By Jacopo Prisco, CNN (CNN) — During California’s worst dry spell in the past 1,200 years, some populations of wildflowers defied the odds to survive the ordeal. Researchers say they now believe these flowers relied on a type of rapid genetic evolution — the first time such a phenomenon has been documented in the wild.
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Mosquitoes haven’t always had a taste for human blood — partly because the tiny yet dangerous insects have been around a lot longer than humans. Pinpointing when mosquitoes shifted their preference to human blood could provide a novel window into the spread of early human ancestors across the globe,
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By Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — The possibility that a huge space rock — once deemed the riskiest asteroid ever observed — could hit the moon now appears to be off the table. Discovered at the end of December 2024, asteroid 2024 YR4 at first seemed a serious threat to Earth, with scientists estimating as
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By Jackie Wattles, CNN (CNN) — A large space probe plummeted into Earth’s atmosphere early Wednesday — years earlier than expected. And while most of the spacecraft was expected to disintegrate in a flaming blaze during reentry, a few components could have survived, according to NASA. The odds that a piece of debris would cause
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By Ella Nilsen, CNN (CNN) — The federal regulatory agency tasked with keeping America’s nuclear power plants safe and running smoothly is set to make huge cuts to the amount of time its staffers spend on safety and emergency inspections, opening the door to more self-policing from the industry. As it embarks on a reorganization
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By Ella Nilsen, Amy O’Kruk, Samuel Hart, CNN (CNN) — The current war in the Middle East has sent the price of oil spiking — and with it, US gas prices. Crude prices leapt over $100 per barrel on Monday. In the US, the average gas price was $3.48, up 50 cents since the US
Continue ReadingBy Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — In 2022, a NASA spacecraft intentionally barreled into the tiny asteroid Dimorphos during a planetary defense test. The objective was to assess whether humanity could protect Earth from cosmic threats, such as space rocks. New observations now reveal that the planetary defense test was a success, altering the orbit
Continue ReadingBy Sam Peters, CNN (CNN) — Ancient European hunter-gatherers were far more advanced in their cooking methods than previously thought, a new study has found, combining ingredients in “remarkably selective” ways, with cuisines even varying by region. Researchers analyzed the burnt remains of food stuck to the side of pots, called “foodcrusts,” and found that
Continue ReadingBy Ashley Strickland, CNN (CNN) — Scientists can now come face to face with an early human ancestor nicknamed Little Foot who lived 3.67 million years ago, thanks to digital reconstruction technology. Renowned paleoanthropologist Ronald Clarke identified four tiny bones in the University of the Witwatersrand’s museum collection and went on to discover Little Foot’s
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By Andrew Freedman, CNN (CNN) — There was a decisive winner to the Lower 48 states’ split screen winter — a battle between frigid cold in the East and record warmth in the West. Anyone in the East who shivered through this winter could be in for a shock at the outcome. In the end,
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