Magnetism may have helped kick-start our solar system
Science Newsby Katherine Kornei10d ago
Before the sun fully formed, tiny bits of rock were already recording the magnetic forces present in the very early solar system.
Science News
sciencenews.orgadded August 2026
top 59%Peru's penguins are on the brink. A super El Niño could make it worse.
Science Newsby Ana Elisa Sotelo10d ago
The first time I was in Punta San Juan, the desert was flooded with birds. It was 2012, and I was making a short documentary film about the cormorants, pelicans and penguins that made this arid...
These are the first feathers ever found in fossilized dinosaur poop
Science Newsby Erin Garcia de Jesús13d ago
Exquisitely preserved feathers, the first ever found in fossilized dinosaur poop, are providing a peek into how some ancient birds lived — and possibly went extinct.
See the secret to DNA hookups
Science Newsby Tina Hesman Saey13d ago
DNA needs a little help to zip up its genes. In a first, scientists have visualized how pieces of DNA pair up.
Meet the newest living cat species, the first described in 100 years
Science Newsby Meghan Rosen14d ago
Attention cat lovers: There’s an adorable new addition to the feline family tree. Meet Leopardus tilcayo, a pint-size tiger cat discovered in Bolivia in the Yungas forests of the central Andes...
This year's El Niño just broke a record months before it's expected to peak
Science Newsby Nikk Ogasa14d ago
Warnings of an El Niño unlike any other are starting to become reality. For months, scientists have cautioned that the natural climate pattern could grow into a record-breaking beast, releasing...
First series of adult T. rex footprints hints at its walking speed
Science Newsby Erin Garcia de Jesús15d ago
Four ancient footprints are helping scientists step into a T. rex’s shoes. The prints form the first set of tracks probably left behind by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers report September 8...
Can AI reason without words? A small model puts the idea to the test
Science Newsby Sascha Brodsky16d ago
AI may be able to reason without putting every step into words. Many of today’s AI systems tackle difficult problems by generating intermediate steps in lengthy, chains of words before arriving at...
Meet the ‘fire amoeba,’ a record-breaking survivor of extreme heat
Science Newsby Jake Buehler16d ago
A single-celled blob living in a California hot spring has smashed a heat tolerance record for an entire domain of life.
‘Happy Snacking, Don’t Die!’ is a joyous guide to eating wild plants
Science Newsby Emily Conover16d ago
Happy Snacking, Don’t Die! Alexis Nikole Nelson Simon & Schuster, $35.00 I used to think that foraging for food would involve schlepping myself to a forest far from my urban home, a task that would...
First radio waves seen from an exoplanet hint at otherworldly auroras
Science Newsby Emily Conover17d ago
For the first time, scientists have spotted radio waves from an exoplanet. Astronomer Yvette Cendes knows what you’re thinking: “When people see ‘radio signal from an exoplanet,’ they think...
MRIs show brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s years in advance
Science Newsby Skyler Ware17d ago
Brain imaging could reveal early changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. MRI scans show that the thickness of the outermost layer of the brain changes before the onset of the disease, detectable up...
Surviving the summer
Science Newsby Nancy Shute19d ago
The summer of 2026 was one to remember — though for many people, it was for all the worst reasons.
Will the U.S. megadrought ever end?
Science Newsby Nikk Ogasa20d ago
Kearny, Ariz., is a town on the brink. Located at the foot of the Dripping Spring Mountains in eastern Arizona, this small community of 2,000 people sources its water from the Gila River, a verdant...
This 'anti-vampiric' grave used two strategies to stop the undead
Science Newsby Maria Temming20d ago
Someone in 17th century Poland really did not want one particular girl rising from the dead. In 2022, archaeologists unearthed an unsettling grave in a cemetery in Pień, north-central Poland.
What's behind 'one of paleontology's most enduring enigmas'?
Science Newsby Margherita Bassi20d ago
A honeycomb-shaped pattern in marine sediments has befuddled scientists for more than 150 years, but a new study points to a potential culprit.
Big space mirrors could bring Earth on-demand light — and upend our night sky
Science Newsby Lisa Grossman20d ago
Since 1989, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell has tracked every human-made object in space. McDowell’s meticulously maintained catalog, updated every few weeks, is more comprehensive and detailed...
Nepal’s deadly debris flow points to risks in other high mountain regions
Science Newsby Nikk Ogasa21d ago
When an immense and inexorable flow of rock, mud and water barreled through northern Nepal on August 26, it killed more than 1,200 people and left thousands still missing.
During menopause, brain changes surprisingly take a break
Science Newsby Bethany Brookshire21d ago
Major hormonal changes during pregnancy and the first menstrual period, known as menarche, are reflected in the brain. But during menopause, brain changes seem to take a break.
When AI goes rogue, its human overseers may be to blame
Science Newsby Kathryn Hulick21d ago
This year, AI agents have been escaping their confines to go on hacking sprees. In July, news broke that AI agents had snuck out of what was supposed to be an isolated test environment at OpenAI.