Story archive
Browse SciQuest reporting and explainers in reverse chronological order, with the newest evidence-led stories first.
news Anthropology Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Fossil and growth comparisons
A new npj Palaeoecosystems study dates the Taung child to 2.96 to 3.03 million years ago and finds adult fossils filed with its species may not belong together.
news Biology Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Fossil description
A 6-million-year-old pygmy sperm whale skull from Peru has both bony nostrils on its left side. Scientists infer it fed on the seafloor; one skull is known.
news Biology Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Observational (quasi-experimental) study
Chimpanzee raspberry call study: 91 apes in eight groups used the sound in one stable way only where adults were present. What it shows, and its limits.
news Astronomy Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Observational study
TESS watched hot Jupiter TOI-2535 b's transits shrink and stop over seven years. Models point to an unseen, tilted giant neighbour that is not yet detected.
explainer Biology
Most octopuses live 1 to 2 years; the giant Pacific octopus gets 3 to 5. See lifespans by species, why they die after breeding, and a 53-month record.
news Biology Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Comparative (observational) study
Machine learning scored 2,839 ray-finned fish species: schooling arose about 60 times, was lost about 320, and tracks predators, diet and diversification.
news Physics Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Single experiment
A laser-trapped quantum gas on China's space station spread so slowly over 7 seconds that it equals 9.7 picokelvin. What that record means, and what it doesn't.
news Earth Evidence status: Peer reviewed · Laboratory experiment
Pure iron melts at 4,160 K at 200 GPa in a new Science study using microsecond electric pulses, hinting at a cooler core edge and easier early geodynamo.
explainer Biology
Backyard hens usually live 6 to 8 years and the record is 23. See how farm chickens, egg-laying hens and pets compare, and what shortens a chicken's life.
