Science News | The latest news from all areas of science

A collage of illustrations of a brain, neurons and elements of computer chips.

Artificial Intelligence

More brainlike computers could change AI for the better

New brain-inspired hardware, architectures and algorithms could lead to more efficient, more capable forms of AI.

By Kathryn Hulick5 hours ago

Tai National Park rainforest

Humans moved into African rainforests at least 150,000 years ago

By Bruce Bower7 hours ago

Composite top-down image of a mouse next to multi-colored gel capsules representing probiotic supplements that might support gut bacteria that lowers sugar cravings

Health & Medicine

Can probiotics actually curb sugar cravings?

By Tina Hesman Saey9 hours ago

illustration of ill person lying in bed surrounded by nurses

Life

A new book chronicles the science of life in the air

By Andrea TamayoFebruary 25, 2025

image of Mars

Planetary Science

Ancient Mars wasn’t just wet. It was cold and wet

By Skyler WareFebruary 25, 2025

An illustration of a hyaenodont head shows a short snout and dense teeth

Life

A skull found in Egypt shows this top predator stalked ancient Africa

By Richard KemenyFebruary 25, 2025

A black, cream and burnt orange bird of paradise perched on a tree branch.

Animals

How fish biologists discovered birds of paradise have fluorescent feathers

By Susan MiliusFebruary 24, 2025

From the Ashes

couple observes LA fire damage

Survivors of the LA fires will face a complex blend of mental health challenges

Logistical needs, like employment and housing, along with psychological needs must be met after disasters like the LA wildfires, research shows.

By Sujata GuptaJanuary 17, 2025
Another danger looms after the LA fires: Devastating debris flows
Toxic dangers lurk in LA, even in homes that didn’t burn

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Conversations with Maya: Walter Carter Jr.

Science News Magazine

cover of February Issue of Science News

February 1, 2025 Vol. 207 No. 2

Featured Media

Jon Nelson at this fire pit

Hear patients with brain implants describe what it feels like

In the third episode of The Deep End, Jon shares how DBS surgery went and how he and other volunteers felt in the days and weeks afterward.

A photo of a woman sitting on a couch looking at the camera.

‘It felt like dread.’ Hear what severe depression can do to people

This gif shows a close-up of a mushroom coral with its exterior blue tentacles wiggling.

How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs

Zebras and giraffes stand together as one herd in front of some trees on a sunny day

In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes

An animation shows a collection of vertical lines strung with small bundles, like beads on strings. A red line cuts horizontally across the vertical lines, moving from right to left. As the red line passes various vertical lines, the small bundles on those lines burst with blue and orange bubbles. The background is deep blue, almost black.

A cosmic neutrino of unknown origins smashes energy records

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More Stories

Life

The butts of these blowfly larvae mimic termite faces

By Gennaro TommaFebruary 21, 2025
A new book explores the evolutionary romance between plants and animals

By Alka Tripathy-LangFebruary 4, 2025
This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain

By Tina Hesman SaeyJanuary 28, 2025

Humans

Biological sex is not as simple as male or female

By Tina Hesman SaeyFebruary 20, 2025
How child soldiers heal after the trauma of war

By Elizabeth QuillJanuary 10, 2025
Dietary evidence bolsters Clovis hunters’ reputation as mammoth killers

By Anna GibbsDecember 4, 2024

Climate

Even desert cities could pull drinking water from the air

By Carolyn GramlingFebruary 20, 2025
Historical writings reveal how people weathered the Little Ice Age

By Alex ViverosFebruary 12, 2025
Just a small rise in global temperatures could be deadly

By Meghan RosenFebruary 11, 2025

Astronomy

A fast radio burst from a dead galaxy puzzles astronomers

By Lisa GrossmanFebruary 10, 2025
A cosmic ‘Platypus’ might link two astronomical mysteries

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 24, 2025
Galactic chaos at cosmic noon may have stunted Milky Way planet formation

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 22, 2025

Physics

Squishy materials reveal new physics of static electricity

By Emily ConoverFebruary 19, 2025
A weird ice that may form on alien planets has finally been observed

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 18, 2025
Hula-hooping robots reveal the physics behind keeping rings aloft

By Emily ConoverJanuary 17, 2025

Health & Medicine

NIH research grant cuts could deal a biting blow to crucial support staff

By McKenzie Prillaman and Alex ViverosFebruary 14, 2025
Why a norovirus vaccine isn’t available — yet

By Aimee CunninghamFebruary 13, 2025
A pancreatic cancer blood test called PAC-MANN could spot the disease early

By Meghan RosenFebruary 12, 2025

Earth

Even epic rainfall may not be enough to refill SoCal’s aquifers

By Sid PerkinsFebruary 13, 2025
Spooky floating lights in South Carolina could be earthquake farts

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 11, 2025
Ancient rocks reveal when rivers began pouring nutrients into the sea

By Lucas Van Wyk JoelJanuary 31, 2025

Science & Society

Fired federal workers share the crucial jobs no longer being done

By McKenzie Prillaman and Alex ViverosFebruary 21, 2025
Why some chaos-seekers just want to watch the world burn

By Sujata GuptaFebruary 21, 2025
‘Uncertain, anxious, fearful.’ That’s the mood at 2025’s first big U.S. science meeting

By Lisa GrossmanFebruary 15, 2025