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Lost Maya city found in Mexican jungle

Scientists have discovered what was once likely a prominent city in the booming Mayan empire.
Summer solstice 2013: Longest day, best Mercury-spotting

This year's summer solstice, Friday (June 21) at 1:04 a.m. EDT (0504 GMT), also features a rare chance to see Mercury, the planet usually obscured by the sun's glare.
Whale of a win: Environmental victory protects whales from noise pollution

Michael Jasny, director of the NRDC Marine Mammal Project, contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
Space telescope funded by public donations meets $1 million goal

Public donors giving between $10 and $10,000 each have hit a $1 million crowdfunding goal for ARKYD, the pint-size space telescope that can be used by schools and enthusiasts alike.
Hipster Mars had oxygen before it was cool

Four billion years ago called, and they want their oxygen-rich atmosphere back, finds new research from Oxford University.
Tale of the snail tells us about Ireland's ancient origins

New research suggests that snails in Ireland and the Pyrenees share almost identical genetic material not found in British snails, suggesting the snails arrived in Ireland with southern European migrants.
Go big or go home: NASA's 1.3 billion-pixel panorama from Mars

NASA researchers have composed an interactive, panoramic view of Mars created with more than 900 exposures taken from the Curiosity rover.
Bizarre supernova completely normal in every way, find astronomers

A nearby white dwarf went supernova in 2011, giving scientists an unprecedented look at a rare Type Ia supernova. They discovered that it's remarkably, stunningly, perfectly 'normal.'
Scientists clear quantum computing hurdle

Researchers have devised a new way to prevent neighboring quantum bits from interfering with each other, bringing large-scale quantum computing one step closer to reality.
Cassini spacecraft to take our global photo next month

Cassini, NASA spacecraft orbiting Saturn, will take a picture of Earth next month, from a distance of about a billion miles.
How did the chest-hair-farming Hoff crab evolve? Scientists solve mystery (+ video)

Named for the hairy-chested actor David Hasselhoff, the Hoff crab is now thought to have originated in the Pacific Ocean. Today it is threatened by global warming, say scientists.
Cambodian lost city not so lost after all

Cambodian lost city: Researchers clarified that the Mahendraparvata was not lost, but that it was found to be unexpectedly large.
NASA wants your help lassoing an asteroid (+video)

NASA has issued The Asteroid Grand Challenge, an effort to solicit ideas for how to capture an asteroid and, later, send humans to asteroids.
Peru earthquake: Small offshore earthquake rumbles Lima

A small earthquake hit Peru at 1:40 p.m. local time Tuesday, just off the coast near Lima, Peru's capital city. No injuries or damage have been reported.
'Seeing' with sound: There's an app for that

A team of researchers have developed an algorithm that can map a room based on acoustic echoes, essentially using echolocation like a bat.
What's that thing in Uranus's orbit – and how did it get there?

Scientists have located three Centaurs – asteroid-comet hybrids – in Uranus's orbit, including one that's moving oddly in the planet's wake.
Albino gorilla was inbred, say scientists

Albino gorilla: A genetic study of Snowflake, the world's only known albino gorilla, found that he was likely the product of a pairing between an uncle and a niece.
Mars rover engineer to give us LEGO version (+ video)

One of the Curiosity rover’s designers has won a fan-based competition to create LEGO version of the Curiosity Mars rover.
Revolutionary technique lets scientists 'see' with sound – underwater

With a powerful acoustic transmitter and receiver, researchers can take detailed and almost instantaneous pictures of ocean waves, currents, and the underwater structure of the sea.
NASA's new astronaut class marks changing of guard for US spaceflight (+video)

NASA named its first new astronauts in four years Monday. Of the eight new recruits, four are women, and all are members of the 'space shuttle generation.'