News
- Space
NASA declares MAVEN, its Mars atmosphere orbiter, dead
Over more than a decade at Mars, the orbiter revealed how the solar wind strips away the planet’s atmosphere — and why the world lost its water.
- Animals
Honeybees and shrimp are now getting vaccinated
A shrimp vaccine for commercial use could protect the environment and prove vaccines aren’t just for vertebrates.
- Animals
This tiny, blue octopus is new to science
The deep-sea octopus is fully mature despite fitting in a palm, a trait researchers think may help it reproduce faster than larger relatives.
- Animals
Bumblebees can solve problems on their own
With no training, bumblebees can work out how to use a ball like a ladder to feed on sugar from an out-of-reach flower.
- Astronomy
Even quiet black holes create winds, new Milky Way observations reveal
New observations suggest the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s core is blowing gas away from the central behemoth.
- Animals
A secret to making a queen bee may lie in the wax around it
Queen-cell wax helps shape honeybee queen development, challenging the idea that royal jelly alone makes a queen, a new study suggests.
- Health & Medicine
Curbing Congo’s Ebola outbreak is hampered by unknowns about the virus
Answers to key questions could help public health officials develop Ebola treatments, predict the outbreak’s trajectory and prevent a future one.
- Archaeology
Ötzi the Iceman’s remains yielded ‘viable’ yeasts in the lab
The cold-loving yeasts from Ötzi’s remains suggest the Iceman’s microbiome may not be completely frozen in time.
- Quantum Physics
Microsoft’s quantum chip got an upgrade. Critics are still skeptical
Swapping materials in its Majorana 2 chip boosted the effectiveness of quantum bits that rely on the math of topology to reduce errors, Microsoft says.
- Math
The math of choosing a restaurant meal is revealed in Richard Feynman’s notes
Physicist Richard Feynman turned a lunch dilemma into a math problem. Researchers finally cracked his notes and found people approximate his solution on their own.
- Health & Medicine
More young people are looking to AI chatbots for mental health help
A new survey estimates 8 million young people use AI chatbots for help when stressed, angry or sad, an increase from 2024.
- Neuroscience
A tiny part of your brain may still listen under anesthesia
Tones, oddball sounds and words can spark brain cell responses, hinting at nuanced processing without consciousness.
