40,000 Year Old Markings Reveal What Could Be a Mysterious Ancient Precursor to Writing
Researchers have discovered signs of a Paleolithic writing precursor in ancient tools and sculptures dating back 40,000 years.
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.
Missing Geomagnetic Polarity Reversals Reveal the Secrets of Earth’s Ancient Past
Japanese researchers say they are closing in on the mystery of Earth’s “missing” geomagnetic polarity reversals, identifying where they believe scientists should look for evidence of their unusual absence.
“This is Antarctic Frontier Science”: The Deepest Antarctic Core Sample Ever Collected Reveals 23 Million Years of Remote Geological History
Researchers have drilled the deepest Antarctic sediment core ever, uncovering 23 million years of climate history beneath the ice sheet.
James Webb Space Telescope Maps Uranus’s Atmosphere and Auroras for the First Time
James Webb Space Telescope data has allowed researchers to map Uranus’s upper atmosphere in three dimensions for the first time.
Scientists Unearth a Scimitar-Crested “Hell Heron” During a Daunting Sahara Desert Expedition
A new “scimitar-crested” spinosaurid, Spinosaurus mirabilis, has been uncovered in the Sahara, marking a major new dinosaur fossil find.
‘Fire Weather Synchronicity’ is Increasing Globally, as Climate Change Strains International Fire Fighting Resources
According to researchers, worldwide fire weather synchronicity has more than doubled over a 45-year period.
Antarctica’s Mysterious Gravity Hole is Finally Explained, Revealing Why the Icy Continent Experiences Earth’s Weakest Gravity
The origins of Antarctica’s gravity hole have finally been revealed, after researchers probed beneath the ice to trace it's formation.
Saturn’s Largest Moon May Be the Remnant of an Ancient Impact, New Research Reveals
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may have been born of the collision of two smaller moons, according to new research.
Bottling the Sun: How Researchers Created Organic Solar Storage Molecules More Efficient than Lithium-Ion Batteries
Researchers have managed to bottle the Sun, advancing renewable energy goals by enabling the storage of solar power in a novel format.
“This Was Not an Ordinary Gamma-Ray Burst”: Astronomers Have Witnessed An Extreme Cosmic Explosion Unlike Anything Ever Seen
China’s Einstein Probe has detected an event suspected to be the first recorded instance of a black hole devouring a white dwarf.
Astronomers Have Discovered an “Inside-Out” Planetary System That’s Breaking All the Rules
An inside-out planetary system around the star LHS 1903 is turning everything that astronomers know about planet formation upside down.
Danish Cemetery Study Challenges Assumptions About Leprosy Stigma in the Middle Ages
Medieval Christian burials in Denmark were likely more influenced by money than supposed outward markers of sin, according to new research.
Astronomers Were Baffled by the Disappearance of a Massive Star in a Nearby Galaxy—Now They Have Solved This Cosmic Cold Case
NASA’s NEOWISE has allowed astronomers to get the best and most complete view of a star collapsing into a black hole ever recorded.
Extraordinary Claim? NASA Study Says Life on Ancient Mars May Be the Best Explanation for Odd Curiosity Rover Samples
Organic compounds discovered on the Red Planet cannot be fully explained by non-biological sources, say astrobiologists.
The Search for Alien Tech Reveals a Pulsar at the Heart of the Galaxy—And It Could Help Test Einstein’s Theory of Gravity
Researchers looking for signs of extraterrestrial life instead stumbled upon a pulsar at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
Stunning Hubble Image of the Egg Nebula is the Clearest Ever Captured
NASA and the ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope has captured an incredible image of the Egg Nebula, providing astronomers with rare details.
James Webb Space Telescope Spots an Unexpected Abundance of Organic Molecules in a Distant Galactic Nucleus
New James Webb Space Telescope observations suggest that organic molecules are much more common outside our galaxy than previously believed.
“This is Really Unusual”: Astronomers Spot a Black Hole Unleashing a Jet More Powerful Than the “Death Star”
A supermassive black hole is on track to produce the longest recorded emission of energy left over from a shredded star.
Controversy Ensues Over Claims That a Group of Trees in Italy “Predicted” an Eclipse—These Scientists Are Skeptical
A controversy has ensued over whether a group of spruce trees in Northern Italy predicted a partial solar eclipse, prompting skepticism among scientists.
A Rare and Mysterious Type of Earthquake that Occurs Deep Below Earth’s Crust Has Just Been Mapped by Scientists
A rare type of deep underground earthquake occurring in the Earth’s mantle has finally been isolated and mapped by Stanford researchers.
4,700-Year-Old Discovery Reveals Clues to Cult of Ishtar’s Spread Throughout the Ancient World
Hidden beneath an ancient temple in Assur, Iraq, archaeologists have discovered key evidence of the Cult of Ishtar's origins.
“This is a Pivotal Point”: Astronomers Offer New Evidence of Dark Matter Lurking at the Heart of the Milky Way
Long-held assumptions about what lies at the center of the Milky Way could be incorrect, as new international research suggests dark matter, instead of a supermassive black hole, may reside in the heart of the galaxy.
An Explosive Black Hole “Missing Link” May Reveal Clues to Dark Matter and Particles Beyond the Standard Model
A rare black hole explosion accounts for an “impossible” neutrino detection, say UMass Amherst scientists, possibly hinting at dark matter.
Hidden Structures Deep Within the Earth’s Mantle May Be the Root of Our Planet’s Magnetic History
New research identifies how two vast, hot rock structures in the planet’s mantle produce unusual magnetic activity.
