Remote Norwegian cave is an ice age animal jackpot

Researchers excavated the cave site in 2021 and 2022. Credit: Trond Klungseth Lødøen Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. On Norway’s frosty northern coast, a cave sat virtually unknown to humans for over 75,000 years. This remote area of the European ArcticContinue Reading

Wild orcas will sometimes offer food to humans

Experts confirmed 34 examples of orcas voluntarily approaching humans and offering them food over the last 20 years. Credit: Deposit Photos Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Orcas (Orcinus orca) don’t appear to be big fans of yachts, but some of themContinue Reading

New paint ‘sweats’ to keep buildings cool

The paint relies on passive cooling through water evaporation. Credit: Deposit Photos / Kevin Brine Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Buildings coated in a cement-based paint that “sweats” could help keep communities cool during the hottest days of the year. TheContinue Reading

Viking woman buried in ceremonial boat with her dog

The burial site is located near a rural road in Norway. Credit: The Arctic University Museum of Norway, UiT Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. In 2023, metal detector enthusiasts scouring Norway’s remote Senja Island stumbled across a remarkable archeological find. WhileContinue Reading

Mathematician solves algebra’s oldest problem

Polynomials were first conceived by the Babylonians around 1800 BCE. Credit: Getty Images Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Most people’s experiences with polynomial equations don’t extend much further than high school algebra and the quadratic formula. Still, these numeric puzzles remain a foundational component of everything from calculating planetaryContinue Reading

Future planets revealed in unprecedented detail

Deep ALMA observations of 12CO emission from fifteen protoplanetary disks reveal a stunning range of structures in the gas morphology including gaps, rings and spirals. Credit: Richard Teague / exoALMA Collaboration Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Our solar system is approximately 4.6 billion years old, but countless planetary neighborhoodsContinue Reading