Not a housekeeper, but a 'vilica': The many responsibilities of Roman-era female farm managers were overlooked by historians
Women on ancient Roman farms were in charge of making wine, oil — and profits. Historians dismissed them as ‘housekeepers’
'A dangerous proposition': How AI is warping the social fabric and the ways we collectively imagine the future
In this excerpt from "Predicted: How AI Is Restructuring Social Life," author Mona Sloane examines how artificial intelligence is reconfiguring our understandin...
'Fireball' meteorite that smashed into New Jersey home contains ingredients of life from an ancient proto-planet, study finds
Amino acids and other "pre-biotic" molecules were spotted in a meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024.
Science news this week: Gold tongues discovered in tombs, sugar found in space, a new monkey identified in the Congolian rainforest, and ancient impact crater 'geoguessed' by an amateur astronomer
July 18, 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
What is the roundest animal?
It's fairly uncommon to find a spherical creature, although they're more common in the sea than on land. So which one is the roundest?
Science word of the day: Neuroplasticity
What does 'neuroplasticity' mean?
Second half of summer to bring chances for rain but heatwave threat persists
Forecasts suggest the weather could turn more changeable during late July and August but the risk of heatwaves remains.
Diamonds and 'cab to orbit': The rocket aiming to transform India's space ambitions
India's first space-tech unicorn Skyroot Aerospace is set to launch Vikram-1 on Saturday.
What this desert city can teach the world about tackling heat deaths
Maricopa County in Arizona has some of the hottest temperatures, but it has reduced the number of heat-related deaths.
EU proposes slowing down cuts to carbon emissions for businesses
Under the proposals, the EU plans to relax its emissions trading system to give companies more time to reduce their carbon output.
'RNA can do things which we have never seen before': New study challenges assumptions about what RNA was up to at the dawn of life
RNA can fold into more complex configurations than scientists thought, raising questions about how important these 3D structures were when life on Earth began.
US Republicans accuse Canada of wildfire inaction
Canadian leader Mark Carney says both countries have a responsibility to fight climate change.
Perseid meteors to light up night sky in one of the year's most active showers
The Perseid meteor shower will light up the night sky over the next five weeks.
'These are striking forecasts': Super El Niño keeps getting even more likely, and it could bring a humanitarian crisis
Forecasts point to the ongoing El Niño rapidly strengthening to a likely all-time record in the coming months, fueling temperature rises and extreme weather.
'Explosive diarrhea' parasite infections in 5 states linked to Taco Bell lettuce; other cases still under investigation
Lettuce served at Taco Bell has been identified as a source of Cyclospora infections affecting people across five states.
UK heatwave hits two-week mark
It is the longest dry spell in 30 years for parts of England as the UK heatwave reaches 14 days.
'Shared cosmic experience': 'Potentially hazardous' asteroid Apophis could be visible to 90% of Earth's population during ultraclose 2029 flyby, new maps reveal
Researchers predict that up to 7.6 billion people will be able to see the potentially hazardous asteroid Apophis fly past Earth on April 13, 2029. The skyscrape...
First atmosphere found on Earth-like planet in habitable zone of distant star
Researchers have found an Earth-like, rocky planet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star with an atmosphere.
Heaven Lake: China's deepest lake sits atop a colossal volcano and belongs mostly to North Korea
Heaven Lake is a body of water located 7,200 feet above sea level at the top of a volcano. It is the deepest lake in China as well as the highest and largest cr...
Too hot to fly: the airports at risk from climate change
Simon King looks at the threats posed to airline operations by hotter weather and rising sea levels.
'Cheeky' pigs restore heathland on island reserve
The Mangalitsa-cross pigs on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour will eventually grow to about 180kg.
River work to help critically endangered eels
West Cumbria Rivers Trust says eel numbers have fallen by 90% in the last 30 years.
Curlew chicks released to boost species numbers
Curlew Country is hoping to improve the birds' chances by making sure they get the best start.
Did ancient Egyptian princesses use weapons? Controversial study claims they hunted or trained with the military, but not all experts agree.
Nearly 4,000-year-old skeletal remains show that several royal women repeatedly used their upper-body muscles. Researchers link those changes to archery and wea...
