All Articles | Discover Magazine

COVID-19 Cases Are Picking Up Again — These Are the Variants That Health Officials Are Watching

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 21:42:00 GMT

From Stratus to Cicada, several variants are on the radar as COVID-19 activity rises, impacting how the virus spreads, its severity, and how it interacts with the immune system.

Wild Elephants Use 41 Different Gestures to Tell Others to "Move Away" or "Stop That"

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 21:15:00 GMT

Learn how elephants use their trunks and ears to get a response from others, and why they keep gesturing when ignored.

Jonathan the Tortoise Is 194 Years Old, Flu Cases Are Already Spiking, and Night Sky Events to Catch in October

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:45:00 GMT

Discover the top stories from Oct. 3 to Oct. 9, 2026, including the hidden dangers of marathon running, a hoard of Celtic coins, and Jonathan the Tortoise.

A Diarrhea-Causing Bacterium Spread Through Sex is Resisting Five Common Antibiotics

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:30:00 GMT

Learn how Shigella spreads between sexual partners and why growing antibiotic resistance is leaving fewer treatment options.

Mars' Odd 1,100 Mile Long Cloud Forms in Mysterious Ways — a New Model May Reveal How

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:15:00 GMT

Learn more about the AMEC, a strange, recurring cloud on Mars that has long baffled scientists, until now.

Why Big Dogs Die Younger Than Small Dogs May Come Down to Jumping Genes

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Learn how DNA changes in 864 dogs may help explain why larger breeds age faster and tend to have shorter lives.

California May Ban Quartz Countertops Over Risk of Incurable Lung Disease in Workers

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Learn about California's proposed ban on quartz countertops, a move inspired by concerns over rising cases of an incurable lung disease.

Ancient Bronze Ring Engraved with Alexandria’s Famous Lighthouse Found in Sunken Royal Ruins

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Learn how a first-of-its-kind bronze signet ring was discovered in the submerged remains of a royal quarter once visited by Cleopatra and Julius Caesar.

Denali's Chunky Puppy Winner Mammoth Lives Up to His Name at 77.1 Pounds

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 20:52:00 GMT

Learn how Denali’s chunky puppies will train alongside experienced sled dogs for their future as canine rangers.

An Odd Hole on the Moon's Surface May Lead to an Underground Cave That Could Shelter Future Astronauts

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 22:15:00 GMT

Learn about a NASA payload that will explore a pit on the Moon to find an underground cave that could shelter astronauts during future missions.

Newly Identified 165-Million-Year-Old Otter-Like Mammal Was a Top Predator in Jurassic Waterways

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Learn more about this otter-like animal that was likely a top mammal predator during the Jurassic Period.

Mutated Influenza Strain May Explain the Early Start to Fall 2026 Flu Season

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Learn how flu activity is rising earlier than expected in states like California and Washington and why a mutated influenza strain may help explain the unusual start.

A Broken Neanderthal Spear Survives as a 40,000-Year-Old Imprint

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Learn how wood imprints and charred remains preserved evidence of Neanderthal spears, bark trays, and other belongings.

At 194, a 450-Pound Tortoise Is the Oldest Living Land Animal, and its DNA May Help Explain Why

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 20:55:00 GMT

Learn how a sample from the tortoise Jonathan’s mouth revealed youthful patterns in his gene regulators that may help explain his nearly two-century lifespan.

This Newly Identified Species of Extinct Crocodile is Missing the Tip of Its Nose, Just Like the Great Sphinx

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Learn more about Herugavialis cairensis, an extinct crocodile species whose fossil came from the same rocks as the Great Sphinx.

Long COVID Fatigue May Be Linked to Reduced Blood Flow in the Brain

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Learn how brain scans during an attention test revealed blood flow differences in patients with lasting fatigue years after mild COVID.

Blue Light Killed 64 Strains of Food Poisoning Bacteria and Could One Day Make Chicken Safer

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:15:00 GMT

Learn how violet-blue light killed at least 99% of food-poisoning bacteria in lab tests and could help reduce chicken contamination before it reaches your kitchen.

100-Year-Old Women in a Tiny Sardinian Village Could Make it the World’s Next Blue Zone

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Discover how historical records reveal an unusually high number of centenarians in Bolotana, where women are especially likely to live past 100.

The First Animals May Have Arrived 200-Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Learn how new research challenges long-held assumptions about animal evolution and suggests that the earliest animals may have emerged during a global "Snowball Earth."

The Totskoye Nuclear Exercise Exposed Soldiers to Radiation to Prepare for a Potential Third World War

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:19:00 GMT

Learn why thousands of soldiers were deliberately exposed to radiation from a nuclear bomb in the Soviet Union, and why other nations did the same.