Long-buried traces of Denisovan DNA have resurfaced in modern human genomes — and they may still be working for us today. Scientists discovered a gene variant passed down from these extinct human relatives that likely helped our ancestors survive as they spread into the Americas. Ancient Interbreeding Gave Humans Helpful Genetic Tools A new study [...]

A 430-million-year-old fossil has pushed the origin of leeches back by more than 200 million years, revealing that these ancient creatures began as marine hunters, not bloodsuckers. Discovered in Wisconsin’s Waukesha biota, the rare fossil preserves a tail sucker but lacks the forward sucker used by modern leeches to pierce skin. This suggests early leeches [...]

May you gaze into clear skies.

These events remain puzzling.

What geological features on Earth can be used to better understand unique geological features on Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated potential Earth analogs for studying a unique geological feature on Europa scientists identified almost 30 years ago. This study has the potential help scientists gain insights into Europa’s unique geological features, some of which scientists hypothesize are caused by the moon’s internal liquid water ocean.