ZME Science

ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/ Enriching Science Journalism Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:41:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/cropped-logo-zmescience-32x32.png ZME Science https://www.zmescience.com/ 32 32 Origin of Human Eyes Traced to 560-Million-Year-Old One-Eyed ‘Cyclops’ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/origin-of-human-eyes-traced-to-560-million-year-old-one-eyed-cyclops/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/origin-of-human-eyes-traced-to-560-million-year-old-one-eyed-cyclops/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:41:24 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308549 Close-up of a spiny, armored octopus with textured skin and prominent spikes.

Close-up of a spiny, armored octopus with textured skin and prominent spikes.

Before vertebrates had two eyes, their ancestors may have looked upward with one.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/origin-of-human-eyes-traced-to-560-million-year-old-one-eyed-cyclops/feed/ 0 Your Fingers Are Different Lengths for a Surprisingly Useful Reason https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-human-fingers-different-length/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-human-fingers-different-length/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:50:03 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308555 Close-up of a hand with outstretched fingers against a neutral background.

Close-up of a hand with outstretched fingers against a neutral background.

Your fingers’ lengths are just one feature of many that let your hands grasp, press, pull and otherwise interact with the world.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/why-human-fingers-different-length/feed/ 0 A 480,000-Year-Old Elephant Bone Hammer Sharpened Stone Axes in Ancient Britain https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/a-480000-year-old-elephant-bone-hammer-sharpened-stone-axes-in-ancient-britain/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/a-480000-year-old-elephant-bone-hammer-sharpened-stone-axes-in-ancient-britain/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:01:13 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308530 Close-up of a small, textured rock with a scale for size reference.

Close-up of a small, textured rock with a scale for size reference.

The palm-sized tool is the product of precise craftsmanship and careful planning in prehistoric England.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/a-480000-year-old-elephant-bone-hammer-sharpened-stone-axes-in-ancient-britain/feed/ 0 A Quantum Microscope Can Show Us How Neanderthals Tended Their Fires https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/quantum-microscope-neanderthal-fire-use/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/quantum-microscope-neanderthal-fire-use/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:49:37 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308496

Diamond sensors reveal processes from long ago.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/quantum-microscope-neanderthal-fire-use/feed/ 0 This Adorable Arctic Squid Was Recorded in the Wild for the First Time Below a Greenland Fjord https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/this-adorable-arctic-squid-was-recorded-in-the-wild-for-the-first-time-below-a-greenland-fjord/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/this-adorable-arctic-squid-was-recorded-in-the-wild-for-the-first-time-below-a-greenland-fjord/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:07:14 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308392 Colorful deep-sea octopus on ocean floor with sandy terrain and small rocks.

Colorful deep-sea octopus on ocean floor with sandy terrain and small rocks.

This tiny Arctic squid survives and reproduces in water colder than freezing.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/this-adorable-arctic-squid-was-recorded-in-the-wild-for-the-first-time-below-a-greenland-fjord/feed/ 0 Astronomers Are Building an ‘Artificial Retina’ to Protect Telescope Images From Satellites https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/astronomers-are-building-an-artificial-retina-to-protect-telescope-images-from-satellites/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/astronomers-are-building-an-artificial-retina-to-protect-telescope-images-from-satellites/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:30:13 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308288

The rapid-response camera could warn observatories before bright streaks cut across their images.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/astronomers-are-building-an-artificial-retina-to-protect-telescope-images-from-satellites/feed/ 0 It’s Not Like We Just Failed to Stop Ebola. We Caused It https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/its-not-like-we-just-failed-to-stop-ebola-we-caused-it/ https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/its-not-like-we-just-failed-to-stop-ebola-we-caused-it/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:41:35 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308513 Healthcare workers wearing protective suits and masks outdoors during a health crisis.

Healthcare workers wearing protective suits and masks outdoors during a health crisis.

It seems we've not learned much from the COVID-19 outbreak.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/its-not-like-we-just-failed-to-stop-ebola-we-caused-it/feed/ 0 Cameras on whale sharks reveal how the world’s biggest fish feeds in secret https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/cameras-on-whale-sharks-reveal-how-the-worlds-biggest-fish-feeds-in-secret/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/cameras-on-whale-sharks-reveal-how-the-worlds-biggest-fish-feeds-in-secret/#respond Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:32:45 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308507 Whale shark swimming in deep blue ocean with sunlight filtering through.

Whale shark swimming in deep blue ocean with sunlight filtering through.

This is the first study of its kind.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/cameras-on-whale-sharks-reveal-how-the-worlds-biggest-fish-feeds-in-secret/feed/ 0 Mummified Inca Boy Travelled Thousands of Kilometres Before Gruesome Ritual Sacrifice https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/mummified-inca-boy-travelled-thousands-of-kilometres-before-gruesome-ritual-sacrifice/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/mummified-inca-boy-travelled-thousands-of-kilometres-before-gruesome-ritual-sacrifice/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2026 10:25:10 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308479 Ancient figurine with long hair holding a small object, displayed in a museum case.

Ancient figurine with long hair holding a small object, displayed in a museum case.

New scans suggest pilgrimage, ritual feeding and a more violent death than once believed.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/archaeology/mummified-inca-boy-travelled-thousands-of-kilometres-before-gruesome-ritual-sacrifice/feed/ 1 A New Plague Vaccine Strategy Protected Mice From a Deadly Lung Infection https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/diseases-medicine/experimental-plague-vaccines-protect-mice/ https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/diseases-medicine/experimental-plague-vaccines-protect-mice/#respond Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:15:06 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308452 Person in a plague doctor costume with a beak mask and dark clothing.

