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CHRISTINA LARSON Science Writer.

Stone Age humans were picky about which rocks they used for making tools, study finds

August 15, 2025

New research finds early human ancestors during the Stone Age were more picky about the rocks they used for making tools than previously thought. The study published Friday in Science Advances shows that by 2.6 million years ago, early humans had developed a method to chip sharp flakes from rocks to use as blades for butchering meat. At an archaeological site in Kenya, researchers found durable blades made of quartzite, then traced the original rock material to locations several miles away. This suggests the early humans had a mental map of where suitable raw materials were located and planned ahead to use them.

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In this long-exposure photo, a meteor streaks across the sky, seen above palm trees, in Bal Harbour, Fla., early Monday, Aug. 13, 2018, during the Perseid meteor shower. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Venus and Jupiter appear close in the sky as summer’s best meteor shower peaks soon

August 11, 2025

The Perseid meteor shower is peaking soon. This year, a bright moon will hinder viewing during peak viewing early Wednesday, so experts suggest waiting a week for darker skies. Venus and Jupiter will also appear close in the sky. The Perseids are known for their fireballs. Under ideal viewing conditions with no moon, the shower can produce more than 60 meteors per hour. But moonlight will interfere this year. The source of the Perseids is debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle. Viewing lasts until August 23. The next major meteor shower, the Orionids, peaks in late October.

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This image provided by NASA shows comet 96P Machholz which orbits the Sun about every 6 years, and is suspected to cause the Southern Delta Aquariids meteor showers. (NASA/ESA/SOHO via AP)

How to watch two meteor showers peak together in late July

July 25, 2025

It’s almost time to catch summer’s double meteor showers. The Southern Delta Aquariid and Alpha Capricornid meteor showers peak in the early morning of July 30. With minimal interference from moonlight, the meteors should appear bright and clear if viewed away from city lights. Each shower is expected to produce up to a dozen visible meteors per hour. The Alpha Capricornids may have tails that linger longer in the night sky. Viewing of each shower lasts through August 12. The next major meteor shower, the Perseids, will peak in mid-August.

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Some Australian dolphins use sponges to hunt fish, but it’s harder than it looks

July 15, 2025

Some dolphins in Australia use sponges on their noses to hunt fish, a skill passed down through generations. Research published Tuesday reveals that this technique involves using sponges to protect their noses while stirring up fish from the seafloor. But the sponges interfere with the dolphins’ echolocation, making the skill challenging to master. Only about 5% of the studied population, or 30 dolphins, use this method. Scientists say it’s an efficient but rare hunting strategy, learned over years and passed only from mother to calf. The findings highlight the complexity of dolphin behavior and appear in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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Ancient DNA shows genetic link between Egypt and Mesopotamia

July 2, 2025

Ancient DNA has revealed links between the cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Researchers sequenced whole genomes from the teeth of a well-preserved skeleton found in a sealed funeral pot in an Egyptian tomb site dating to between 4,495 and 4,880 years ago. Four-fifths of the genome showed links to North Africa. But a fifth of the genome showed links to the region known as the Fertile Crescent, where Mesopotamian civilization flourished. Earlier archeological evidence has shown cultural and trade links between Egypt and Mesopotamia, but the new study published Wednesday in Nature clarifies a genetic link.

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