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The Manda-Hararo rift in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Credit: DavidMPyle / CC BY-SA 4.0 =================================================================== A steady underground pulse has been discovered beneath East Africa, where researchers believe a new ocean is gradually forming. The rhythmic movement was detected in the Afar region of Ethiopia, a geological hotspot where three giant sections of the Earth’s crust—the Arabian, Nubian, and Somalian plates—are slowly pulling apart. The site, known as the Afar Triple Junction, is one of few places on Earth where the process of continental breakup can be observed on land. As the plates drift in different directions, the ground...

Screenshot of fireball via Collin Rugg on X This isn’t something you see every day! Residents in the southeastern part of the United States spotted a massive fireball streak through the skies on Thursday afternoon. The American Meteor Society reported receiving over 140 reports from residents of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina who had spotted a fireball. Residents in Georgia reported feeling an earthquake as the fireball crossed the sky. The National Weather Service assured residents in Georgia that the earthquake they felt was “the result of the sonic boom from the meteor or space junk.” WATCH:...

A meteorite, complete with shock wave, light trail, and flight noises (rumbles, light a train or close airplane) struck the ground northeast of Atlanta this afternoon, 26 June 2025. Impact was visible from dash cameras in vehicles on I85 near the South Carolina border. Meteor is any solid object hitting the atmosphere but burning up before it hits the ground. A meteorite is a rocky solid that survives its flight through the atmosphere and hits the ground as a solid. Damage is unknown, some reports claim a house was struck.

Experts still trying to figure out cause of Saturday's rapid fluctuation in water levelsAlan Auld of Shuniah, Ont., said he stepped out to look at Lake Superior on Saturday and was among people who saw the waters receding — something he compared to the draining of a bathtub. "At first we joked to everyone saying, 'Who pulled the plug?'" said Auld. "To see Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world, can do something like that, that's quite powerful. So we were in awe." On the east border of Thunder Bay, Shuniah is a municipal township along Lake Superior's...

Astronomers are making a surprising breakthrough in the study of Venus, as new simulations suggest there may be a hidden family of asteroids quietly orbiting the Sun alongside the planet. This discovery, detailed in a recent study by Valerio Carruba and his team at São Paulo State University, is like uncovering an entire continent that was previously unknown. The research, published on the preprint server arXiv, uncovers important insights about the dynamics of Venus’ orbit and could have significant implications for our understanding of the solar system. Venus has long been one of the most mysterious planets in our solar...

For the past 100 years, Egyptologists thought that when the powerful female pharaoh Hatshepsut died, her nephew and successor went on a vendetta against her, purposefully smashing all her statues to erase her from public memory.Now, a new study finds that's not quite the case. Although many statues of Hatshepsut were intentionally broken, the reason behind their destruction has nothing to do with her gender or even blotting out her existence, an Egyptologist says. Rather, Hatshepsut's statues were broken to "deactivate" them and eliminate their supposed supernatural powers...After Hatshepsut died, many of her statues were intentionally broken, including at the...

The first few images from the Rubin Observatory have dropped, and there are more coming later today. A mosaic of 678 images taken over seven hours of observation shows the Trifid (top right in pink) and Lagoon (center) Nebulae. Image Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has officially unveiled its first images, and truly, it is going to be as revolutionary as people expect it to be. Thanks to its incredible eye on the cosmos, which is the largest digital camera in the world, the images are absolutely breathtaking – and we can’t even share...

NEW YORK (AP) — The largest digital camera ever built released its first shots of the universe Monday — including colorful nebulas, stars and galaxies.The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, was built to take a deeper look at the night sky, covering hidden corners. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Energy, it will survey the southern sky for the next 10 years.The observatory’s first look features the vibrant Trifid and Lagoon nebulas located thousands of light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles. A gaggle of galaxies known...

Near-Term goals for the exploration of Venus include improved remote-sensing from orbital probes. This will tell us more about the gravity and topography of Venus. Improved radar imaging and infrared imaging will fill in more blanks. The team also promoted the idea of a sustained aerial platform, a deep probe, and a short duration lander. Multiple probes/dropsondes are also part of the plan. Dropsondes are small devices that are released into the atmosphere to measure winds, temperature, and humidity. They’re used on Earth to understand the weather, and extreme phenomena like hurricanes, and can fulfill the same purpose at Venus....

Hallur Antoniussen took this picture in May with the caption: "Not everyday you see a black iceberg." Photo by Hallur Antoniussen /Facebook Article content A rare black iceberg photographed off the coast of Labrador has been making the rounds of social media on this planet, but its unusual colour could be the result of it carrying material from another world. Article content The picture first surfaced last month after a fish harvester from Carbonear, N.L., took a photo of it while fishing for shrimp last month. Article content Article content Hallur Antoniussen, 64, was working aboard the Saputi, a factory...

