A child’s partial skull adds to the mystery of how Homo naledi treated the dead

The isolated discovery of a Homo naledi child’s skull fragments and teeth plays into the idea that small-brained species ritually placed the dead in caves.

Baleen whales eat (and poop) a lot more than we realized

In a single day, a blue whale can gulp down the caloric equivalent of 30,000 Big Macs.

Brainless sponges contain early echoes of a nervous system

Simple sponges contain cells that appear to send signals to digestive chambers, a communication system that offers hints about how brains evolved.

Neutron star collisions probably make more gold than other cosmic smashups

Smashups of two neutron stars produce more heavy elements than when a black hole swallows a neutron star, calculations suggest.

Pluto’s dark side reveals clues to its atmosphere and frost cycles

Light from Pluto’s moon Charon illuminated the dwarf planet’s farside, offering clues about how nitrogen cycles between its surface and its atmosphere.

Gene-edited stem cells help geckos regrow more perfect tails

Regenerated gecko tails are a far cry from perfect. Now experiments have coaxed geckos to regrow better ones with nerve tissue and bonelike cartilage.