News : Discovery Channel

Discovery News covers science news like no other science news service. We get behind studies, digging out science news stories others won't get.

News Main

Animals

Archaeology

Dinosaurs

Earth

History

Human Animal

Space

Tech

SLIDE SHOW: The Week's Top Stories

Browse through images from the week's top stories in Discovery News.

Warning: Sunspot Cycle Beginning to Rise

As the sun moves into a busier part of its cycle, engineers on Earth stand guard.

Earthly Cave Bacteria Hint at Mars Life

Earth's first cave dwellers show how life on Mars may be possible today.

Polar Bear Protection Won't Be Broadened

Polar bear protection will not be expanded to include nation-wide emissions limits.

Shrinking Glaciers Redraw Europe's Borders

Italy and Switzerland remap their borders as global warming alters the dividing line.

Whale Sharks Travel Vast Distances to Breed

The biggest fish in the sea, whale sharks, are surprisingly low in genetic diversity.

Look of Youth May Boost Success of Black CEOs

Black CEOs with a "babyface" appearance are more likely to lead wealthy companies.

Basking Sharks' Hiding Places Found

Basking sharks hide out and scientists have finally tracked where they go.

Hubble Telescope to Get Final House Call

Astronauts will make final repairs and add key instruments to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Domestication Led to Horse Color Explosion

Horses' coats exploded into colors after domestication took off some 5,500 years ago.

Giant Trilobites in Portugal Could Be Biggest

A newly discovered cluster of trilobite fossils could include the largest ever found.

Fears of 'Lights Out' for Malaysian Fireflies

A dazzling firefly population in Malaysia faces destruction due to tree clearing.

Fuel for Deep Space Missions Running Low

NASA is running out of nuclear fuel needed for its deep space exploration.

Seahorses 'Stood Up' 25 Million Years Ago

Seahorses adopted their upright posture to take advantage of grassy habitats.

'Hobbit' New Species After All, Says Study

Analysis of the feet of ancient hobbit-like fossils suggest they were their own species.

Hydrogen Fuel Made Using Green Energy

NASA designs a green-powered fueling system for buses that run on hydrogen.

Dating Sites ID the Smell of Love

Two dating companies turn to science and odor to help couples find their match.

Smuggler Tries to Conceal Birds in Socks

A man tried smuggling songbirds into the country by hiding them in a pair of leggings.

Disease Strikes Great Barrier Reef

Black band disease, which kills coral as it eats tissue, has infected the Great Barrier Reef.

Some Himalayan Glaciers Growing Despite Warming

A cluster of glaciers in the Himalayas are bucking the global warming trend.

New Race Car Runs on Chocolate

A race car fueled by chocolate waste is designed to reach 145 mph.

NASA to Test Antifungal Drugs in Space

A satellite the size of a loaf of bread will test how well antibiotics work in space.

WIDE ANGLE: Earth's Greatest Mountains

Get dispatches from an Everest trek and explore how huge mountains grew.

Mercury in Seal's Diet Linked to Warming

Vanishing sea ice could cause seals to eat more mercury-contaminated fish.

BLOG: Mexico's Toughest Animals

On this Cinco de Mayo, explore a top 10 look at Mexico's hardiest animals.

Disease Threatening Bees in South Africa

Hundreds of thousands of bees are at risk from a disease sweeping through hives.

Rome's 'Talking Statues' Get Sanitized

Statues that have served as platforms for satirical Romans for centuries get a clean up.

Grey Wolf Taken Off Endangered List

After a comeback the grey wolf is no longer endangered and can be hunted in most states.

Lizards Sunbathe for Vitamin D

Lizards and chameleons bask in the sun to stock up on vitamin D.

Supercontinent Set Stage for Worst Extinction

Erosion flowing off Pangea may choked seas and set the stage for mass extinction.

Dr Pepper Artifact Points to Original Formula

An old drugstore ledger now up for auction has a recipe for "D Peppers Pepsin Bitters."

SLIDE SHOW: The Week's Top Stories

There was more to the news this week than swine flu. See what you may have missed.

Mercury Flyby Reveals Active Inner Planet

The solar system's smallest planet is far more active than previously thought.

Ozone Recovery Could Thaw Antarctica

The ozone hole may explain why Antarctica's ice is more resilient than the Arctic's, for now.

Comet Dust Collected by NASA Predates Sun

An excursion to collect comet dust yields a surprise: the dust is older than the sun.

Mummified Puppy Found in Egyptian Tomb

A tiny body found at the feet of an Egyptian mummy was probably his beloved pet.

Pet Trade Introduces Diseases, Costs

Invasive species, often introduced as pets, increase risk to diseases and lead to heavy costs.

Dancing Birds Feel the Beat

Some birds can boogie to the beat in almost-perfect tempo. How do they do it?

Evidence of Water Found on Saturn Moon Enceladus

Ice volcanoes on Enceladus are probably rooted in a subsurface sea of liquid water.

New Toxin Detected in Forest Fire Smoke

Scientists discover a new pollutant emitted from forest fires that can alter human DNA.

Blue Laser Could Help Lead to Autism Cure

Scientists use a laser in mice to induce a brain wave that is linked to concentration.

Animals That Play Dead Sacrifice Others

Animals that play dead often survive, but more often when others are there to take the heat.

Hypersonic 'WaveRider' Poised for Test Flight

The X-51 is designed to fly more than six times faster than the speed of sound.

Swine Flu Outbreak Tracked With Twitter

Add Twitter to the toolbox for public epidemiologists tracking the spread of swine flu.

GPS and Hair Analysis Reveal Elephant Stresses

Kenya elephants' diets are gleaned from tail hair analysis and GPS tracking.

Wide Angle: Swine Flu Outbreak

Get video, interviews, news and more on pandemics and the swine flu.

Plastic Water Bottles May Pose Health Hazard

Water bottles made with PET plastic are shown to harbor estrogenic compounds.

Top 10 Animals That Carry Flu

As swine flu captures the world's attention, we wondered, which strain is next?

Antimatter Scout to Hitch Last Shuttle Ride

A 7.5-ton antimatter detector could help explain the universe's lopsided balance sheet.

Stress Gives Reef Fish Wonky Ears

Reef fish under environmental stress create offspring with asymmetrical ears.

Wimps, Fitness Buffs Hear 'Looming' Sounds Differently

Weak people perceive approaching sounds as closer than they really are. But why?

Sea Shells Used to Clean Up Heavy Metals

Crushed shells work to remove heavy metals from contaminated water and soils.

INTERVIEW: Microbes Spread in the Wind

Dust storms can carry infectious diseases to far-flung parts of the globe.

Methane Climate Shock Unlikely, Study Says

Catastrophic climate change from methane release may be less likely than thought.

Dead Star Debris Reveals Earth-Like Traces

About 1 to 3 percent of dead stars could have hosted Earth-like worlds.

DDT Exposure in Womb May Cause Obesity

A pregnant woman's diet can have significant effects on her child's health years later.

Ozone Layer Faces Bumpy Return to Health

The Earth's ailing ozone layer may recover, but it will never look exactly like it used to.

Yearbook Photo Smiles Predict Marriage Success

A person's smile in yearbook pictures appears to predict later marriage success.

Microbe-Powered 'Fart' Machine Stores Energy

A new electrical device could improve fuel cell tech by turning CO2 into methane.

Owls Getting Redder as Climate Warms

Like living thermometers, some owls are turning redder as the climate warms.

'Drowned' Spiders Come Back From the Dead

Marsh spiders enter temporary comas to survive drowning, research shows.