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By Mindy Weisberger, CNN (CNN) — A well-preserved human skeleton that scientists recently excavated in Vietnam dates back about 12,000 years ago to the Ice Age and contains the oldest human mitochondrial DNA found in the region. It belonged to a man who died when he was around 35 years old after being pierced in

By Mindy Weisberger, CNN (CNN) — Modern humans are evolutionary survivors, thriving generation after generation while our ancient relatives died out. Now, new research into our brain chemistry suggests that an enzyme unique to Homo sapiens may have made us more efficient water seekers than our closest extinct relatives. About 600,000 years ago, modern humans

By Gina Park, CNN (CNN) — The moon goes by many names. August saw the full sturgeon moon while in March sky-gazers may have witnessed the blood moon, which occurs when the satellite appears to turn red during a lunar eclipse. You may have also heard of a blue moon, the second full moon to

By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Astronomers using the powerful eye of the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted a previously unknown moon whirling around Uranus, according to NASA. The discovery boosts the number of moons known to be orbiting the ice giant to 29 — and there are likely more waiting to be found.

By Gina Park, CNN (CNN) — Archaeologists say they have discovered the ruins of what they believe are the boundaries of an ancient temple belonging to the mysterious Andean society of Tiwanaku that disappeared around AD 1000. The research team unearthed the immense temple complex in the highlands of what is now Bolivia’s municipality of

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — It stands to reason that a 95 million-year-old tooth shipped to my home would have a rich past. But what ensued after I bought it online for about $100 revealed how, for such relics and those who covet them, the present is in some ways much more complicated. I

By Laura Paddison, CNN (CNN) — Talks to finalize the world’s first treaty on plastic pollution in Geneva, Switzerland collapsed in failure Friday as countries remained bitterly divided how to tackle the crisis. The summit, held at the United Nations headquarters and attended by delegates from more than 180 countries, was supposed to end Thursday

By Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — Satellites, including those used for GPS and communications, will face greater risks in coming decades during solar-triggered geomagnetic storms because of the effect climate pollution has on Earth’s atmosphere, a new study found. The increasing volume of planet-warming carbon dioxide in the upper atmosphere is likely to make the

By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Time is running out for US consumers to get money back for rooftop solar installations, electric vehicles, energy efficient appliances and more after President Donald Trump and Republicans slashed clean energy out of the tax code last month. And the potential savings are steep. The federal tax credit alone

By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — A rare Martian meteorite, billed as the largest piece of Mars on Earth, captured attention when it fetched millions from an anonymous bidder at a recent Sotheby’s auction. But the move has caused Niger, the country in West Africa where the space rock was initially found, to question the

CNN By Gina Park, CNN (CNN) — It’s finally time to watch one of the best meteor showers of the year: the brilliant display known as the Perseids. The Perseid meteor shower, which is known for producing dozens of bright meteors that leave long streaks in their wake, peaked at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. In

By Marlowe Starling, CNN (CNN) — Marine researchers exploring extreme depths say they have discovered an astonishing deep-sea ecosystem of chemosynthetic life that’s fueled by gases escaping from fractures in the ocean bed. The expedition revealed methane-producing microbes and marine invertebrates that make their home in unforgiving conditions where the sun’s rays don’t reach, according

CNN By Jackie Wattles, Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Famed NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who commanded the harrowing Apollo 13 mission that was forced to abandon a lunar landing attempt in 1970, has died. He was 97. Lovell died on August 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to a NASA news release. The cause of

By Jackie Wattles, Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Famed NASA astronaut Jim Lovell, who commanded the harrowing Apollo 13 mission that was forced to abandon a lunar landing attempt in 1970, has died. He was 97. Lovell died on August 7 in Lake Forest, Illinois, according to a NASA news release. The cause of death

By Ella Nilsen, Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — Dozens of veteran climate scientists are launching a coordinated response to a Trump administration report that casts doubt on the severity of climate change. The report, released last week alongside proposals to deregulate some polluting sectors, was authored by five researchers well-known for sowing doubt over the

By Gina Park, CNN (CNN) — Sky-gazers can catch a glimpse of the full moon at its peak illumination this week. August’s full moon, also called the sturgeon moon, will be visible from Friday night into the early hours of Saturday. It will be at its fullest around 3:55 a.m. ET Saturday, according to EarthSky.

By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — Energy Sec. Chris Wright said Tuesday night the Trump administration is updating the National Climate Assessments that have been previously published, which the administration recently removed from government websites. “We’re reviewing them, and we will come out with updated reports on those and with comments on those reports,” Wright

By Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — Astronaut Butch Wilmore is retiring from NASA less than five months after he returned from a troubled test mission that left him aboard the International Space Station far longer than expected, the space agency announced Wednesday. Wilmore, along with NASA astronaut Suni Williams, piloted the first crewed flight of

By Taylor Nicioli, CNN (CNN) — Research vessel Blue Heron trawls the Great Lakes, gathering data from the water. The floating laboratory’s most recent discovery, however, came from an unexpected location: its own rudder. While docked after a long cruise to study algae blooms in lakes Erie and Superior in September, the crew noticed a