This New Optical Crystal Could Power Next-Generation Quantum and Semiconductor Tools
Chinese researchers have developed a new type of optical crystal that could help address several major supply chain bottlenecks.
Zapotec Death Owl Sculpture Reveals Ancient Mesoamerican Beliefs in Immaculately Preserved Tomb
An exceptionally well-preserved Zapotec Tomb dating to around 600 CE, recently uncovered in Mexico, vastly expands archaeologists' knowledge.
“The Distinction Didn’t Exist”: Memory Types Don’t Operate as Neuroscientists Have Long Assumed
New UK research challenges some scientists' fundamental assumptions about how memory works, relying on the entire brain.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Observes Something Unexpected at the Edge of Cosmic Dawn
The James Webb Space Telescope has observed the earliest galaxy ever recorded, only 280 million years after the Big Bang.
Scientists Have Developed a Laser-Controlled Magnet With No Heating Required
Swiss researchers have developed a new technique allowing for magnetic polarity changes using only a laser beam.
Hundreds of Anomalous Celestial Objects Hidden in Hubble Space Telescope Data Have Been Revealed with Help from AI
An ESA-developed AI system analyzing millions of Hubble images has identified more than 1,300 odd and previously overlooked cosmic objects.
James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Dark Matter as the “True Architect of the Universe”
James Webb Space Telescope data has allowed researchers to create the highest-resolution map of dark matter threads in the universe ever.
Previously Unknown Roman Villa Discovered Beneath a Welsh Park is Helping Unearth Britain’s Hidden History
A previously unknown and well-preserved ancient Roman villa complex has been discovered in Margam, Wales, using high-resolution magnetometry and ground radar.
Scientists Have Discovered a Fascinating New Way Jupiter’s Moon Europa Could Support Life
Washington State University geophysicists offer new ideas on how Jupiter’s Moon Euro could provide for life from above.
Discovery of World’s Oldest Rock Art Reveals the Path Ancient Humans Took into Ice Age Australia
The world’s oldest known rock art, dating back at least 67,800 years, has been discovered in an Indonesian cave.
Defying Longstanding Chemical Rules, Chemists Have Engineered Exotic Molecules They Say Could “Benefit Our World”
UCLA researchers have violated Bredt’s rule, a century-old principle of organic chemistry, challenging our understanding of molecular shapes.
Strange Quantum Effects Persist in Surprisingly Large Particles, New Research Reveals
University of Vienna and University of Duisburg-Essen Researchers demonstrated that quantum mechanics holds even at the macroscopic scale.
Stonehenge Discovery Reveals New Evidence of Mysterious Long Distance Transport System in Ancient Britain
A major debate over the construction of the mysterious Neolithic Stonehenge site in the UK may finally have been resolved.
Magnetic Avalanche: ESA’s Solar Orbiter Data Reveals the Cascading Explosions of Solar Flares for the First Time
The ESA's Solar Orbiter has discovered that solar flares act like avalanches, growing from weak disturbances into powerful plasma rains.
James Webb Space Telescope Captures the Stunning Demise of a Star in the Helix Nebula
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured the clearest infrared observation of the Helix Nebula ever, displaying the death of a star.
Superconductivity Breakthrough Brings Practical Use Closer than Ever, as Team Unveils “Hidden Magnetic Order in the Pseudogap”
In the quest for room-temperature superconductivity, international physicists have uncovered a link between magnetism and the pseudogap.
Mysterious Iron Bar Discovered in the Ring Nebula is a “Fascinating, Previously Unknown Structure in a Night-Sky Jewel”
Astronomers have discovered a strange, bar-shaped iron structure within the Ring Nebula, which could be the remains of a vaporized planet.
“It’s Like Watching a Cosmic Volcano Erupt Again”: Black Hole Roars Back to Life With Powerful Plasma Jet
A dramatic scarlet image of a supermassive black hole erupting like a cosmic volcano has been captured by researchers.
Astronomers Have Uncovered a “Definitive Clue” to the Origin of Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Originating from Binary Stars
Researchers have, for the first time, discovered clear evidence that some fast radio bursts (FRBs) are emitted by binary stars.
James Webb Space Telescope Solves a Cosmic Mystery by Revealing the True Identity of Mysterious “Little Red Dots” in Deep Space
One of the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) earliest mysteries was that of the little red dots, which researchers have finally resolved.
Archaeologists Have Discovered an Ancient “Factory” That Could “Reshape What We Thought We Knew” About Roman Britain
A major ancient Roman industrial site on the River Wear may be the most important discovery of the last hundred years, archaeologists say.
“The Waves From an Earthquake, Only On the Surface of a Small Chip”: This Vibrating Laser May Be the Future of Wireless Technology
Tiny, artificial earthquake-like waves generated by lasers may be the key to smaller, faster, and more efficient computer chips.
Toxic Hydrogen Cyanide May Play a Key Role in Life’s Origins on Icy Worlds
Frozen crystals of hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous substance, may have been essential to life on Saturn’s moon Titan, researchers say.
Is Our Understanding of the Fossil Record Flawed? New Research Reveals a “Flood” of New Insights that Challenge Old Ideas
How paleontologists interpret the fossil record is about to change, as new research challenges our understanding of bone dispositions.
“This Was a Serendipitous Discovery”: A Galactic “Misfit” is Revealing Anomalous Activity Astronomers Never Expected
Astronomers report that the active galactic nucleus at VV 340a is producing a wobbling outflow jet that challenges the current paradigm.
773,000-Year-Old Fossils Discovered in Morocco Shed Light on the Last Common Ancestor of Humans and Neanderthals
An African hominin population that existed very early in the Homo sapiens lineage is providing new insights into humanity's shared ancestry.