UK heatwave approaches two-week mark
All UK nations have experienced recent heatwave conditions but in southern England, the heatwave has now continued for 13 days. Sarah Keith-Lucas looks at how u...
Leaky pipes may explain years-long bay pollution
The Environment Agency has rated Cullercoat's water quality as "poor" since 2018.
Ancient chariot emerges among remains of mysterious society that burned down its own buildings and then disappeared
An ancient bronze chariot recently discovered in Spain was used by a culture that mysteriously disappeared from the archaeological record.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist and team use Claude AI to solve decades-old math puzzle
A decade after uncovering a mysterious mathematical relationship in the physics of "jamming," Nobel laureate Giorgio Parisi and collaborator Francesco Zamponi h...
Thousands of liberated Africans died on a remote island after the British Navy freed them. We now know where they came from.
Thousands of enslaved Africans were liberated from slave ships and died on the island of St. Helena around 200 years ago. A new chemical analysis has revealed t...
Oops! Ancient Bronze Age shaman long assumed to be a man was actually a woman, DNA reveals
A DNA analysis of a 4,000-year-old skeleton buried with an elaborate metalworking tool kit near Stonehenge has revealed that the individual, long assumed to be ...
‘This was one of the most arduous expeditions I’ve ever done’: Scientists confirm that 15-mile-wide pit found on Google Maps is ancient meteor crater
Joël Lapointe was using Google Maps to plan a camping trail through Quebec's Côte-Nord region when he stumbled across a large indentation. Now, scientists hav...
Watch: Flood waters surge in Texas after huge rainstorms
The deluge prompted evacuations and water rescues in the same region where 25 children and two counsellors at Camp Mystic died in flooding in 2025.
When will it rain again in the UK?
July has been very dry so when will it rain again in the UK?
How bad are Canadian and US wildfires, and what is the air quality risk?
Wildfires in Ontario have blanketed US and Canadian cities with dangerous smoke.
BBC Inside Science
What’s the point of having a treaty banning nukes in space if we can’t spot them?
BBC Inside Science
What’s the point of having a treaty banning nukes in space if we can’t spot them?
Nature reserve declared to coincide with King's visit
A stretch of sand dunes will receive the highest statutory protections as a national nature reserve.
Watch: What we know about newly discovered monkey species
New monkey species hailed as 'amazing discovery' by conservationist.
New monkey species a 'fascinating discovery', study lead says
A monkey found in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been confirmed as a new specie.
Extreme weather in the UK is the 'new normal'
Sarah Keith-Lucas details five things you need to know about how the UK climate has changed.
'Complete extermination' of greys is the only way to protect red squirrels
A grey squirrel control officer says there is no other option to trapping and killing the greys after a number of cases of squirrelpox were confirmed in the Bor...
New 3D silicon chip stacks circuits on top of each other to boost computing power
Researchers have found a way to build a three-layered silicon chip without the chip overheating.
'Another dinosaur has entered the luxury collectibles market': Gus the T. rex just sold for $50 million. Here's what its loss means to science.
Gus, a Tyrannosaurus rex unearthed in South Dakota, just sold for $50 million at auction. But it's unknown if the specimen will ever be made available to scienc...
Weekend cooldown to mark end of heatwave for some
Temperatures are set to fall by several degrees in some areas, including parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Robot dog can climb stairs, navigate a forest and bound over logs thanks to new, rapid AI training technique
Researchers used reinforcement learning to train a quadrupedal robot to adapt to different environments using two different pre-learned gaits.
Orange-lipped monkey that roars and snorts deep in Congo rainforest is new species to science
A striking new monkey species, Colobus congoensis, was discovered deep in the Congo rainforest and has been scientifically described for the first time.
'Smaller than the tiniest scale in nature': Physicists made a black hole out of light and used it to test Stephen Hawking's elusive radiation theory
Scientists made a breakthrough discovery about the physics of Hawking radiation by making a miniature black hole out of light in the laboratory.
Train 'encased in flames' in Canada wildfire
The crew was rescued after the close call. Meanwhile, wildfires in Canada have left Toronto under a haze and sent smoke drifting towards several major US cities...
