Science NewsPhysics explains why gold stays pristineMetals like copper oxidize — reacting with oxygen in the air — but gold doesn’t, thanks to a quick switch in atom arrangement on its surface.May 22, 2026
Science NewsCongo prepared for Ebola. Now a rare strain is exposing gaps in readinessAs Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak grows, public health responders are turning to old-school tactics to fight it as scientists search for new tools.May 22, 2026
Science NewsUltrasound aimed at the brain offers new hope for Parkinson’s patientsA noninvasive treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound helped relieve the shaking, stiffness and pain that accompany Parkinson’s disease.May 22, 2026
Science NewsHow house design can curb childhood illnesses in AfricaExperimental houses with screens, rainwater systems and ventilation reduced malaria, diarrhea and infections among children in Tanzania.May 22, 2026
Science NewsMath puzzle: The Ant Goes MarchingSolve the math puzzle from our June 2026 issue, where an ant navigates the surface of various objects to find the shortest path to her dinner.May 22, 2026
Science NewsNew tools may help diagnose Parkinson’s earlier than everFrom special pens to earwax evaluations, a plethora of emerging diagnostics could one day be a major boon for people with the debilitating disease.May 21, 2026
Science NewsScreening all kids for type 1 diabetes can catch more cases earlyIdentifying children with early signs of type 1 diabetes makes a difference to their health. A new study suggests wider screening is effective.May 21, 2026
Science NewsOne mystery of the Great Pyramid’s longevity has finally been solvedDifferences in how the pyramid and surrounding soil vibrate, along with design choices, have protected the structure from earthquakes.May 21, 2026
Science NewsSeabirds weren’t fooled by a scarecrow-like buoy with rotatingA tall buoy with a rotating pair of eyes was supposed to scare birds away from caught fish. Like scarecrows, it didn't work for long.May 21, 2026
Science NewsAn ancient moonpocalypse may explain Neptune’s odd moon NereidNeptune’s oddball moon Nereid may be the sole remnant of an earlier system, formed near the planet rather than being pulled in from afar.May 20, 2026
Science NewsHow to scout a safe summer swimming holeBest practices, including checking public E. coli reports and keeping your head above water can keep you safe while swimming.May 20, 2026
Science NewsThe outlook for a climate-regulating ocean current is…not goodAn ocean current called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation will weaken by 50 percent by 2100. The question is what to do about it.May 20, 2026
Science News‘Morbid’ doesn’t want you to fall for antiaging hypeScientist Saul Justine Newman debunks high-profile longevity research and antiaging “medicine” in a new book.May 20, 2026
Science NewsWhat freediving can reveal about human health — and our limitsThe practice of freediving is teaching physiologists how humans stretch their physical and mental limits, which in turn may improve treatments for lung and heart ailments.May 19, 2026
Science NewsAI-powered whale-spotting tech may help save San Francisco Bay’s gray whalesAn AI trained to use thermal images to detect whale body heat could help warn ships at risk of colliding with the marine mammals.May 19, 2026
Science NewsDamaged DNA can spread between human cells. What could that mean for cancer?DNA can voyage along intercellular highways called tunneling nanotubes. It’s a phenomenon that could potentially spread tumor DNA to healthy cells.May 19, 2026
Science NewsAntarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soilsSoil DNA from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula ties warmer climates to more plant fungal pathogens, with abundance projected to double by 2100.May 19, 2026
Science NewsA ‘jar’ jammed with human bones may solve Laos’ ‘Plain of Jars’ mysteryThe remains of at least 37 people in an ancient stone 'jar' in northeastern Laos suggest that thousands similar jars were used in burials.May 18, 2026
Science NewsMeet ‘Snuffleupagus,’ a newfound fish sporting shaggy camouflageFound near Australia, Solenostomus snuffleupagus is a shaggy swimmer that closely resembles Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.May 18, 2026
Science NewsAfter Dobbs, miscarriage care looked different in states with abortion bansStates with abortion bans are trending away from evidence-based miscarriage treatment that includes mifepristone, compared with states without bans.May 18, 2026
Science NewsNever-ending storms make for good plot twists. Could they plague Earth?While the thunderstorms in The Legend of Zelda defy physics, plenty of places on Earth experience extreme weather.May 18, 2026
Science NewsCrabs’ sideways walk may have evolved just onceA study of 50 crab species in Japan traces the iconic sideways walk to a single ancestor, suggesting the trait drove the group's remarkable diversity.May 15, 2026
Science NewsOur understanding of Charles Darwin continues to evolveHistorian Janet Browne’s Darwin: A Biography lifts the curtain on the private life of Charles Darwin, one of science’s most controversial pioneers.May 15, 2026
Science NewsA Greenland explorer will eat only decaying seal for a monthBritish chef Mike Keen will ski across Greenland eating only fermented seal. Researchers will study how the Inuit diet shapes gut health.May 15, 2026
