CNN – World

By Jackie Wattles, CNN A string of “unidentified objects” entered North American skies in the past few days, only to be shot down by US military aircraft. And in the grand tradition of public speculation surrounding mysterious airborne entities, many people have questioned whether extraterrestrial activity is afoot. The short answer? No, there is not.

By Kate Golembiewski, CNN Most people learn about “the birds and the bees” when they’re young, but sex in the animal kingdom is not for the faint of heart. For every peacock fanning out its dazzling feathers to attract a peahen, there’s another creature doing something strange, or downright deadly, in the name of passing

By Jackie Wattles, CNN The Hubble Space Telescope captured images of a mysterious show playing out on Saturn’s rings — ghostly, fleeting “spokes” that appear to move along the planet’s rings. And scientists can’t yet explain why the phenomena happen. The return of the spokes is one of the earliest signs that Saturn is entering

By Sophie Tanno, CNN A baby began her life surrounded by chaos and devastation this week. Reportedly named Aya — meaning ‘miracle’ in Arabic — she was born under the rubble of Monday’s deadly earthquake, still attached to her mother’s lifeless body by the umbilical cord when rescue workers found her. Her story certainly seems

By Laura Paddison, CNN When US startup Make Sunsets released two weather balloons into the skies above Mexico’s Baja California peninsula last year, it kicked up a fierce debate about one of the world’s most controversial climate solutions. The plan was for the balloons, filled with helium and a small amount of sulfur dioxide, to

By Katie Hunt, CNN Buzz started to build about a decade ago around the meat-heavy paleo diet — an approach to eating that’s based on what our Stone Age relatives supposedly liked to consume. But the truth is that we know relatively little about what our earliest ancestors ate, and what we’ve learned in recent

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at commercial passenger airplane crashes. For crashes caused by military acts or by terrorism, see Terrorism and War-Related Airplane Crashes Fast Facts. On August 12, 1985, the largest number of deaths in a single commercial airplane crash occurred when a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 crashed into Mt. Ogura

By Hafsa Khalil, CNN The ability to solve problems with multiple tools is a rare talent in the animal kingdom, but according to new research, cockatoos are the first birds on the block to carry and use a tool kit to suit their needs. Using 10 Goffin’s cockatoos, researchers from Austria and the UK made

By Jackie Wattles, CNN Jessica Watkins is a self-described “rock nerd” with a doctorate in geology. So when she boarded her first mission to space as a member of NASA’s astronaut corps, she brought along photos of family and friends — and some rocks. “Of course, I had to,” Watkins, 34, said in an interview

By Katie Hunt, CNN The discovery of 330 stone artifacts in Kenya that date back 2.9 million years is throwing light on a key question in human evolution — who first used stone tools? Scientists unearthed hammerstones, cores and flakes, and the bones of butchered hippos and two teeth belonging to an ancient humanlike ape

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN It’s no surprise that parenthood can be demanding and sacrifices are often made for the sake of offspring. But for female killer whales, the role can be particularly challenging. New research suggests that female orcas might be forgoing having any more offspring because of their sons — even when they’re fully

By Ashley Strickland, CNN A trio of codebreakers has found and deciphered a treasure trove of lost letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots. The 57 secret letters, from Mary Stuart to the French ambassador to England between 1578 and 1584, were written in an elaborate code. The findings come 436 years after Mary’s death

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN Glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate, and are leaving massive pools of water in their wake. The meltwater fills the depression left behind by the glacier, forming what’s known as a glacial lake. As temperatures get warmer and more pieces of the glacier melt away, the lake