Discover Magazine

Seal Brains Hint at Strong Vocal Flexibility, Giving Us Clues to the Origins of Speech

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Discover the neural similarities of seals to particularly vocal birds and even humans, suggesting the foundations of speech may not be uniquely human after all.

Ancient DNA Reveals Ice Age Forests Grew on the Lost Doggerland 16,000 Years Ago, Before It Was Swallowed by the North Sea

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Learn how ancient DNA uncovered Ice Age forests on sunken Doggerland and revealed a landscape that once linked Britain to mainland Europe.

Intense Space Weather Forces NASA’s Van Allen Probe Back to Earth Nearly a Decade Early

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:50:00 GMT

Learn more about the Van Allen Probe A, a NASA spacecraft that returned to Earth this week after spending years in one of space’s harshest environments.

Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park Helped Restore Aspen Trees — but There Is Still Much to Learn

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:40:00 GMT

Learn more about why the story of how wolves saved Yellowstone National Park’s aspens is more complicated — and more instructional — than it appears.

A 3D-Printed Rattlesnake Reveals How the Rattle Stirs Fear, Even in Animals Unfamiliar with the Sound

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 20:35:00 GMT

Learn more about the ways animals can react to rattlesnake rattles, even if they don't typically interact with them in the wild.

Ravens Fly Up to 6 Hours Nonstop, Using Memory — Not Tracking — to Find Wolf Kills in Yellowstone National Park

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:01:00 GMT

Learn how ravens in Yellowstone National Park use spatial memory and navigation to locate wolf kills across the landscape without following wolves.

A Massive Pliocene Crocodile May Have Hunted Lucy and Other Early Hominins, 3 Million Years Ago

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Learn how the newly identified crocodile Crocodylus lucivenator lived alongside Lucy’s species in ancient Ethiopia — and why researchers say it may have been the region’s most dangerous predator.

Bumblebee Queens Can Survive and Breathe Underwater For Over a Week By Cutting Energy Demands

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:55:00 GMT

Learn how bumble bee queens can stay alive underwater for over a week by minimizing their metabolism and saving energy.

Chimpanzees Have a Violent Reputation — But They Aren’t More Aggressive Than Bonobos

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:20:00 GMT

Learn how comparing aggression in chimpanzees and bonobos challenges the long-held belief that chimpanzees are the more violent of our closest ape relatives.

Meet the Newly Discovered Cousin of the World’s Most Popular Magic Mushroom

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:50:00 GMT

Learn how a newly identified mushroom species may reveal the evolutionary origins of Psilocybe cubensis, the world’s most widely cultivated magic mushroom.

Brown Tree Snakes Use Key Muscles to “Stand” Upright — Possibly Inspiring Future Soft Robotics

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:45:00 GMT

Learn more about how some snakes can use physics to propel themselves upright and what this technique could inspire for the future.

Severe COVID or Severe Flu May Raise Risk of Lung Cancer, But Vaccines Helped in Animal Tests

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 20:20:00 GMT

Learn how severe respiratory illness leaves the lungs vulnerable to cancer, and how vaccines could prevent these vulnerabilities.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Is Packed With Alcohol — Indicating That It Formed Beyond Our Solar System

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:20:00 GMT

Learn how ALMA observations revealed unusually high levels of methanol in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS and what the molecule’s chemistry may reveal about how icy bodies form around other stars.

Ancient Plant Viruses Took Root in Eurasia Before the Last Ice Age

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:15:00 GMT

Learn how tymoviruses infect crop plants, where these ancient plant viruses originated, and how humans have increased their spread.

Ancient DNA Reveals a Pre-Inca Trade Network That Carried Parrots Alive Across the Andes to Coastal Peru

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Learn how ancient DNA and isotope analysis revealed that Amazon parrots were transported alive across the Andes to coastal Peru in a pre-Inca trade network.

Raccoons May Thrive in Our Backyards Due to Their Insatiable Curiosity and Love for Puzzles

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:40:00 GMT

Raccoons continued exploring a multi-access puzzle box long after finding the treat, showing their urban success may stem from their drive to learn.

Drone Footage Captures Rare Moments of Finless Porpoises Caring for Others’ Calves

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Learn how drone footage revealed narrow-ridged finless porpoises interacting with and possibly caring for calves that aren’t their own.

Two Marsupials Re-emerge in New Guinea Rainforests After Being Considered Extinct for 6,000 Years

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Learn about two marsupial species discovered in New Guinea that were thought to have been extinct for 6,000 years.

Hidden Bacteria in Marine Snow May Be Dissolving Ocean Shells — and Disrupting Carbon Storage

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:45:00 GMT

Learn how bacteria inside marine snow may dissolve shell minerals and influence how the ocean stores carbon.

Hip Fractures Can Signal More Than a Broken Bone in the Elderly — Sometimes with Fatal Consequences

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Learn more about why hip fractures can be so deadly for elderly patients.