Colossal Octopus Fossils Suggest a 60-Foot “Kraken” Once Ruled the Oceans
Giant 19-meter-long kraken-like octopuses may have been the apex predators in the Late Cretaceous-era oceans, according to new research.
Ryan Whalen
Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.
Strange Water on 3I/ATLAS Hints at the Alien Conditions of Its Birth in a Frigid, Low-Radiation Region
New research reveals that the mysterious interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS comes from a very cold alien environment, new research reveals.
Astronomers Just Used ‘Galactic Archaeology’ to Map the Milky Way’s Star-Forming Disc, Ushering a “New Era of Discovery”
The Milky Way galaxy’s fuzzy star-forming edge has finally been mapped, as researchers identify the major region of stellar birth.
Scientists Reveal Organic Matter “Preserved on Mars for 3.5 Billion Years” in First-of-Its-Kind Study
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has found chemicals linked to the rise of life on Earth, in a first-of-its-kind experiment on the Red Planet.
Surprising 100,000-Year-Old Neanderthal DNA Discovery Rewrites the Species’ History in Central Europe
Understanding of Neanderthal prehistory in Europe is changing rapidly, thanks to several sets of remains discovered in Poland’s Stajnia Cave.
Just Two Centuries From Now, This Newly Discovered Exoplanet System Will look Vastly Different—Here’s Why
The dynamic exoplanet system TOI-201 is changing so rapidly that astronomers say it may look extremely different to us in two centuries.
5-Million-Year-Old Mystery of the Colorado River’s Disappearance Has Finally Been Solved
Over 5 million years ago, the Colorado River disappeared from the geological record, but now geologists have finally solved the mystery.
6,000 Cubic Kilometers of Magma Hiding Beneath Tuscany Revealed with New Ambient Noise Tomography Technique
Beneath Tuscany lies 6,000 cubic kilometers of hot magma, according to new European research using a remote-sensing technique.
10,000 Years of Human Evolution Reveals Natural Selection is Accelerating, Recent Human Genome Study Reveals
The human genome of West Eurasia has been far more affected by natural selection in the last 10,000 years than previously suspected.
Clean Energy Breakthrough: Bottled Lightning Produces Methanol in New “Bubble Reactor”
Lightning in a bottle, in a literal sense, may be the key to new, clean energy by reducing carbon emissions in methanol production.
Starquakes Reveal Several Billion-Year-Old “Fossil Fields” of Ancient Stellar Magnetism
Starquake data is revealing ancient “fossil fields” responsible for stellar magnetism from birth through a star's final end.
8,000-Year-Old Discoveries at Turkey’s Enigmatic Çatalhöyük Site Reveal “More than Just Blood Relations” Driving Ancient Kinship
Investigating questions of kinship, archaeologists discovered that treating non-blood relatives as family goes back to the ancient past.
A Geometric Riddle Has Perplexed Mathematicians for More Than a Century—These Researchers Just Solved It
One of differential geometry’s most challenging problems has finally been solved after 150 years, with a closed surface Bonnet pair.
800 Years Ago, Ancient Japanese Astronomers Recorded a Massive Solar Storm—and Modern Space Weather Technology Just Confirmed It
Ancient Japanese writings are guiding cutting-edge technology as researchers investigate medieval solar storms.
Earth’s ‘Missing’ Lead Has Puzzled Scientists for Decades—New Research Could Finally Solve This Ancient Chemical Mystery
A massive amount of lead missing from the Earth’s crust may be hidden by the planet’s mantle's immense crushing power.
A Never-Before-Seen Radio Telescope Detection of Twin Particle Jets Reveals a Titanic Collision in the Making
Two large particle jets in the core of a distant galaxy likely represent two black holes in their final phase before merging.
Elusive Dark Matter Might Consist of More Than One Kind of Particle, Controversial New Theory Argues
The search for dark matter may be more complex than assumed, as contradictory clues may point to two forms of the theoretical substance.
New “Smart” Cancer Treatment Mitigates Harmful Side Effects, Marking “An Important Step Forward in the Evolution of Medicine”
A new synthetic DNA-powered “smart” cancer treatment allows drugs to carefully target harmful cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.
“One of the Most Titanic Blasts in the Cosmos”: Gravitational Waves Support a “Forbidden Range” of Stellar Obliteration
Gravitational waves reveal an explosive “forbidden range” of stellar destruction so powerful that not even a black hole can emerge.
Review: In an Age of Disinformation, “Saucers, Spooks and Kooks” is the Real Disclosure Film
If you’re tired of never-ending promises of UFO disclosure, have I got a movie for you.
James Webb Space Telescope Spots Huge Black Holes Where They Shouldn’t Be, Adding to the Mystery of “Little Red Dots”
James Webb Space Telescope observations have revealed unexpectedly overmassive supermassive black holes at the hearts of a pair of galaxies.
Lord of the Half-Rings: The White Dwarfs ‘Gandalf’ and ‘Moon-Sized’ Represent a New Class of Stellar Objects
Gandalf and Moon-Sized are a new class of stellar remnants characterized by five strange parameters, making them unique from other objects.
Clocking Quantum Instability: A New Process Could Open Pathways to Reliable Quantum Computing
In the quest to move quantum computing into practical use, researchers have developed a new understanding of qubit lifespans.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission is Gearing Up for Today’s Launch: Here’s How You Can Watch
Four astronauts will become the first Americans to journey around the Moon since 1972 with today's historic Artemis II launch. Here's how you can tune in.