Person in a plague doctor costume with a beak mask and dark clothing.

Two experimental vaccines stopped pneumonic plague in a high-risk mouse test.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/diseases-medicine/experimental-plague-vaccines-protect-mice/feed/ 0 9 Animals That Wash, Season, Farm and Almost Cook Their Food https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/9-animals-that-almost-cook/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/9-animals-that-almost-cook/#respond Sat, 25 Jul 2026 01:52:43 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308429

Humans own the stove, but nature has many ways to prepare a meal.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/9-animals-that-almost-cook/feed/ 0 Viagra’s Next Act Could Be Stopping Cancer From Spreading https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/viagras-next-act-could-be-stopping-cancer-from-spreading/ https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/viagras-next-act-could-be-stopping-cancer-from-spreading/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:26:49 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308464 Blue pills scattered on a yellow surface for medical or pharmaceutical context.

Blue pills scattered on a yellow surface for medical or pharmaceutical context.

The famous blue pill may also expose a hidden weakness in metastatic cancer.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/viagras-next-act-could-be-stopping-cancer-from-spreading/feed/ 0 Sperm Whales Use Bubbles as Ballast To Do Their Bizarre Vertical Rest https://www.zmescience.com/science/oceanography/sperm-whales-use-bubbles-as-ballast-to-do-their-bizarre-vertical-rest/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/oceanography/sperm-whales-use-bubbles-as-ballast-to-do-their-bizarre-vertical-rest/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 20:03:14 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308424 Two whales swimming in deep blue ocean with sunlight filtering down.

Two whales swimming in deep blue ocean with sunlight filtering down.

Sperm whales sleep vertically beneath the waves, but physics says they should float back up.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/oceanography/sperm-whales-use-bubbles-as-ballast-to-do-their-bizarre-vertical-rest/feed/ 0 Humans May Have Spoken 75,000 Languages Just 2,000 Years Ago. Then Empires Rose https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-articles/human-languages-ancient/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-articles/human-languages-ancient/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:45:15 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308422

Today’s 7,600 languages might seem like a lot, but they're just a fraction that survived a vast, ancient extinction.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/history-articles/human-languages-ancient/feed/ 0 The Largest Intact Meteorite on Earth Is Still Exactly Where It Landed. But Why No Crater? https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/space-astronomy/solar-system/asteroids-meteors-comets/huba-largest-meteorite-earth/ https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/space-astronomy/solar-system/asteroids-meteors-comets/huba-largest-meteorite-earth/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 15:42:00 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=303677 Large ancient stone in open-air archaeological site with tiered seating.

Large ancient stone in open-air archaeological site with tiered seating.

The Hoba meteorite smashed into the Earth, but look around it, and you won't see any crater.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/space-astronomy/solar-system/asteroids-meteors-comets/huba-largest-meteorite-earth/feed/ 0 These Worms Build Towers of Poop That Seem to Defy Gravity. Physicists Now Know How https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/lugworm-upside-down-poop/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/lugworm-upside-down-poop/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:26:00 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308311 Close-up of a Eurasian water snake on a person's hand outdoors.

Close-up of a Eurasian water snake on a person's hand outdoors.

Not all poop piles look alike. One stubborn worm builds towers.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/lugworm-upside-down-poop/feed/ 0 A Contagious Cancer Is Spreading Through Catfish in a North American Lake https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/arctic-squid-eggs-greenland-fjord/ https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/arctic-squid-eggs-greenland-fjord/#respond Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:10:45 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308342

It's the first transmissible cancer discovered in any fish.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/arctic-squid-eggs-greenland-fjord/feed/ 0 Influencers Say Injectable Peptides Build Muscle and Slow Aging. Do They Actually Work? https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/peptide-explainer/ https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/peptide-explainer/#respond Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:14:17 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308380

Influencers peddle injectable shortcuts while regulators confront a fast-growing gray market.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/peptide-explainer/feed/ 0 Scientists Listened to Moss for a Week and Found Strange Electrical Pulses Moving Through It https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/scientists-listened-to-moss-for-a-week-and-found-strange-electrical-pulses-moving-through-it/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/scientists-listened-to-moss-for-a-week-and-found-strange-electrical-pulses-moving-through-it/#respond Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:33:23 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308324 Close-up of vibrant green moss growing on a stone surface.

Close-up of vibrant green moss growing on a stone surface.

New research suggests moss may act like a slow, living electrical network.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/scientists-listened-to-moss-for-a-week-and-found-strange-electrical-pulses-moving-through-it/feed/ 0 A Camper’s Google Maps Hunch Revealed a 390-Million-Year-Old Meteorite Crater https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/a-campers-google-maps-hunch-revealed-a-390-million-year-old-meteorite-crater/ https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/a-campers-google-maps-hunch-revealed-a-390-million-year-old-meteorite-crater/#respond Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:11:28 +0000 https://www.zmescience.com/?p=308301 Aerial view of a volcanic crater with green vegetation and a lake inside.

Aerial view of a volcanic crater with green vegetation and a lake inside.

A ring in Quebec’s wilderness turned out to be a rare cosmic scar.]]> https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/a-campers-google-maps-hunch-revealed-a-390-million-year-old-meteorite-crater/feed/ 0