CNN – World

By Jackie Wattles, CNN Jessica Watkins is a self-described “rock nerd” with a doctorate in geology. So when she boarded her first mission to space as a member of NASA’s astronaut corps, she brought along photos of family and friends — and some rocks. “Of course, I had to,” Watkins, 34, said in an interview

By Katie Hunt, CNN The discovery of 330 stone artifacts in Kenya that date back 2.9 million years is throwing light on a key question in human evolution — who first used stone tools? Scientists unearthed hammerstones, cores and flakes, and the bones of butchered hippos and two teeth belonging to an ancient humanlike ape

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN It’s no surprise that parenthood can be demanding and sacrifices are often made for the sake of offspring. But for female killer whales, the role can be particularly challenging. New research suggests that female orcas might be forgoing having any more offspring because of their sons — even when they’re fully

By Ashley Strickland, CNN A trio of codebreakers has found and deciphered a treasure trove of lost letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots. The 57 secret letters, from Mary Stuart to the French ambassador to England between 1578 and 1584, were written in an elaborate code. The findings come 436 years after Mary’s death

By Rachel Ramirez, CNN Glaciers around the world are melting at an alarming rate, and are leaving massive pools of water in their wake. The meltwater fills the depression left behind by the glacier, forming what’s known as a glacial lake. As temperatures get warmer and more pieces of the glacier melt away, the lake

By Sen Nguyen, for CNN In 2017, Kyle Quinn enjoyed the anonymity any engineering professor typically would until he became a target of doxxing. Angry social media users mistakenly identified him as having attended a White nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. His pictures, home address and employer’s name quickly made rounds across social networks, frightening

By Katie Hunt, CNN Neanderthals living 90,000 years ago in a seafront cave, in what’s now Portugal, regularly caught crabs, roasted them on coals and ate the cooked flesh, according to a new study. The finding is significant because it builds upon evidence that overturns the long-standing notion that a taste for seafood — rich

By Ashley Strickland, CNN The James Webb Space Telescope has observed its smallest cosmic object to date — a previously unknown asteroid about the size of the Colosseum in Rome. A team of European astronomers made the detection of the space rock, which is between 328 and 656 feet (100 to 200 meters) long, and

By Jackie Wattles, CNN It’s now been half a decade since SpaceX turned heads around the world with its decision to launch Elon Musk’s personal Tesla roadster into outer space, sending the car on an endless journey into the cosmic wilderness where it’s expected to remain for millennia to come. As of Monday, February 6,

By Ashley Strickland, CNN Look in the night sky this weekend for February’s full moon, where it can be glimpsed around the world. It will reach peak illumination around 1:29 p.m. ET Sunday, but the moon will appear full from early Saturday morning through early Tuesday morning, according to NASA. The full moon is considered

By Jonny Hallam and Emma Tucker, CNN At least 22 people have died in connection with widespread forest fires in south-central Chile, according to government officials. Interior Minister Carolina Tohá confirmed during a news conference on Saturday that 22 people are dead. There are 1,429 people in shelters, 554 injured and 16 suffering severe burns

By Ashley Strickland, CNN In the golden age of space exploration we live in, cosmic revelations seem to occur more frequently than ever before. This week, astronomers discovered a rarity: two stars that could one day collide and produce showers of gold. The possibility of finding celestial wonders such as this one, however, took years

By Ashley Strickland, CNN In the past year, a tiny helicopter flew on Mars, a NASA spacecraft slammed into an asteroid and the James Webb Space Telescope revealed dazzling new insights about the universe. Beginning decades ago as ideas that seemed more like science fiction, these missions took years of research and testing to come