By Alysha Bibi and Diego Mendoza, CNN (CNN) — Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a nearly 3,000-year-old Mayan complex in Guatemala, revealing sanctuaries, pyramids and a unique canal system that could shed further light on the ancient civilization, the country’s culture minister said Thursday. The complex was discovered across three sites — Los Abuelos,
Continue ReadingBy Rosa Rahimi, CNN (CNN) — Researchers in central Spain say they may have uncovered one of the most ancient symbolic objects bearing a human fingerprint on record in Europe, dating back tens of thousands of years. Unlocking the secret identity of exactly who made the mark involved enlisting the help of forensic experts working
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Archaeologists in Jerusalem say they have discovered a roughly 2,300-year-old gold ring with a red gemstone that’s remarkably similar to another piece of jewelry found less than a year ago. The two rings, small enough to fit a child, were artifacts unearthed at the City of David site in
Continue ReadingBy Nell Lewis, CNN (CNN) — Last October, four female eastern lowland gorillas were airlifted from their home in Kasuhgo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and released 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast in Virunga National Park. Less than a year later, they have all successfully integrated into a group of wild gorillas, in what
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By Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — Attorneys general from 16 mostly Democrat-controlled US states filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday, arguing that some of the federal government’s attempts to gut National Science Foundation research programs are illegal. The suit, filed in federal court Wednesday afternoon, asks a judge to put a stop to
Continue ReadingBy Hilary Whiteman, CNN Brisbane, Australia (CNN) — Etched onto rocks on a remote peninsula in Western Australia are millions of images drawn tens of thousands of years ago by the country’s original inhabitants, including the earliest known depictions of the human face. This open-air display of some of humanity’s oldest works is being slowly
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — China has launched an ambitious mission to study two intriguing objects in our solar system, the likes of which have never been visited by a spacecraft before. The Tianwen-2 mission launched aboard a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province at 1:31 p.m.
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By Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — Global temperatures are forecast to reach record or near-record levels during the next five years, setting the stage for more deadly extreme weather, according to an annual report from two of the world’s top meteorological agencies. There is now a 70% chance that global warming over the next five
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Astronomers have detected an astonishing celestial object emitting bright flashes of radio waves and X-rays that last for two minutes and repeat every 44 minutes. In a fresh twist, the discovery marks the first time powerful X-rays have been associated with an object that might be a long-period transient.
Continue ReadingBy Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — What scientists understand about the voracious feeding habits of the colossal megalodon could be up for some revision. The prehistoric predator that went extinct about 3.6 million years ago was not hunting only large marine mammals such as whales as researchers widely thought, a new study has found. Instead,
Continue ReadingBy Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — Forget marching in the streets with creative signs. For President Donald Trump’s second term, in the face of steep funding cuts for climate and weather research and forecasting, scientists have a new way of engaging the public: livestreamed presentations. Starting Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET and lasting for 100
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By Rosa Rahimi and Mostafa Salem, CNN (CNN) — Three tombs dating back thousands of years have been unearthed in an ancient Egyptian burial complex. The tombs of three prominent statesmen from the New Kingdom era (1539 to 1077 BCE) have been uncovered in Luxor, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The discovery
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By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting a proposed regulation that would end all federal limits on planet-warming pollution generated by coal and gas-fired power plants, according to documents cited by the New York Times. The proposed rule, which the agency said would be published once it has completed interagency
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — An Anglo-Saxon ship found at the Sutton Hoo estate in Suffolk, England, has long captivated history enthusiasts since its discovery on the eve of World War II. And the site of the seventh century royal burial has yielded still more wonders of the ancient past in more recent decades.
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Archaeologists have uncovered a key component of a mysterious artifact at Sutton Hoo, a National Trust site in Suffolk, England, famous for the seventh century Anglo-Saxon “ghost ship” burial discovered in a mound between 1938 and 1939. The fragments of the sixth century Byzantine bucket have fascinated researchers since
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By Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) — Infection-causing fungi responsible for millions of deaths a year will spread significantly to new regions as the planet heats up, new research predicts — and the world is not prepared. Fungi are absolutely everywhere. A vast kingdom of organisms, from mold to mushrooms, they grow in environments such as
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By Kameryn Griesser, CNN (CNN) — Astronomers have for the first time spotted two galaxies in the throes of a deep-space “duel.” Using combined observations from ground-based telescopes over nearly four years, the researchers saw the distant galactic neighbors charging toward each other at more than 1.1 million miles per hour (1.8 million kilometers per
Continue ReadingBy Amanda Schupak, CNN (CNN) — A new study may have uncovered exactly what makes orange cats special — though it might not be for the reason you think. Ginger kitties are known among cat owners for being particularly friendly and feisty. To geneticists, however, the uniqueness of these house cats comes from the unusual
Continue ReadingBy Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) — On a remote, crescent-shaped island surrounded by crystal-clear ocean live some of the most plastic-contaminated birds in the world. They have bellies so full of fragments, they crunch when touched. Lord Howe Island — a speck of land about 370 miles off mainland Australia, home to just a few
Continue ReadingBy Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Distinct clawed footprints found on a slab of 356 million-year-old rock from Australia suggest that reptile relatives appeared between 35 million and 40 million years earlier than previously believed. The tracks also push back the origin of amniotes, a group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals, and provide new
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