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Kenzi the bonobo being groomed by anohter bonobo

Animals

A bonobo’s imaginary tea party suggests apes can play pretend

Apes, like humans, are capable of pretend play, challenging long-held views about how animals think, a new study suggests.

By RJ Mackenzie3 hours ago

Baby with MRI in the background

Babies brains’ can follow a beat as soon as they’re born

By Nora Bradford3 hours ago

This image shows young hands holding older hands in a caring way, to imply caregiving.

Health & Medicine

The best way to help Alzheimer’s patients may be to help their caregivers

By Esther Landhuis10 hours ago

A woman looks at her gums in the mirror.

Health & Medicine

Gum disease bacteria can promote cancer growth in mice

By Meghan RosenFebruary 4, 2026

A beetle crawls over gravel and plants.

Animals

Some dung beetles dig deep to keep their eggs cool

By Elizabeth PennisiFebruary 4, 2026

A rocket in front of a full moon

Space

Artemis II is returning humans to the moon with science riding shotgun

By Lisa GrossmanFebruary 4, 2026

A cluster of orange larvae huddle at the tip of a green frond

Animals

These beetle larvae lure in bees by mimicking flowers

By Richard KemenyFebruary 3, 2026

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Health

This composite image shows different sources of fat in our diets: someone slicing steak, three half avocados, four strips of salmon ready to cook, someone pouring olive oil on a salad, a stick of butter with its wrapper half off and a jar of nuts.

What the new nutrition guidelines get wrong about fat

New U.S. dietary guidelines promote eating full-fat foods and meats. But experts say nuts and seed oils are better sources of the two crucial fats we need.

By Tina Hesman SaeyJanuary 28, 2026
Artificial lungs kept a man alive until he could get a transplant
The brain’s response to a heart attack may worsen recovery

Science News Magazine

cover of February 2026 issue of Science News

February 1, 2026 Vol. 208 No. 2

From Science News Investors Lab

Featured Media

Humpback whales pop their mouths out of the water while seabirds fly overhead.

Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends

Humpback whales are teaching each other a feeding technique called bubble netting, and it's helping a Canadian population recover from whaling.

Two X-rays side by side show a man's new lungs and his old ones, which wew so damaged they could not hold air.

Artificial lungs kept a man alive until he could get a transplant

different animals appearing to experience joy – laughing or smiling. Axolotl, turtle, monkey, horse and dolphin.

Animals experience joy. Scientists want to measure it

This hand stencil in Indonesia is now the oldest known rock art

This detached hand robot has a thing for skittering on its fingertips

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More Stories

Life

There’s life beneath the snow, but it’s at risk of melting away

By Bethany BrookshireJanuary 20, 2026
Watch a cancer cell evade capture

By Meghan RosenDecember 22, 2025
How these strange cells may explain the origin of complex life

By Michael MarshallDecember 11, 2025

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

Polar bears in the Barents Sea are staying fat despite rapid sea ice loss

By Rebecca DzombakJanuary 29, 2026
Earth’s last 3 years were its hottest on record

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 13, 2026
Hidden tree bark microbes munch on important climate gases

By Douglas FoxJanuary 8, 2026

Astronomy

A double cosmic explosion could be the first known ‘superkilonova’

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 9, 2026
Galaxies with ‘hoop skirts’ are more common than we thought

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 7, 2026
Against the odds, a burbling lava planet retains an atmosphere

By Carly KayDecember 30, 2025

Physics

A Greek star catalog from the dawn of astronomy, revealed

By Adam MannJanuary 30, 2026
A massive clump of dark matter may lurk in the Milky Way

By Emily ConoverJanuary 29, 2026
Physics theories about the multiverse are stranger than fiction

By Maria TemmingJanuary 23, 2026

Health & Medicine

Widespread use of HPV shots could mean fewer cervical cancer screenings

By Aimee CunninghamFebruary 2, 2026
Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases

By Marla BroadfootFebruary 2, 2026
Tear gas and pepper spray can have lasting health effects

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 2, 2026

Earth

A long-lost tectonic fragment may be shaking Northern California

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 16, 2026
Some of 2025’s scientific discoveries broke records

By Erin Garcia de JesúsDecember 31, 2025
An underwater volcano off Oregon didn’t erupt in 2025 after all. Why not?

By Carolyn GramlingDecember 22, 2025

Science & Society

These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025

By Laura SandersJanuary 2, 2026
This new year, maybe resolve to quit

By Sujata GuptaJanuary 2, 2026
Gratitude can increase joy, even if it feels a little cringe

By Sujata GuptaNovember 26, 2025