Science News | The latest news from all areas of science

Wild birds fly by a poultry farm in Illinois

Animals

As bird flu evolves, keeping it out of farm flocks is getting harder

New versions of the H5N1 virus are increasingly adept at spreading. Suggestions to either let it rip in poultry or vaccinate the birds could backfire.

By Tina Hesman Saey5 minutes ago

Close-up view of a reddish, cone-shaped rock with deep, radiating grooves etched into its surface, set against a black background.

Earth

An ancient Earth impact could help in the search for Martian life

By Douglas Fox5 minutes ago

A photograph of a company launching equipment to test mining of polymetallic nodules from the seafloor.

Oceans

Deep-sea mining could start soon — before we understand its risks

By Carolyn Gramling5 hours ago

A blue plate holds two pieces of toast topped with avocado and salmon, which contain essential nutrients important for health.

Health & Medicine

These 5 nutrients might be lacking in your diet

By Meghan RosenJuly 8, 2025

Towering yellow fungus spikes grow out of a black pellet that once was a living silkworm in its cocoon.

Life

Why these zombie caterpillars can’t stop eating

By Susan MiliusJuly 8, 2025

Cells appear as splotches in varying shades of blue.

Physics

Scientists 3-D printed a tiny elephant inside a cell

By Emily ConoverJuly 8, 2025

An image taken from the International Space Station shows a stream of sewage flowing off the San Diego coast from the Tijuana River.

Earth

NASA images may help track sewage in coastal waters

By Sofia Caetano AvritzerJuly 7, 2025

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Vaccines

A protestor wearing a black bucket hat holds out a hand-lettered white sign as silver car passes. The sign says "Vaccines cause adults." Vaccines is written in red and cause adults is in black.

Vaccine policy in the U.S. is entering uncharted territory

A key advisory group vows to base decisions on evidence, boost confidence in vaccines and protect health. Experts fear the opposite is happening.

By Tina Hesman SaeyJuly 2, 2025
Lack of Evidence: Vaccine additive not linked to developmental problems
Epidemics have happened before and they’ll happen again. What will we remember?

Science News Magazine

July 2025 cover of Science News

July 1, 2025 Vol. 207 No. 7

From the Archives

Panda Pandemonium

June 28, 1975 Vol. 107 No. #26

Featured Media

A person prepares to hit a squash ball with a racket.

No player can return this killer shot. Physics explains how it works

Squash’s killer “nick shot” has a formula. It’s all about height and timing, a new study shows.

Two killer whales are shown rubbing a small piece of brown kelp between their bodies. One whale is to the upper left. The other is to the bottom right. The second whale's nose comes about halfway up the first's body, lining up with its dorsal fin.

Killer whales may use kelp brushes to slough off rough skin

A black circle perfectly blocks the sun in an artificial solar eclipse. The sun's corona and wispy rays radiate from it in lime green.

Two spacecraft created their first images of an artificial solar eclipse

A whale shark looks toward the camera in an underwater photograph. Black-and-white striped fish swim in front of the shark and a scuba diver is in the distance.

50 years after ‘Jaws,’ sharks face their own terror

A seal with speckled gray and black fur swims through an underwater kelp forest, facing the camera.

U.S. seal populations have rebounded — and so have their conflicts with humans

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More Stories

Life

A 3-D printed, plastic beaker could help algae grow on Mars

By Erin Garcia de JesúsJuly 2, 2025
A barrage of radiation couldn’t kill this hardy life-form

By Katherine KorneiJune 27, 2025
The first cicada concert was 47 million years ago

By Larissa G. CapellaMay 27, 2025

Humans

100 years after the Scopes trial, science is still under attack

By Darren IncorvaiaJune 16, 2025
FDA cuts imperil food safety, but not how you might think

By Meghan RosenJune 9, 2025
Ancient horse hunts challenge ideas of ‘modern’ human behavior

By Bruce BowerApril 18, 2025

Climate

Climate change could separate vanilla plants and their pollinators

By Bethany BrookshireJuly 3, 2025
Harmful heat doesn’t always come in waves

By Nikk OgasaJune 27, 2025
This paint ‘sweats’ to keep your house cool

By Larissa G. CapellaJune 13, 2025

Astronomy

Nearly half of the universe’s ordinary matter was uncharted, until now

By McKenzie PrillamanJuly 3, 2025
A rare chance to see two exploding stars is happening in the southern sky

By McKenzie PrillamanJuly 1, 2025
Mysterious ‘little red dot’ galaxies have a possible origin story

By Ken CroswellJune 27, 2025

Physics

Rainbows of sound are a reality thanks to a new device

By Emily ConoverJune 11, 2025
How to get the biggest splash at the pool using science

By Elie DolginJune 9, 2025
Scientists used a levitating magnet to hunt for dark matter

By Emily ConoverMay 21, 2025

Health & Medicine

Chronic low back pain may be less likely if you walk – a lot

By Meghan RosenJuly 7, 2025
A new diabetes treatment could free people from insulin injections

By Meghan RosenJuly 2, 2025
This painless nanoneedle patch might one day replace certain biopsies

By Payal DharJune 30, 2025

Earth

Earth’s oldest rocks may be at least 4.16 billion years old

By Carolyn GramlingJune 26, 2025
Climate change is coming for your cheese

By Meghie RodriguesJune 10, 2025
Small earthquakes can have a big impact on the movements of major faults

By Nikk OgasaJune 4, 2025

Science & Society

A Supreme Court ruling on nuclear waste spotlights U.S. storage woes

By Emily ConoverJune 18, 2025
How attacks on evolution in classrooms have shifted over the last 100 years

By Erin WaymanJune 17, 2025
Is nuclear energy good? A new book explores this complex question

By Alka Tripathy-LangJune 17, 2025