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A researcher puts ancient poop into a centrifuge

Frozen squirrel poop hints at sights and smells of Ice Age ecosystems

DNA preserved in ancient scat reveals what Yukon ground squirrels ate and what animals shared their world.

By Bethany Brookshire8 hours ago

A nightjar bird flies through the air with outstretched wings against a blurry background of treetops

Animals

These birds clack their wing bones together to woo mates at night

By Jake Buehler10 hours ago

An artist's illustration of two pterosaurs in a Cretaceous landscape. One has outstretched wings and a large blue head crest. Another clings to a tree trunk and has a red and white crest.

Some pterosaurs may have boasted bold iridescence

By Taylor Mitchell BrownJune 8, 2026

A smiling woman seated in a gym holding a weight.

Health & Medicine

A drug may help people on GLP-1 meds preserve muscle

By Meghan RosenJune 8, 2026

An animations of moving a circle around a plane of dots to include as many dot pairs as possible

Math

AI cracked an Erdős math problem. Now experts want guardrails

By Kathryn HulickJune 8, 2026

NASA's MAVEN orbiter crosses in front of Mars, its twin solar panels spread wide against a star field.

Space

NASA declares MAVEN, its Mars atmosphere orbiter, dead

By Lisa GrossmanJune 5, 2026

A close-up of a hand holding a transluscent live shrimp

Animals

Honeybees and shrimp are now getting vaccinated

By Lily BurtonJune 5, 2026

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Hantavirus

An illustration of a hantavirus with black and pink flower-like structures edged in orange poking out from a rough pink and black virus, with mottled pink background suggesting the inside of a blood vessel.

Why is hantavirus so deadly? It’s not what you may think

Andes hantavirus causes deadly lung failure, but its method of attack differs from other respiratory illnesses. The details might inform future treatments.

By Tina Hesman SaeyMay 26, 2026
Hantavirus questions grow in the wake of a cruise ship outbreak
What to know about a rare hantavirus outbreak at sea

Science News Magazine

June 2026 issue of Science News

June 1, 2026 Vol. 208 No. 6

From Science News Investors Lab

Featured Media

Here’s how to make an origami torus with the fewest folds possible

A mathematician found the most efficient way to fold paper into a doughnutlike shape.

A gray pigeon with irridescent green neck feathers takes off from the hands of a person.

Homing pigeons may use a surprising navigation mechanism

A mosquito with a belly full of blood takes a meal from a white person

Can DEET attract mosquitoes? A lab study offers clues

Huge volcanic eruption offers clues to fighting climate change

A person looks at an AI chatbot

AI bots ignore evidence. Can we trust them with science?

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More Stories

Life

Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes

By Tina Hesman SaeyApril 30, 2026
Smithsonian secrets most likely to blow your mind

By Meghan Rosen and Stephen VossApril 14, 2026
Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language

By Laura SandersApril 13, 2026

Humans

Have a taste of our favorite food stories from 2025

By Carly KayDecember 24, 2025
‘Black Religion in the Madhouse’ examines psychiatry and race post-Civil War

By Aimee CunninghamDecember 12, 2025
Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction

By Bruce BowerDecember 3, 2025

Climate

Grapefruit-sized hail may become more common in a warmer world

By Yujia HuangMay 27, 2026
Antarctic plants may face a growing fungal threat from warming soils

By Carolyn GramlingMay 19, 2026
Emperor penguins are marching toward extinction. Antarctica fur seals too

By Carolyn GramlingApril 9, 2026

Astronomy

Even quiet black holes create winds, new Milky Way observations reveal

By Mara Johnson-GrohJune 4, 2026
Astronomers may have found a record-breaking pair of black holes

By Mara Johnson-GrohMay 11, 2026
The earliest evidence of the first stars may lie in a distant gas clump

By Mara Johnson-GrohApril 24, 2026

Physics

Physics explains why gold stays pristine

By Emily ConoverMay 22, 2026
Water drops on soap bubble films act like merging galaxies

By Emily ConoverMay 14, 2026
To get string theory, you need only four physics assumptions

By Emily ConoverMay 13, 2026

Health & Medicine

Curbing Congo’s Ebola outbreak is hampered by unknowns about the virus

By Erin Garcia de JesúsJune 3, 2026
More young people are looking to AI chatbots for mental health help

By Aimee CunninghamJune 1, 2026
A new pancreatic cancer pill may be a game changer for patients

By Meghan RosenMay 31, 2026

Earth

Never-ending storms make for good plot twists. Could they plague Earth?

By Aaron TremperMay 18, 2026
The crust under Africa is thinning in a way that hasn’t been seen before

By Katherine KorneiMay 13, 2026
Seismic data captured the sound of awe during a solar eclipse

By Maria TemmingApril 29, 2026

Science & Society

Remote workers feel isolated. Back-to-office mandates are not a fix

By Sujata GuptaJune 4, 2026
The science of us

By Nancy ShuteMay 23, 2026
How house design can curb childhood illnesses in Africa

By Tawanda KaromboMay 22, 2026