roman culture, from imperial identity and education to everyday life in Roman Egypt. Archaeologists have found something unexpected inside a 1,600-year-old Roman-era Egyptian mummy: a fragment of Homer’s Iliad. It wasn’t placed beside the body but inside the mummy’s abdomen. But [...]