We tested Canon’s $10,000 wildlife zoom — can it replace a prime lens?
We spent a week with the Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens to find out if it’s really worth the eye-watering price tag.
Two capybara pups born at Longleat
Two capybara pups have been born at Longleat in Wiltshire and are exploring their new home.
Pictures released of baby vicuna born at wildlife park
The baby vicuna - the smallest member of the camel family - is settling in well at the Highland site.
Climate we had in 20th Century 'has now gone' - Met Office
The latest report on the UK's climate warns cold mountainous areas are also being lost.
Diagnostic dilemma: Junk-food diet caused a teen's permanent blindness
A teen's nutrient-poor diet led to irreversible vision problems.
Tobacco companies are pushing nicotine pouches on teens — and we need to act now to stop them
Tobacco companies have fallen back on tried-and-tested marketing practices to encourage nicotine pouch use among teenagers.
Hosepipe ban in force for millions of households - is your area affected?
More than eight million households have been placed under hosepipe bans - which has raised questions about how effectively water resources are being managed.
After record heat, could the Atlantic make Britain's weather even more extreme?
As temperatures rise, scientists are investigating whether a changing Atlantic could bring more volatile weather to the UK
Scientists show that DNA can last for up to 50,000 years in Africa — much longer than previously thought
Researchers extracted DNA from long-dead animals that lived in South Africa during the last ice age, revealing that genetic material lasts longer in hot climate...
Scientists are deep-freezing koala eggs and sperm to protect the species from extinction
Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia want to freeze koala sex cells in liquid nitrogen, which could preserve the DNA for decades until we ne...
Watch: New ISS crew blasts off from Kazakhstan
The Soyuz spacecraft will carry Nasa astronaut Anil Menon and cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina to the ISS for an eight-month mission.
Astronomers' surprise at discovery of new stars
A Warwick University team, working with US astronomers, find four, previously hidden, white dwarf stars.
'It affects your daily life suddenly': Sea level researcher explains why once-in-a-century floods could become the new normal
Live Science spoke with sea level expert Sönke Dangendorf about how human-caused sea-level rise is increasing extreme water levels, as once-in-a-century floodi...
Space shuttle photobombs Earth for the final time, 15 years ago — Earth from space
This 2011 astronaut photo captured one of NASA's iconic space shuttles passing between Earth and the International Space Station for the very last time.
5 'extremely rare' iron shackles discovered in France highlight Celtic slave trade 2,300 years ago
Archaeologists were surprised to find evidence of shackles in a pre-Roman settlement in France.
Sweet! Sugar found in raspberries was discovered near the Milky Way's center, hinting that life's ingredients are common in space
Erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries, was spotted in a gas and dust cloud near the center of the Milky Way.
Elamite helmet with divine figures: A warrior king's 3,500-year-old bronze armor depicting a raptor and gold-plated gods
This bronze helmet has been decorated with ancient deities from a civilization that flourished before the Persian Empire took over the area that is now Iran.
'The moon looked wrong': Artemis II mission controller Chris White on taking historic lunar flyby photos from 250,000 miles away
Artemis II lead communications officer Chris White describes the tensest and most shocking moments of the historic moon mission, as seen from his desk at missio...
AI is giving people bad money advice. Here's what I worry about most, as a finance professor.
When managing your money, take a chatbot's ‘confidence’ with a grain of salt
18 ancient Egyptian tombs with dozens of gold 'tongues' discovered along the Mediterranean coast
Archaeologists have found 18 tombs at an ancient Egyptian site by the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
Venezuela's devastating 'earthquake doublet' holds a warning for California's San Andreas Fault
The Venezuelan earthquake doublet is a stark reminder that multi-fault systems may pose greater destructive power than some seismic models predict.
James Webb telescope captures never-before-seen glimpse of 'Centaur' galaxy's battle wounds — Space photo of the week
A JWST image of the nearby Centaurus A galaxy reveals star dust, collision scars and the fingerprint of a black hole.
Was Einstein wrong about anything?
Albert Einstein is regarded as a genius, but even he admitted that his work wasn't perfect. So what did he get wrong?
Tropical forests stop absorbing carbon dioxide during El Niño events. This year could be the worst.
