How Neanderthals and Other Early Humans Evolved to Eat Starch

Two new studies found that ancient human ancestors carried a surprising diversity of genes for amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch.

Orionids Meteor Shower: When and How to Watch Its Peak

This event is linked to Halley’s comet, and occurs as another comet, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, remains visible. But a nearly full moon could interfere with some views.

Parachutes Made of Mucus Change How Some Scientists See the Ocean

With a new kind of microscope, researchers got a different view of how marine snow falls to the seafloor.

Bumblebee Queens Prefer to Live in a Toxic Home

In an elaborate experiment, scientists discovered that the insects chose to hibernate in soil full of pesticides and other poisons.

Astronomers Find Evidence of an Exomoon Spewing a Volcanic Cloud

Astronomers have yet to confirm the existence of exomoons, but a molecular signal around a far away star offers some of the best evidence yet.

Therapeutic Food Shortage Puts African Children at Risk of Starvation, U.N. Agency Says

Supplies of a highly nutritious treatment are running out, according to UNICEF.

SpaceX Launches Starship Rocket and Catches Booster With Mechanical Arms

Live Updates: SpaceX Prepares for Launch and Landing of Starship Rocket

This is the fifth test flight of the vehicle, which could carry people to the moon and Mars. The company may attempt an unusual ‘chopsticks’ landing of the booster stage.

Hairballs Shed Light on Tsavo Man-Eating Lions’ Menu

The Tsavo man-eaters terrorized railroad workers in British East Africa in the 19th century, but their tastes went well beyond human flesh.

Hubble Telescope Shows Great Red Spot of Jupiter Bouncing Like a Kickball

A sequence of images captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope showed how much the giant storm changed shape as it traveled within the planet’s atmosphere.

Rare Northern Lights Entrance Viewers in New York and Beyond

The aurora borealis, which transformed the sky with startling streaks of pink and purple, arose from a magnetic storm.

Florida IV Plant Spared From Storm, Company Says

Milton threatened a Daytona Beach site that produces one-fourth of the nation’s IV medical solutions, which were already in short supply because of storm damage in North Carolina.

How Can I Cut PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals?’

They’re almost everywhere. And they’re bad. But there are some things you can do to avoid them.

3% of American High Schoolers Identify as Transgender, First National Survey Finds

A survey by the C.D.C. found high rates of sadness, bullying and suicide attempts among transgender and gender-questioning teenagers.

Gulf of Mexico Ocean Temperatures Are Record Hot, Fueling Milton

Milton grew into a Category 5 hurricane in less than a day as it crossed warm oceans across the Gulf of Mexico.