science

Astronomers have identified a planet that’s bigger than Jupiter yet surprisingly as fluffy and light as cotton candy. The exoplanet has exceedingly low density for its size, an international team reported Tuesday. The gas giants in our solar system — Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — are much denser. “The planet is basically super fluffy” because it’s made mostly of …

Scientists once thought of dinosaurs as sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. Then research suggested that some could control their body temperature, but when and how that shift came about remained a mystery. Now, a new study estimates that the first warm-blooded dinosaurs may have roamed the Earth about 180 million years ago, about halfway through the creatures’ time on the planet. Warm-blooded …

The sun emitted its biggest flare in over a decade on Tuesday, following days of severe solar storms that fell on Earth and gave skywatchers as far south as Florida a view of the northern lights. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center shared news of the solar flare on social media, saying, “Not done yet.” …

A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday. The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The exact amounts …

The historic cicada invasion is upon us! Noisy flying insects known as cicadas have begun emerging from the ground and have been spotted buzzing around North Carolina and South Carolina before they will eventually appear across 15 other states. The one to two-inch-longbugs are rising from the soil and growing wings before they then start a frantic mating frenzy lasting …

Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island of Dominica have described for the first time the basic elements of how they might be talking to each other, in an effort that could one day help better protect them. Like many whales and dolphins, sperm whales are highly social mammals and communicate by squeezing air through their …

China on Friday launched a lunar probe to land on the far side of the moon and return with samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side. It is the latest advance in China’s increasingly sophisticated space exploration program, which is now competing with the U.S., still the leader in space. China …

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, remnants of Halley’s comet, peaks this weekend. And with just a waning crescent moon in the sky, it should be visible. The Eta Aquarids occur every year in early May. This year’s peak activity happens early Sunday with an expected 10 to 30 meteors visible per hour in the Northern Hemisphere. Viewing should be even …

An orangutan appeared to treat a wound with medicine from a tropical plant — the latest example of how some animals attempt to soothe their own ills with remedies found in the wild, scientists reported Thursday. Scientists observed Rakus, a wild male Sumatran orangutan in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia, pluck and chew up leaves of a medicinal plant used …

Japan’s first moon lander has survived a third freezing lunar night, Japan’s space agency said Wednesday after receiving an image from the device three months after it landed on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the lunar probe responded to a signal from the earth Tuesday night, confirming it has survived another weekslong lunar night. Temperatures can fall …