“First Plasma” Achieved in the Race for a Propulsion System that Could Cut the Travel Time to Mars in Half
“First plasma” has been achieved by the Sunbird exhaust test system, marking a major step toward a direct fusion drive spacecraft.
2,600-Year-Old Shipwreck Reveals an Unexpected Discovery, Challenging Past Ideas on the Tools of Ancient Warfare
Raw chunks of iron and other artifacts recovered from an ancient shipwreck are challenging archaeologists’ understanding of trade and war in the Middle East 2,600 years ago.
Scientists Observe Mysterious Light Wave Vortices Moving Faster Than Light
Dark spots within lightwaves break the speed of light in new research confirming a half-century-old prediction.
Prehistoric Skeletal Discovery is Challenging Past Assumptions on an Ancient “Syphilis-Like” Disease
Scientists are reconsidering an ancient disease and challenging some of the basic assumptions archaeologists use to study past infections.
A Mysterious Gravitational Wave Signal Could Represent the First Known Detection of a Primordial Black Hole, Study Suggests
New research says that theoretical primordial black holes formed in the first moments after the Big Bang may be responsible for dark matter.
Physicists Using X-Rays Make “Impossible” Discovery of a New Critical Point in Water
A new critical point in water has been discovered by Stockholm University physicists, explaining some of water’s strangest properties.
NASA Unveils New Plans to Build a Permanent Moon Base as Space Competition Intensifies
NASA is committing to building a permanent Moon base, as revealed at the agency’s Tuesday “Ignition event."
Hubble Space Telescope Images Reveal the Stunning Cosmic Evolution of the Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula has evolved as seen in a stunning 2024 cosmic display captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
“We Want to Understand How We Got Here”: Extragalactic Archaeology is Helping Astronomers Reveal a Spiral Galaxy’s Hidden Past
Extragalactic archaeology has come of age, with astronomers for the first time reconstructing the history of a spiral galaxy.
Rujm el-Hiri, Israel’s Mysterious “Stonehenge of the East” Is Not Alone, New Research Reveals
Israel’s strange Wheel of Ghosts turns out not to be so unusual after all, as new research has uncovered many similar sites in the region.
Fast-Spinning Giants Help Astronomers Distinguish Planets from Failed Stars, New Research Reveals
Distinguishing between brown dwarfs and giant planets has confused astronomers, but a clear separating factor has finally been identified.
“We Knew This Was Something Really, Really Special”: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope Captures a Comet’s Destruction
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope had a lucky day last year, just happening to capture the rare breakup of a comet for the first time.
How a Fungal Gene Stolen from Bacteria Could be the Next Weather Manipulation Tool
Fungi may be the key to weather manipulation, after researchers isolated a fungal protein that promotes ice formation.
Tiny Electrical Sparks May Help Explain Lightning and the Origins of Life
The spark that transfers a charge from one carbon particle to another, generating lightning and possibly life itself, is finally understood.
Scientists Discover Ryugu Asteroid Samples Contained Full Set of Life’s Genetic Building Blocks
The complete set of the fundamental building blocks of life, making up DNA and RNA, has been discovered in samples from the asteroid Ryugu.
Was the Sun an Ancient Galactic Traveler? New Research Suggests How Our Star May Have Escaped the Early Milky Way’s Core
The Sun may have been part of a small group of stars that migrated from the core of our galaxy between 4 and 6 billion years ago.
As the Brain Stabilizes Dizzying Eye Movements, These Ghostly Images Appear—Now Scientists Know Why
Ghostly afterimages are the result of our brain stabilizing our vision, according to German researchers who investigated the process.
Quantum Computers Reveal a Strange New Molecule With Twisting Electron Motion
A new type of molecule, not only never before seen but not even predicted, was created with the aid of quantum computers.
James Webb Space Telescope Discovers New Type of Magma Planet With “No Equivalent in Our Own Solar System”
The James Webb Space Telescope and supplementary observations have revealed a new type of magma planet, rich in sulphur.
NASA Satellite Imagery Reveals Lifeforms Swarming Around This Iconic Dying “Megaberg”
The climate change-fueled demise of one of Antarctica’s largest icebergs has ironically fueled a surge in nature’s “biological carbon pump.”
“Destruction Can Be a Catalyst for Creation”: How Neutron Star Collisions and Explosive Gamma Bursts Create the Universe’s Heaviest Elements
The violent collision of two neutron stars is providing new insights on how the universe’s heaviest elements were created.
New Gravitational Wave Study Reveals the Unexpected Dance Between Black Holes and Neutron Stars
The final dance of a black hole and a neutron star before their ultimate merger has been revealed, according to new research.
Astronomers Finally Solve the Mystery of Superluminous Supernovae
The mystery of superluminous supernovae has finally been solved, as researchers have conclusively linked these cosmic phenomena to magnetars.
Mars Hit by Massive Solar Storm Delivering 200 Days of Radiation in 64 Hours
A solar superstorm recorded on Mars by the ESA orbiters reveals the hidden dangers in Mars’ upper atmosphere.
Unexpected Speeding Electron Discovery Could Boost the Future of Solar Power
New solar energy research has demonstrated that electrons can move across solar panels at a speed far greater than previously understood.
“This Was Very Unexpected”: New Phase of Matter Discovered Where Quantum Qualities Appear in a Non-Quantum State
Researchers were shocked to discover that what was thought to be a quantum state is actually an entirely new phase of matter.