During the 19th Dynasty (ca. 1295–1186 b.c.), the village of Deir el-Medina, on the Nile's west bank in Upper, or southern, Egypt, was home to a community of civil servants and artisans who built and decorated the royal tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Scholars are on unusually familiar terms with these people. "As expert scribes and draftsmen, they left quite a lot of writing," says Egyptologist Rob Demarée of Leiden University. At the site, archaeologists have excavated tens of thousands of texts written on papyrus and ostracons -- discarded pieces of pottery or stone used like scrap...

A last-minute observation from the Webb telescope has sharpened predictions for asteroid 2024 YR4, slightly increasing its odds of hitting the Moon but confirming no threat to Earth. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ============================================================ NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope recently made a final observation of asteroid 2024 YR4 before it drifted out of range. This rare data update refined the asteroid’s projected path and revealed a small uptick in its chance of striking the Moon, though Earth remains in the clear. Webb Telescope Captures Final Glimpse Asteroid 2024 YR4 may be out of sight now, but before it slipped too far...

Astronomers have uncovered a stunning twist in the mysteries of Uranus’ moons. Image: NASA, ESA, STScI, Christian Soto (STScI); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI) | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel ================================================================== A groundbreaking new study has uncovered surprising revelations about the moons of Uranus, challenging existing theories of how these moons interact with the planet’s magnetic field. Researchers, armed with the advanced ultraviolet instruments of the Hubble Space Telescope, have found that the “dark sides” of Uranus’ largest moons—previously thought to be on their trailing hemispheres—are actually on the opposite sides. The new findings, presented at the 246th American...

Why this story matters.. The discovery of a prehistoric river valley and forested landscape beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet sheds light on the continent's ancient climate and may improve scientific understanding of Antarctica's response to climate change. Ancient Antarctic landscape.. Uncovering evidence of rivers, valleys, and dense forests beneath Antarctica can enhance understanding of the continent's prehistoric environment and biodiversity. Climate history and change.. The findings provide valuable information about past warm and even tropical conditions, aiding scientists like in predicting how the Antarctic ice sheet might react to future climate shifts. Warm climate.. Researchers believe Antarctica featured a...

Three new tombs of senior ancient Egyptian statesmen were recently unearthed on Luxor's West Bank, according to an Ahram Online report. The discoveries were made at the New Kingdom necropolis of Dra Abu el-Nagra and have provided new insights into the lives of officials who worked in the upper echelon of Egyptian government. Archaeologists learned the men's names and titles from inscriptions written on the walls of the burial chambers. One tomb belonged to a man named Amun-em-Ipet, who worked at a temple or estate dedicated to the god Amun during the Ramesside period (ca. 1295–1070 b.c.). The other two...

New research shows 8,000-pound sloths once dug caves, adapted to oceans, and roamed widely—until climate and humans brought their downfall. (Artist’s concept.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com ================================================================= Long before they became tree-hugging symbols of chill, sloths were 8,000-pound giants that roamed deserts, dug caves into cliffs, and even swam like manatees. Scientists have now pieced together the epic story of their evolution, using ancient DNA and hundreds of fossils to explain how sloths once grew to mammoth proportions—bigger than most cars—and why they eventually shrank or vanished altogether. Sloths’ Strange Family Tree Most of us know sloths as the slow-moving, tree-loving creatures...

Martin Köhler, a PhD candidate with the University of Queensland's School of the Environment, said the odd discovery was made while he and other researchers were exploring the southern side of the island of Tongatapu."It was late in the day, and we were talking to some farmers when they directed us to this boulder," ...Köhler says that the massive boulder's location much further inland beyond the team's field work area means that it must have been transported there by some tremendous force...When the first erratics were identified in the 18th century, they were initially considered a major paradox. However, it...

During the 1970s, excavations at the Al-Asasif necropolis on Luxor's west bank uncovered an elaborate rock-cut tomb. Archaeologists theorized that it must have belonged to an Egyptian dignitary, but at the time they were unable to identify the deceased and the tomb was labeled with the generic name of Kampp 23. Now, Ahram Online reports, a joint Egyptian-Canadian team has finally determined that the Kampp 23 tomb was built for a man named Amun-Mes, the erstwhile mayor of Thebes during the Ramesside period (ca. 1295–1070 b.c.). Several inscriptions found elsewhere in Luxor mention a certain Amun-Mes along with many other...

SICILY, Italy – Italy’s Mount Etna volcano violently erupted on Monday, sending plumes of toxic ash and smoke billowing into the sky as people on the mountain ran for safety to escape the danger. According to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), activity at Mount Etna on Sicily began during the pre-dawn hours on Monday and culminated with "intense and almost continuous" strombolian explosions hours later. The INGV said that strombolian activity is a relatively low-level volcanic eruption, during which a modest amount of energy is released. Dramatic photos and video showed dangerous pyroclastic flows racing down the...

A new World Meteorological Organization report spells the end of the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.Seven years ago, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that the world wouldn’t warm 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels until 2040.Then two years ago, the group predicted the world would pass that threshold between 2030 and 2035.Now, new data from the World Meteorological Organization released Wednesday indicates that the Earth will cross this point in just two years.The accelerated timeline is due to higher-than-expected temperatures over the past few years, diminishing air pollution that cooled the...