All Stories
- Astronomy
How tiny red stars can test ideas about the origin of life
A survey of ultracool dwarf stars finds they don’t emit enough UV light to kick-start life, but they could reveal other ways for life to get going.
- Anthropology
Spanish horses joined Indigenous South Americans’ societies long before Europeans came to stay
By the early 1600s, hunter-gatherers at the continent’s southern tip adopted horses left behind by colonial newcomers, new finds suggest.
- Health & Medicine
The first CRISPR therapy approved in the U.S. will treat sickle cell disease
In the world’s first CRISPR-based treatment, genetic tweaks to red blood cells aim to help people with the often debilitating disease.
- Quantum Physics
A maverick physicist is building a case for scrapping quantum gravity
To merge quantum physics and general relativity, physicists aim to quantize gravity. But what if gravity isn’t quantum at all?
- Astronomy
50 years ago, astronomers challenged claims that Barnard’s star has a planet
Astronomers have been searching for planets around the sun’s close neighbor for decades.
- Climate
Here’s how 2023 became the hottest year on record
The effects of climate change were on clear display in 2023 as records not only broke, but did so by surprising amounts.
- Environment
Landscape Explorer shows how much the American West has changed
The online tool stitches together historical images into a map that’s helping land managers make decisions about preservation and restoration.
- Science & Society
These are Science News’ favorite books of 2023
Books about deadly fungi, the science of preventing roadkill, trips to other planets and the true nature of math grabbed our attention this year.
- Space
A telescope dropped dark matter data from the edge of space. Here’s why
Last May, NASA’s Super Pressure Balloon Imaging Telescope crash-landed in rural Argentina. Scientists scrambled to recover the dark matter data aboard.
- Neuroscience
Electrical brain implants may help patients with severe brain injuries
After deep brain stimulation, five patients with severe brain injuries improved their scores on a test of cognitive function.
- Archaeology
Ancient Maya power brokers lived in neighborhoods, not just palaces
Lidar discoveries and recent excavations are forcing archaeologists to rethink ancient Maya political structures.
- Planetary Science
Giant polygon rock patterns may be buried deep below Mars’ surface
A Chinese rover used radar to reveal long-buried terrain that might hint that Mars’ equator was once much colder and wetter.
