Science News | The latest news from all areas of science

A looping video clip of a person with one bionic leg prosthesis climbing a short set of steps in a lab

Health & Medicine

Brain-controlled bionic limbs are inching closer to reality

Bionics engineers typically view biology as something to be worked around. “Anatomics” engineers the body to be part of the system.

By Simon Makin5 hours ago

Digital reconstructions of blue, pink and purple cells make up a fruit fly brain, which is on a white background.

Scientists have traced all 54.5 million connections in a fruit fly’s brain

By Laura SandersOctober 2, 2024

A man in a blue shirt stands on a deck and looks out over the vast landscape of destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.

Health & Medicine

A hurricane’s aftermath may spur up to 11,000 deaths

By Meghan RosenOctober 2, 2024

A bottlenosed dolphin, with it's head popping out of the water of a pool, has its mouth open.

Animals

Dolphins’ open-mouth behaviors during play are like smiles, a study claims

By Gennaro TommaOctober 2, 2024

A plane flies over the tops of thunderclouds that are glowing purple.

Physics

Thunderstorms churn up a ‘boiling pot’ of gamma rays

By Emily ConoverOctober 2, 2024

Sponsored Content

The Most Profound Industrial Revolution Is Underway In Low-Earth Orbit

From Sponsored Partner ContentSeptember 17, 2024

This pictuire shows two side-by-side face closeups of a coyote (left) and a beagle making big puppy eyes at the camera (right). Coyotes have muscles used to make those wistful heart-tugging looks, a new study finds.

Animals

Coyotes have the face muscles for that ‘sad-puppy’ look

By Susan MiliusOctober 1, 2024

Spotlight on Health

A health care worker wearing medical protective gear checks on a young boy at an mpox treatment center.

Vaccines for mpox are finally reaching Africa. But questions about the virus remain

With concerns that mpox may now spread more easily and be more severe, researchers warn that failing to curb the outbreak means “nobody is safe.”

By Erin Garcia de JesúsSeptember 19, 2024
Climate change could double U.S. temperature-linked deaths by mid-century
Some bacteria in your mouth can divide into as many as 14 cells at once

From the Archives

On the Brink of a Functioning Artificial Gene

September 21, 1974 Vol. 106 No. #12

Science News Magazine

cover of September 7, 2024 issue of Science News

September 7, 2024 Vol. 206 No. 4

SN 10: Scientists to Watch

Andrea Gomez is standing in an office, softly smiling and staring at the camera. She has dark hair that comes just above her shoulders and is wearing off-white button-up jacket.

A cell biologist is investigating the balance of brain flexibility, stability

Bhavin Shastri stares into the camera while smiling widely. He's sitting in front of a laser table that has a microscope and other optical equipment on top. He is wearing a half-zip navy sweatshirt over a gray t-shirt. He is also wearing glasses.

This engineer’s light-based computers take inspiration from the brain

Chong Liu is standing to the right, facing the camera, in a lab. She is wearing a navy jacket and blue nitrile gloves. She has long black hair and wears glasses.

A materials scientist seeks to extract lithium from untapped sources

Dionna Williams is smiling at the camera. They have short, dark hair and are wearing orange-rimmed eyeglasses and white lab coat. They are standing in a lab with their arms crossed.

HIV and illicit drugs are a bad mix. This scientist found an unexpected reason why

Freek van Ede is facing the camera with a slight smile on his face. He has brown hair and full brown beard. He appears to be wearing a collared button up shirt, but we can't quite tell because the photo cuts off at his shoulders.

By studying the eyes, a researcher explores how the brain sorts information

Hawa Racine Thiam smiles at the camera. She has short, dark hair and is wearing blue rimmed eyeglasses, a turquoise shirt and a white necklace.

This biophysicist’s work could one day let doctors control immune cells

Jacqueline Gerson is staring at the camera with a wide smile. She has her dark brown hair pulled back in a half-up half-down. She's wearing earrings where each one has two spheres dangling on chains. The background is blurry, but it looks like she's standing in front of white and purple flowers.

A biogeochemist is tracking the movements of toxic mercury pollution

Nicole Yunger Halpern is looking at the camera while smiling widely. She has long brown hair and wears glasses.

Why this physicist is bringing thermodynamics to the quantum age

Tracy Slatyer is staring at the camera, smiling. There is a black board with equations written on in the background. Slatyer is wearing a black jacket and silver watch. Her light brown (or dark blonde) hair is pulled back in a ponytail.

How did dark matter shape the universe? This physicist has ideas

Yotam Ophir looks at the camera with a slight smile. He is standing in front of a bookcase full of books of different sizes and colors. Ophir has short, dark hair and has short beard and mustache.

This researcher studies how misinformation seeps into science and politics

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More Stories

Life

The fruit fly revolutionized biology. Now it’s boosting science in Africa

By Darren IncorvaiaOctober 1, 2024
This biophysicist’s work could one day let doctors control immune cells

By Meghan RosenSeptember 23, 2024
Mega El Niños kicked off the world’s worst mass extinction

By Jake BuehlerSeptember 12, 2024

Humans

World record speeds for two Olympics events have fallen over time. We can go faster

By Erin Garcia de JesúsJuly 12, 2024
Does social status shape height?

By Sujata GuptaJune 28, 2024
Rain Bosworth studies how deaf children experience the world

By Meghan RosenApril 26, 2024

Climate

Why Hurricane Helene was so devastating

By Nikk OgasaOctober 1, 2024
How rapid intensification spawned two monster hurricanes in one week

By Carolyn GramlingSeptember 27, 2024
A thousands-year-old log demonstrates how burying wood can fight climate change

By Jonathan LambertSeptember 26, 2024

Astronomy

Betelgeuse has a tiny companion star hidden in plain sight

By Lisa GrossmanSeptember 30, 2024
Starlink satellites’ leaky radio waves obscure the cosmos

By Sid PerkinsSeptember 30, 2024
The nearest midsized black hole might instead be a horde of lightweights

By Ken CroswellAugust 20, 2024

Physics

X-rays from nuclear blasts could defend Earth from asteroids

By Nikk OgasaSeptember 23, 2024
How to spot tiny black holes that might pass through the solar system

By Emily ConoverSeptember 17, 2024
A nuclear clock prototype hints at ultraprecise timekeeping

By Emily ConoverSeptember 4, 2024

Health & Medicine

Semaglutide may reduce opioid overdoses, a new study suggests

By Meghan RosenSeptember 25, 2024
Can taking ashwagandha supplements improve health?

By Sean CummingsSeptember 13, 2024
California droughts may help valley fever spread

By Erin Garcia de JesúsSeptember 11, 2024

Earth

Reactive dust from Great Salt Lake may have health consequences

By Skyler WareSeptember 26, 2024
How earthquakes build beefy gold nuggets

By Nikk OgasaSeptember 9, 2024
Mantle waves buoy continents upward and bedeck them with diamonds

By Nikk OgasaAugust 26, 2024

Science & Society

This researcher studies how misinformation seeps into science and politics

By Sujata GuptaSeptember 23, 2024
10 early-career scientists tackling some of the biggest problems of today

By Science News StaffSeptember 23, 2024
‘After 1177 B.C.’ describes how societies fared when the Bronze Age ended

By Bruce BowerJune 18, 2024