Study: Ancient world may have had tens of thousands of languages, peak around 1,000 BC to 1,000 AD
Computer models based on hunter-gatherer data suggest language diversity surged with agriculture, peaked at around 50,000 languages between 1,000 BC and 1,000 AD, then collapsed as empires spread, leaving today's 7,500 languages.
Orcas filmed ramming sunfish carcasses until they explode in Gulf of California, study reveals
Underwater footage from the Gulf of California shows orcas ramming dead sunfish at full speed, fragmenting them into thousands of pieces. Scientists say the behaviour may help feed calves or simply be play.
India's Skyroot launches first private orbital rocket, Vikram-1, carrying six payloads to 450km orbit
The 22-metre rocket lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 12:05 pm local time, placing six technology demonstration payloads into a 450 km low Earth orbit and making India the third country with private orbital launch capability.
New monkey species with orange lips and frog-like call discovered in DR Congo
The Colobus congoensis, known locally as likweli, is only the fifth new African monkey species identified in 75 years, researchers report in PLOS One.
Humpback whale sighted off German Baltic coast, ministry confirms; animal likely same one seen in Scotland and Denmark
The Schleswig-Holstein environment ministry confirmed a humpback whale at the Kiel Fjord on 17 July, moving slowly toward open sea. The animal is likely the same one observed earlier in Scotland and Denmark, and possibly the sick whale nicknamed 'Hartwin'.
Soyuz MS-29 lifts off with US-Russian crew, NASA chief visits Baikonur for first time in eight years
Anil Menon becomes the first American astronaut to fly on a Russian Soyuz since the Ukraine war deepened, as NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman makes a rare appearance at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage to hit Moon in unplanned collision on August 5
Astronomer Bill Gray and NASA say the Falcon 9 upper stage, launched in January 2025, will strike the lunar surface on August 5, 2026. The impact will be extremely difficult to observe from Earth.
Spain prepares for first total solar eclipse in over a century on 12 August
A total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain on the evening of 12 August 2026, with the path of totality stretching from Galicia to the Balearic Islands. Authorities are urging viewers to use certified eye protection to avoid irreversible retinal damage.
What if the moon vanished? Scientists map the catastrophic chain reaction for Earth
On International Moon Day, researchers from DLR and the Royal Museums Greenwich outline how the sudden loss of the moon would unravel seasons, coastal ecosystems, and the planet's rotation.
Five Roman silver denarii over 2,000 years old unearthed in Halle, a first for Saxony-Anhalt
A volunteer archaeologist discovered five silver denarii from the Roman Republic in Halle last year, the first such hoard ever recorded in Saxony-Anhalt.
T. rex 'Gus' sells for record $50.1 million at Sotheby's, deepening tension between science and collectors
The 67-million-year-old skeleton, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex specimens, was bought by an anonymous telephone bidder after a 10-minute contest in New York, eclipsing the previous record held by Stegosaurus 'Apex'.
First genuine sugar found in interstellar space, 27,000 light-years from Earth
Using two Spanish radio telescopes, astronomers identified erythrulose, a sugar found in raspberries, in a molecular cloud near the galactic centre, marking the first direct detection of a genuine sugar in the interstellar medium.
Romania wins two gold medals at 2026 International Physics Olympiad amid disputed silver count
Romanian students earned two gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Bucaramanga, Colombia, though silver medal counts vary from two to three across different reports. The event ran July 4-12 with 381 competitors from 90 countries.
Astronomers discover dimmest exoplanet ever imaged from Earth after 11-year hide-and-seek
The planet, 100 times fainter than its sibling Beta Pictoris b, had been hiding in archival telescope images for over a decade before two independent teams spotted it.