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Yellow fish with black tails swim through the center of the photo and around a piece of elk horn coral that is shaped like antlers

Food chains in Caribbean coral reefs are getting shorter

Shorter food chains could mean reefs are less able to weather changes in food availability, threatening an already vulnerable ecosystem.

By Erin Garcia de Jesús13 hours ago

A colorful sphere represents a proton

Physics

A precise proton measurement helps put a core theory of physics to the test

By Emily Conover14 hours ago

An illustration of an early reptilian predator vomiting up a brown substance on a dusty plain

Fossilized vomit reveals 290-million-year-old predator’s diet

By Jay Bennett16 hours ago

An illustration shows the ghostly outline of a human body with the internal organs and bones visible. The appendix shows up as a bright pink squiggle attached to the intestines.

Health & Medicine

Antibiotics can treat appendicitis for many patients, no surgery needed

By Laura DattaroFebruary 10, 2026

The Earth is shown with an eighth of it's mass removed to reveal its layered interior.

Earth

Earth’s core may hide dozens of oceans of hydrogen

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 10, 2026

Health & Medicine

Tell Me Where It Hurts sets the record straight on pain — and how to treat it

By Laura SandersFebruary 10, 2026

A game “board” on a piece of limestone solved by AI

AI helps archaeologists solve a Roman gaming mystery

By Tom MetcalfeFebruary 9, 2026

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Health

A tear gas canister flies toward a crowd of people.

Tear gas and pepper spray can have lasting health effects

The chemicals are widely used for crowd control, but their long-term health risks are poorly understood.

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 2, 2026
The best way to help Alzheimer’s patients may be to help their caregivers
Widespread use of HPV shots could mean fewer cervical cancer screenings

Science News Magazine

cover of February 2026 issue of Science News

February 1, 2026 Vol. 208 No. 2

From Science News Investors Lab

Featured Media

Kenzi the bonobo being groomed by anohter bonobo

A bonobo’s imaginary tea party suggests apes can play pretend

Apes, like humans, are capable of pretend play, challenging long-held views about how animals think, a new study suggests.

Humpback whales pop their mouths out of the water while seabirds fly overhead.

Canadian humpback whales thrive with a little help from their friends

Two X-rays side by side show a man's new lungs and his old ones, which wew so damaged they could not hold air.

Artificial lungs kept a man alive until he could get a transplant

different animals appearing to experience joy – laughing or smiling. Axolotl, turtle, monkey, horse and dolphin.

Animals experience joy. Scientists want to measure it

This hand stencil in Indonesia is now the oldest known rock art

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More Stories

Life

There’s life beneath the snow, but it’s at risk of melting away

By Bethany BrookshireJanuary 20, 2026
Watch a cancer cell evade capture

By Meghan RosenDecember 22, 2025
How these strange cells may explain the origin of complex life

By Michael MarshallDecember 11, 2025

Humans

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
Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction

By Bruce BowerDecember 3, 2025

Climate

Polar bears in the Barents Sea are staying fat despite rapid sea ice loss

By Rebecca DzombakJanuary 29, 2026
Earth’s last 3 years were its hottest on record

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 13, 2026
Hidden tree bark microbes munch on important climate gases

By Douglas FoxJanuary 8, 2026

Astronomy

A double cosmic explosion could be the first known ‘superkilonova’

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 9, 2026
Galaxies with ‘hoop skirts’ are more common than we thought

By Lisa GrossmanJanuary 7, 2026
Against the odds, a burbling lava planet retains an atmosphere

By Carly KayDecember 30, 2025

Physics

The only U.S. particle collider shuts down – so a new one may rise

By Emily ConoverFebruary 6, 2026
A Greek star catalog from the dawn of astronomy, revealed

By Adam MannJanuary 30, 2026
A massive clump of dark matter may lurk in the Milky Way

By Emily ConoverJanuary 29, 2026

Health & Medicine

Daily cups of caffeinated coffee or mugs of tea may lower dementia risk

By Aimee CunninghamFebruary 9, 2026
Gum disease bacteria can promote cancer growth in mice

By Meghan RosenFebruary 4, 2026
Poor sleep may account for a large share of dementia cases

By Marla BroadfootFebruary 2, 2026

Earth

A long-lost tectonic fragment may be shaking Northern California

By Carolyn GramlingJanuary 16, 2026
Some of 2025’s scientific discoveries broke records

By Erin Garcia de JesúsDecember 31, 2025
An underwater volcano off Oregon didn’t erupt in 2025 after all. Why not?

By Carolyn GramlingDecember 22, 2025

Science & Society

Autistic Barbie reminds us stories have the power to counter misinformation

By Laura SandersFebruary 6, 2026
These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025

By Laura SandersJanuary 2, 2026
This new year, maybe resolve to quit

By Sujata GuptaJanuary 2, 2026