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A hand holds a phone. The screen shows part of a conversation with a chatbot about medical questions. Pills, bottles, flowers and a glass of water are in the background.

Artificial Intelligence

Real-world medical questions stump AI chatbots

Subtle shifts in how users described symptoms to AI chatbots led to dramatically different, sometimes dangerous medical advice.

By Tina Hesman Saey31 minutes ago

An illustration shows a blue-and-green underwater scene with three types of plankton hovering above a fish's bones

Oceans

Evolution didn’t wait long after the dinosaurs died

By Elie DolginFebruary 13, 2026

A sea turtle, a loggerhead, heads back to the sea

Animals

A sea turtle boom may be hiding a population collapse

By Melissa HobsonFebruary 13, 2026

Illustration of planetary system LHS 1903

This inside-out planetary system has astronomers scratching their heads

By Adam MannFebruary 12, 2026

A man receives treatment for cancer.

Health & Medicine

A simple shift in schedule could make cancer immunotherapy work better

By Elie DolginFebruary 12, 2026

A diapered baby is shown from the torso down laying in front of a window with sunlight streaming in

Health & Medicine

This baby sling turns sunlight into treatment for newborn jaundice

By Elie DolginFebruary 12, 2026

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

By Erin Garcia de JesúsFebruary 11, 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

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

By Emily ConoverFebruary 11, 2026
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

Health & Medicine

Antibiotics can treat appendicitis for many patients, no surgery needed

By Laura DattaroFebruary 10, 2026
Tell Me Where It Hurts sets the record straight on pain — and how to treat it

By Laura SandersFebruary 10, 2026
Daily cups of caffeinated coffee or mugs of tea may lower dementia risk

By Aimee CunninghamFebruary 9, 2026

Earth

Earth’s core may hide dozens of oceans of hydrogen

By Nikk OgasaFebruary 10, 2026
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

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