Researchers in Canada confirmed a rare and remarkable event on January 1, 2026. A wild female polar bear had adopted an unrelated cub. The five-year-old mother was identified as bear X33991. She belongs to the Western Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulation in northern Manitoba. The scientists say this is only the 13th known adoption since they began tracking the group 45 years ago....

On December 20, 2025, Michaela "Michi" Benthaus became the first person in a wheelchair to travel to space. The 33-year-old German aerospace engineer launched from West Texas aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-37 spacecraft. Her flight marked an important step toward making space travel more accessible to people with physical disabilities....

Each winter, Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, hosts more than just airplanes. Snowy owls also make a surprising stop here. This rare phenomenon has long delighted travelers and birdwatchers alike....

For the first time in the 25-year history of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA has ordered a crew to return early. The Crew-11 astronauts — Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui, and Oleg Platonov — will leave aboard the SpaceX Dragon on January 14, 2026. If all goes according to plan, they will splash down off the California coast at about 3:40 am pst on January 15. The mission had been initially planned to last until around February 20....

In the summer of 2019, ecologist Patrick Sullivan traveled to northern Alaska to study forests near the Salmon River. Known for its pristine water, the river supports a thriving population of wildlife, including fish and bears. Instead of the crystal-clear water he had expected, large sections farther down the river appeared bright orange. The riverbanks were also stained with rust-colored sediment....

As days grow shorter and temperatures drop, it may feel like winter has already arrived. However, the astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is not until December 21, 2025. Called the winter solstice, it marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. At the same time, people in the Southern Hemisphere will celebrate the summer solstice. They will enjoy the longest day and shortest night of 2025....

San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved residents. Claude, an alligator with striking white skin and red eyes, died on December 2, 2025, from liver cancer....

A tiny traveler has joined Earth in its journey around the Sun. The object, named 2025 PN7, is a quasi-moon, an asteroid whose orbit closely matches Earth’s. This makes it look like it follows our planet. The quasi-moon's discovery, revealed on October 22, 2025, offers scientists a rare chance to study near-Earth asteroids....

Researchers have found the largest spider web ever recorded inside a sulfur-rich cave along the Greece–Albania border. The "spider megacity" covers an astounding 1,140 sq ft (105 sq m). This is about the size of a small apartment. This remarkable discovery was revealed by biologist István Urák and his team on October 17, 2025....

The next time you grumble about short winter days, think of Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, the northernmost town in the United States. On November 18, 2025, its residents witnessed their final sunset of the year. They will not see the Sun again until around January 22, 2026. That is about 64 consecutive days, or 1,536 hours, of darkness!...

Thousands of elk, deer, and other large animals move across Colorado each year. They graze in the lowlands during winter and return to the mountains in summer. But their paths often cross busy highways. This can make their migrations very dangerous. One of the most hazardous spots is Interstate 25 between the towns of Larkspur and Monument. More than 100,000 vehicles pass there every day. With six lanes cutting through thousands of acres of wildlife habitat, collisions between animals and cars are all too common....

Uranus and Neptune are often called "ice giants." This is based on the theory that they were made from materials that easily freeze in space, like water and ammonia. However, this label does not come from direct observations, since no spacecraft has visited the two giants since Voyager 2 in the 1980s. Instead, it is drawn from computer models built using the planets’ sizes, masses, densities, and gravity fields. Now, a new study by scientists at the University of Zurich is challenging this idea. It suggests that the two planets may contain more rock than ice....

The Karowe Mine in Botswana, Southern Africa, is famous for producing large, high-quality diamonds. Previous notable finds include the 1,758-carat Sewelô and the 2,492-carat Motswedi, the second-largest diamond ever found. However, the diamond revealed on October 15, 2025, has captured the attention of gem experts and collectors worldwide. Weighing 37.41 carats, it is half pink and half clear!...

Three taikonauts — the term for Chinese astronauts — aboard China’s Tiangong Space Station have had their trip home postponed after a piece of space debris struck their return capsule. Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie were set to return to Earth on November 5, 2025, after handing over duties to the Shenzhou-21 mission crew. But just hours before departure, engineers found signs of damage to the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, forcing officials to delay the trip....

Honey bees are vital to our food supply. They pollinate the flowers of many fruits and vegetables, supporting about 35 percent of the world's crops. In the US alone, the tiny insects help produce $15 billion worth of food each year....

Isabella Orduna was paddling out for an evening surf at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, California, on October 15, 2025, when something nipped at her foot. Startled, she rolled into the water. To her surprise, a sea otter was perched on her surfboard!...

Every fall, Americans buy tens of millions of pumpkins for Halloween. Some are transformed into jack-o'-lanterns, while others are left whole for display. Sadly, interest in these festive gourds fades quickly once the holiday ends. Experts estimate that 80 percent of the over 1.3 billion pounds (5.8 billion kg) of pumpkins purchased every year end up in the trash....

Just in time for the season, Northeastern University’s Marine Science Center in Nahant, Massachusetts, has unveiled a lobster with Halloween colors. Aptly named Jack O’Lantern, or Jackie, she sports a mix of orange, black, and yellow, with hints of blue on her joints. This American female lobster, introduced to the public on October 9, 2025, is an exceptionally rare find. Sierra Munoz, the center’s outreach coordinator, says only one in 30 million lobsters has this color....

Scientists in Florida have turned to an unusual tool in the fight against invasive Burmese pythons — remotely-controlled robotic rabbits....

Stargazers rejoice! A rare celestial visitor from the distant Oort Cloud is heading our way. The newly discovered Comet Lemmon will make its closest flyby of Earth in late October 2025. Under the right conditions, it might even be seen without a telescope!...

Methane is usually linked to global warming. But far below the ocean’s surface, three newly discovered sea spider species have found a way to use this greenhouse gas as a survival tool....

For the past 30 years, scientists around the world have been searching for planets beyond our solar system. Known as exoplanets, these worlds come in all shapes and sizes, each orbiting its own star. On September 17, 2025, NASA officially confirmed the existence of 6,000 exoplanets. Even more exciting, an additional 8,000 are just waiting to be verified!...

Climate change poses a serious threat to the Antarctic ecosystem. As temperatures continue to rise, sea ice is shrinking. This makes it harder for wildlife like seabirds, seals, and whales to find food, rest, or raise their young. Now, scientists may have found a surprising ally in their efforts to protect the continent — penguin poop....

Super Typhoon Ragasa swept across parts of Asia this past week, leaving behind widespread flooding and destruction. Ragasa began as a small weather system on September 17, 2025, and quickly grew into the year’s largest typhoon. By September 21, it had reached Category 5 strength, with top winds of 177 miles per hour (285 km/h)....