Science News | Page 136 of 2247 | The latest news from all areas of science

Subscribe today

people in bathing suits on the shore in Coney Island, NY running into the water.

Health & Medicine

Polar plunges aren’t just for the daring

Bragging rights and an adrenaline rush aren’t the only reasons to start the year with a frigid swim. A dip in icy water builds resilience.

By Jamie Ducharme45 minutes ago

This giant microbe organizes its DNA in a surprising way

By Meghan Rosen3 hours ago

A 3-D of multi-colored balls connected by small, cylindrical tubes.

Artificial Intelligence

A quantum trick helps trim bloated AI models

By Emily ConoverDecember 16, 2025

An ancient cat's skull is shown on a black background.

Animals

Ancient DNA rewrites the tale of when and how cats left Africa

By Jake BuehlerDecember 16, 2025

An illustration of a ball, frog and train floating through a spiral structure.

Physics

How to levitate objects sans magic

By Maria TemmingDecember 15, 2025

A large spiral galaxy glows in purple light.

Dark matter ‘nuggets’ could explain the Milky Way’s mysterious glow

By Mara Johnson-GrohDecember 15, 2025

A scanning electron micrograph shows an mosquito head with a compound eye and two long, hair-covered antennae on a black background.

Tech

Mosquitoes use it to suck blood. Researchers used it to 3-D print

By Payal DharDecember 12, 2025

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Health

A close-up image of a vampire bat looking right at the camera .

Bats might be the next bird flu wild card

Finding that vampire bats along Peru’s coast carried H5N1 antibodies raises concerns that multiple bat species could become reservoirs for the virus.

By Jane QiuDecember 10, 2025
Some irritability is normal. Here’s when it’s not
‘Black Religion in the Madhouse’ examines psychiatry and race post-Civil War

Science News Magazine

cover of December 2025 issue of Science News

December 1, 2025 Vol. 207 No. 12

From the Archives

First Total Synthesis of a Mammalian Gene

December 13, 1975 Vol. 108 No. #24

Featured Media

The tile covered eyes of a fly, viewed from the front

From viruses to elephants, nature thrives on tiled patterns

A compilation of 100 examples of biological tilings shows how repeated natural motifs enhance strength, flexibility and other key functions.

A snow covered bridge winds between tree-lined mountains.

Self-hypnosis with cooling mental imagery could ease hot flashes

Protestors march outside of COP30 in Brazil

Here are 3 big ideas to combat climate change, with or without COP

A dust storm front rolls toward the right across a reddish, rocky landscape. An electrical arc is shown in the dust front.

Listen to the crackle of Martian ‘mini-lightning’

A grainy nighttime shot from an infrared camera shows a rat perched on a ledge grabbing a slightly smaller bat as it flies by

Rats are snatching bats out of the air and eating them

Follow Science News

More Stories

Life

How these strange cells may explain the origin of complex life

By Michael MarshallDecember 11, 2025
A new dinosaur doomsday exhibit showcases survival after destruction

By Erin Garcia de JesúsNovember 21, 2025
A rice weevil frozen in flight won the 2025 Nikon Small World photo contest

By Carly KayOctober 17, 2025

Humans

Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction

By Bruce BowerDecember 3, 2025
A therapeutic HPV vaccine shrank cervical tumors in mice

By Meghan RosenDecember 1, 2025
Napoleon’s retreating army may have been plagued by these microbes

By Meghan RosenOctober 24, 2025

Climate

Life-saving research on extreme heat comes under fire

By Nikk OgasaNovember 17, 2025
Hurricane Melissa spins into a monster storm as it bears down on Jamaica

By Carolyn GramlingOctober 28, 2025
Australia’s tropical forests now emit CO₂, clouding the COP30 talks

By Carolyn GramlingOctober 27, 2025

Astronomy

Early views of a supernova’s first moments reveal a lopsided blast

By Mara Johnson-GrohNovember 12, 2025
See the largest, most detailed radio image of the Milky Way yet

By McKenzie PrillamanNovember 4, 2025
Some planets might home brew their own water

By Javier BarbuzanoOctober 29, 2025

Physics

Twisted stacks of 2-D carbon act like a weird type of superconductor

By Emily ConoverDecember 2, 2025
Here’s how Rudolph’s light-up nose might be possible

By Maria TemmingNovember 21, 2025
Water jets may break up into droplets thanks to jiggling molecules

By Emily ConoverNovember 6, 2025

Health & Medicine

GLP-1 drugs failed to slow Alzheimer’s in two big clinical trials

By Meghan RosenDecember 8, 2025
A CDC panel has struck down universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination

By Aimee CunninghamDecember 5, 2025
How a bacterial toxin linked to colon cancer messes with DNA

By Elise CuttsDecember 4, 2025

Earth

Early Earth’s belly held onto its water

By Carolyn GramlingDecember 11, 2025
A volcanic eruption might have helped bring the Black Plague to Europe

By Carolyn GramlingDecember 4, 2025
Human-caused earthquakes are real. Here’s why even stable regions can snap

By Rohini SubrahmanyamDecember 3, 2025

Science & Society

Gratitude can increase joy, even if it feels a little cringe

By Sujata GuptaNovember 26, 2025
Meet 5 scientists reshaping the way we understand the world

By Science News StaffNovember 21, 2025
Science has made America great. Is that era over?

By Science News StaffNovember 21, 2025