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A white and red box of mFlusiva mRNA flu vaccine from Moderna.

Health & Medicine

Here’s what the first mRNA flu vaccine could mean for flu season

Compared with standard flu shots, Moderna’s mFlusiva generates stronger, longer-lasting immunity and is more effective at preventing infection, data show.

By Cassie Martin2 hours ago

A young chimp is seen seated near some older ones (only their lower backs visible) and it is holding a green fruit to its mouth.

Sugar may have been a key ingredient in human evolution

By Jake Buehler6 hours ago

An illustration of a large asteroid hitting Earth, generating a fiery explosion.

Heat-trapping asteroid dust may have incinerated the dinosaurs within hours

By Libby Riddle11 hours ago

a segment of the sun's surface with jagged lines and shades of orange swirls

Space

These tiny swirls on the sun could trigger solar flares

By Fechi InyamaAugust 5, 2026

A pile of freshly harvested oysters sit on a wire rack above the ground

Health & Medicine

Bullfrogs may have an antidote to deadly shellfish poisoning

By Katarina ZimmerAugust 5, 2026

An illustration of learning icons zooming out of a person's head.

Artificial Intelligence

Is AI making us dumber? Maybe not. But our skills are at risk

By Meghan RosenAugust 4, 2026

Two emperor penguins huddle over two of their young on an ice field. Another emperor penguin stands nearby

Animals

Emperor penguin chicks like these starved. An iceberg may be the cause

By Melissa HobsonAugust 4, 2026

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Health

Two soccer players are going after the ball with their heads. They look close to bonking heads as the soccer ball is just overhead.

To detect CTE while alive, a test for another brain disease may help

A protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease may also ID a brain condition associated with head trauma in contact sports, early findings suggest.

By RJ MackenzieJuly 31, 2026
Healthy pregnancies and newborns are possible after CAR T cell therapy
How one amino acid might help fight colon cancer and infections

Science News Magazine

August 2026 issue of Science News

August 1, 2026 Vol. 208 No. 8

From Science News Investors Lab

Featured Media

What’s to blame for Canada’s wildfires?

The inferno that sent toxic smoke billowing toward the United States won't be the last. Officials are now battling both the wildfires and misinformation.

The outline of the constellation Orion is seen on a starry sky. An inset pointing to one spot on Orion has an image of the red supergiant Betelgeuse. An inset of that image shows a bright spot near the big star.

New images reveal Betelgeuse’s buddy star

illustration of the 4 different types of black holes: primordial, stellar, intermediate, and supermassive, over a background of space.

What kinds of black holes exist — and how are they different?

An underwater image of a black and white orca swimming seemingly alone.

Watch an orca ram into a sunfish so hard it explodes

A folding sign that says "Measles vaccines and flu vaccines SC DPH" stands in the middle of a sidewalk with a distant building in the background

Measles cases in the U.S. hit a new 34-year high

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More Stories

Life

The natural history of every U.S. state is on display at a new D.C. exhibit

By Aaron Tremper and Mandana TadayonJuly 2, 2026
Can DEET attract mosquitoes? A lab study offers clues

By Erin Garcia de JesúsMay 28, 2026
Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes

By Tina Hesman SaeyApril 30, 2026

Humans

Who owns your bones?

By Nancy ShuteJuly 18, 2026
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

Climate

A new map traces the sky’s water highways

By Siddhant PusdekarJuly 14, 2026
Can geoengineering blunt El Niño’s fury?

By Carolyn GramlingJuly 8, 2026
A robot swarm is on a mission to map Greenland’s perilous ice sheets

By Mićo TatalovićJuly 7, 2026

Astronomy

A newly found world blurs the boundary between planet and moon

By Lisa GrossmanJuly 22, 2026
This “exotic weirdo” exoplanet has a rocky surface and an atmosphere

By Lisa GrossmanJuly 16, 2026
A quasar breaks the record for most distant supermassive black hole

By Lisa GrossmanJuly 14, 2026

Physics

Pickles glow when you plug them in. Science explains why

By Emily ConoverJuly 6, 2026
A potential hindrance to fusion power may help instead

By Emily ConoverJune 24, 2026
Here’s what would happen if you tried to break a photon in half

By Maria TemmingJune 12, 2026

Health & Medicine

The protein craze may not be for everyone

By Sujata GuptaJuly 31, 2026
An experimental oral vaccine may prevent invasive bacterial diarrhea

By Sahas MehraJuly 21, 2026
Inside the fight against the parasite Cyclospora

By Fechi InyamaJuly 17, 2026

Earth

Mammals moving between the Americas stopped over in Mexico

By Bethany BrookshireJuly 30, 2026
A tropical permafrost layer in Peru may be one of the world’s largest

By Danielle BeurteauxJune 22, 2026
A 2011 earthquake bounced a seismic wave off Earth’s core, nudging Japan east

By Katherine KorneiJune 18, 2026

Science & Society

The golden age of language was a few thousand years ago

By Sujata GuptaJuly 23, 2026
Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science

By Tina Hesman SaeyJuly 10, 2026
Lost in Curiosity reveals the messy reality of doing science

By Shi En KimJuly 10, 2026