El Niño transforms tropical forests from carbon sinks to sources. 2026 could be the worst year yet.
'Some people called it horrifying': 'Dinner with King Tut' author on using Egyptian mummification techniques on a modern-day human body
"A lot of the book was actually me floundering around, failing to complete the projects or figuring out what I was doing wrong," author Sam Kean says about his ...
'He looked like Ramses the Great': How experimental archaeologists used ancient techniques to mummify a modern-day person
In his new book, "Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations," science writer S...
Songbirds are in crisis as trappers and smugglers force them into lucrative bird-singing competitions
Millions of songbirds in Southeast Asia are trapped and smuggled each year for keeping as pets or entering in competitions. Scientists warn that it's fueling a ...
Science news this week: Time emerges inside a mini-universe, scientists thicken Arctic ice, and mouse study hints at why we lack memories from infancy
July 11, 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
Diagnostic dilemma: An 83-year-old man went to the hospital because of very itchy skin. It turned out he had a rare form of syphilis.
A man went to the emergency room after being in and out of hospitals for a month, and doctors found a surprising explanation for his illness.
Does fast charging damage your battery more than regular charging?
From phones to electric vehicles, some batteries take an hour to charge, while others can take up to half a day.
Medieval babies and adults buried together in Sweden were not related, archaeologists discover — raising big questions about early Christian burial practices
In an unexpected discovery, researchers found that three medieval Swedish cemeteries held children buried with unrelated adults.
NASA is creating a fifth state of matter on the ISS, thanks to an upgrade to a mini-fridge-sized quantum lab
A new set of upgrades to the International Space Station’s Cold Atom Laboratory is allowing NASA to probe quantum mechanics at the coldest possible temperatur...
New sodium metal battery design charges in just 4 minutes and retains its capacity for years
Chinese researchers say they have overcome one of the trickiest problems of battery chemistry by developing a special gel.
Canon EOS R6 III review: A wildlife wonder
Canon's newest release is a triumph for wildlife photographers who want a reliable, fast camera capable of producing beautiful images without having to go pro.
Malaria had nearly been eliminated around a giant dam in the Amazon — but then it came roaring back. Experts just discovered why.
A 15-year study suggests that long-term malaria control may depend as much on protecting environments as it does on sustaining public health programs.
Dirty 'button' unearthed by metal detectorist turns out to be a rare 900-year-old coin from Norway's last Viking king, Magnus Barefoot
A rare coin from the reign of Magnus Barefoot — sometimes called Norway's last Viking king, was mistaken for a button before researchers realized it was the f...
BBC Inside Science
Researchers say they have created a synthetic cell-like system that can grow and divide.
BBC Inside Science
The latest cutting-edge research on show at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
First dinosaur bone from Antarctica found in a drawer
The fossil, collected in Antarctica in 1985, is part of the tail of a beast called a Titanosaur.
Fossil identified as first dinosaur ever found in Antarctica
Argentinian geologist Eduardo Olivero became the first scientist to find the remains of a dinosaur in Antarctica in 1986.
BBC Inside Science
Is it time to start considering solar geoengineering to help us combat extreme heat?
Simpler, older version of Stonehenge found three miles from famous site
The structure consisted of two posts that lined up with the solstices 5,000 years ago.
Why cheap power could matter more than clean power in the push for net zero
The question of how important making our electricity clean is to going green is coming under increasing scrutiny
From blast off to splashdown: My days following Nasa's historic mission to the Moon
BBC Science Editor Rebecca Morelle reflects on how it felt to watch history being made.
The 40 minutes when the Artemis crew loses contact with the Earth
As the astronauts pass behind the Moon they will experience a moment of silence and solitude as communication with the Earth is blocked.
Higgs boson breakthrough was UK triumph, but British physics faces 'catastrophic' cuts
Britain is preparing to cancel its contribution to one of the Large Hadron Collider's next major upgrades.
The science of soulmates: Is there someone out there exactly right for you?
For many, the idea of soulmates still shapes how love is understood.
The debate about whether the NHS should use magic mushrooms to treat depression
Many clinical trials to test the use of psychedelic medicines for conditions such as depression have been underway since 2022 - with surprising results
