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Humans

Clovis baby’s genome unveils Native American ancestry

DNA from skeleton shows all tribes come from a single population.

Life

Charms of small males may collapse a Darwin’s finch species

Mating rules may be changing for one of the storied Galápagos birds.

Health & Medicine

Feedback

Calculating vaccines' impact, cat-induced bird death toll revised, taming wildcat genetics, and praise for The Science Life.

Materials Science

Making it work, on paper and just maybe in practice

Last spring, Science News reported on the lack of progress by the main U.S. nuclear fusion effort. As the researchers still contend, laser-initiated fusion should work. It works on paper. But in practice, even a set of extremely powerful lasers failed to trigger the fusion of hydrogen nuclei and the concomitant chain reaction and release of net energy expected.

Chemistry

Carbon monoxide junked for making plastic

Using a catalyst, chemists can swap in the less dangerous carbon dioxide.

Archaeology

Nearly 1-million-year-old European footprints found

Erosion temporarily unveils remnants of a Stone Age stroll along England’s coast.

Earth

The Sixth Extinction

On only five occasions in Earth’s long history has a large fraction of the planet’s biodiversity disappeared in a geological instant. But, journalist Kolbert reminds us in her new book, we are well on our way to making it six.

Health & Medicine

Bad kitty: Cat bites can cause nasty infections

Three in 10 patients seeking treatment for hand bites were hospitalized, study finds.

Animals

Embryos in eggs move to get comfy

Even before hatching, Chinese alligators, snapping turtles and some relatives can shift toward favorable temperatures.

Planetary Science

Moon like blue cheese?

The lunar surface turns out to have more grit than scientists thought.

Climate

Biggest climate warmers

The United States, China, Russia, Brazil, India, Germany and the United Kingdom are responsible for more than 60 percent of the 0.74 degree Celsius rise in global average temperature observed from 1906 to 2005.

Climate

Strong winds may have waylaid global warming

Gusts over the Pacific Ocean may have stashed heat underwater since 2001.