Science NewsWater drops on soap bubble films act like merging galaxiesWater droplets on soap films orbited and merged like colliding galaxies, a technique that could help scientists study the cosmos.May 14, 2026
Science NewsAI can take the friction out of life, but some effort can be goodTechnologies, including chatbots, promise to make life easier. But removing the friction, or effort involved in thinking, has costs.May 14, 2026
Science NewsFemale rats like a different kind of tickling than malesFemale rats prefer gentler tickling, a finding that could reshape animal happiness research.May 14, 2026
Science NewsFirst evidence of Neandertal dentistry found in ancient molarA 59,000-year-old Neandertal molar unearthed in Siberia was drilled with a stone tool – the earliest evidence of primitive dentistry.May 13, 2026
Science NewsHantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreakScientists still don’t know why Andes hantavirus is the only one shown to spread from person to person.May 13, 2026
Science NewsTo get string theory, you need only four physics assumptionsTenets of quantum mechanics and special relativity, among other theoretical ideas, lead inexorably to string theory.May 13, 2026
Science NewsThe crust under Africa is thinning in a way that hasn’t been seen beforeAfrica’s Turkana Rift Zone, a hotbed of hominin fossils, is caught in the act of “necking," a critical transition toward continental breakup.May 13, 2026
Science NewsTerritorial conflict may explain male primates’ large sizeMale primates may be larger than females partly because of pressure from rival groups, not just competition with males inside their own group.May 12, 2026
Science NewsJazz and classical music have become simpler, a new study findsMathematical analysis suggests that melodies and harmonies have become less complex as music evolves and musicians find new ways “to create great music.”May 12, 2026
Science NewsUterus transplants can provide a path to pregnancy and parenthoodDonated uteruses transplanted into women without a womb can allow for successful pregnancy and birth.May 12, 2026
Science NewsAstronomers may have found a record-breaking pair of black holesAt some 60 billion times the mass of the sun, this dark void could be home to a pair of black holes that are due for a cosmic collision.May 11, 2026
Science NewsSome South American rodent-borne viruses may spread as climate warmsSome rodents in South America carry arenaviruses and hantaviruses. Climate change may bring both to regions where neither is currently a threat.May 11, 2026
Science NewsYawning is contagious — even in the wombRather than catching a yawn on sight, muscles squeezing the uterus could be the trigger for a fetus to catch a yawn from its mother.May 11, 2026
Science NewsIf wings came before flight, what were they for?Scientists use simulated dinosaurs to trigger real insect brains and test how wings originally evolved.May 08, 2026
Science NewsTo understand black holes, physicists turn to a mathematical ‘Rosetta stone’A link between particle physics and gravity equations, called the double copy, applies to Hawking radiation, creating a new way into black hole puzzles.May 08, 2026
Science NewsWhy some brain cells are particularly vulnerable to multiple sclerosisDNA damage from inflammation outpaces the cells’ ability to self-repair. The finding, in human brain cells and mice, could point to new MS treatments.May 08, 2026
Science NewsA grapefruit-sized quantum device mapped Earth’s magnetic field from spaceOn the International Space Station, a cube holding a diamond-based sensor revealed the potential for quantum magnetometers.May 07, 2026
Science News25 people learned to fly with virtual wings. Here’s how the brain changedA new study shows learning to fly in virtual reality with virtual wings can reshape the brain, making it treat wings more like body parts.May 07, 2026
Science NewsGoing to space? Always, always pack a cameraPlanetary scientist Candice Hansen-Koharcheck championed the importance of space imagery. Her legacy lives on in every pixel that comes back to Earth.May 07, 2026
Science NewsA low-cost rotavirus test could save childrens’ lives in NigeriaNigerian virologist Margaret Oluwatoyin Japhet has designed a rapid test that could diagnose rotavirus at a child’s bedside.May 06, 2026
Science NewsNeandertals used rhinoceros teeth as toolsFinds at sites in Spain and France suggest that Neandertals used the teeth of ancient rhinos for heavy-duty fabrication.May 06, 2026
Science NewsSpace junk falls back to Earth faster as sunspot numbers climbA new study links the sun's 11-year cycle to accelerated orbital loss, with debris falling faster once sunspot numbers near their cycle peak.May 06, 2026
Science NewsSinging mice puff up air sacs to make their sweet songsTo serenade with their high-pitched songs, singing mice inflate a throat sac — a use for air sacs seemingly unknown in any other animal.May 05, 2026
Science NewsWhat to know about a rare hantavirus outbreak at seaPublic health officials are racing to find out how the sometimes deadly hantavirus got aboard a cruise ship and if there has been human-to-human spread.May 05, 2026
Science NewsDo GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic prevent cancer?Several studies have served up tantalizing hints about the drugs’ potential cancer prevention benefits, but other results land all over the map.May 05, 2026
Science NewsA small object past Pluto may have a thin atmosphereA brief stellar eclipse suggests the tiny 2002 XV93 has a thin atmosphere — a first for any solar system body farther from the sun than Pluto.May 04, 2026
