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Tech

No, SpudCells aren’t alive. But they’re a step toward the first synthetic life

The lab-made cells open a window into what’s possible for synthetic life, researchers say.

By Tina Hesman Saey3 hours ago

Many universities hold seized human remains. What should they do with them?

By Michael Marshall5 hours ago

An dagger, found buried with an ancient Egyptian princess, has a elaborately decorated handle.

Ancient Egyptian princesses knew their way around weapons of war

By Tom Metcalfe15 hours ago

illustration: front-right is a mostly dark exoplanet with a red hue and back left is a smaller white-ish planet with a glowing red hue and a smaller black dot appearing in the white hue

This “exotic weirdo” exoplanet has a rocky surface and an atmosphere

By Lisa GrossmanJuly 16, 2026

an illustration of someone canoeing towards a waterfall of molecules

Genes offer new clues to stopping Huntington’s disease in its tracks

By Elie DolginJuly 16, 2026

A stepped stone pyramid rises against a night sky filled with stars.

An ancient Maya astronomer finally has a name

By Tom MetcalfeJuly 16, 2026

Close-up of a rock in varying shades of grey

Space

The 2024 New Jersey meteorite contains amino acids

By Lisa GrossmanJuly 15, 2026

We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

Spotlight on Wildfire Smoke and Health

photo of a baseball stadium with a cityscape obscured by smoke in the background

Wildfires aren’t going away. Here’s how smoke can affect your health

How does repeat exposure to wildfire smoke affect our health? Three experts weigh in on the massive air pollution fueled by Canada’s ongoing fires.

By Meghan RosenJuly 12, 2023
Western wildfires’ health risks extend across the country
Wildfire smoke may cause tens of thousands of premature deaths

Science News Magazine

July 2026 cover of Science News

July 1, 2026 Vol. 208 No. 7

From Science News Investors Lab

Featured Media

A satellite image of hot sea surface temperatures, shown by shades of red and orange, in the eastern Pacific Ocean that signaled the start of an El Niño event.

Can geoengineering blunt El Niño’s fury?

Marine cloud brightening could cool part of the Pacific and weaken extreme El Niños, simulations suggest. But the approach could have risks.

Pickles glow when you plug them in. Science explains why

A landscape of a tropical rainforest canopy with trees of various heights

Giant trees have tricks to work around drought

a collage of images from items on display at the Smithsonian museum of natural history overlaid on a photo of the museum building. items include fossils, a bird, a crab, a bison, and butterflies.

The natural history of every U.S. state is on display at a new D.C. exhibit

A tan, long, skinny shark is seen on the seafloor resting on colorful rocks. It sports a pattern of dark brown spots and white dashes.

A new species of walking shark has been found in Papua New Guinea

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Life

Can DEET attract mosquitoes? A lab study offers clues

By Erin Garcia de JesúsMay 28, 2026
Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes

By Tina Hesman SaeyApril 30, 2026
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Humans

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Climate

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Astronomy

A quasar breaks the record for most distant supermassive black hole

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By Mara Johnson-GrohJune 4, 2026
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Physics

A potential hindrance to fusion power may help instead

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Here’s what would happen if you tried to break a photon in half

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Clocks made from an atomic nucleus just ticked on for the first time

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Health & Medicine

A new sort of Alzheimer’s drug shows glimmers of promise

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Support goes a long way to boost birth control effectiveness

By Aimee CunninghamJuly 9, 2026
Many U.S. teens underestimate fentanyl’s deadly risk

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Earth

A tropical permafrost layer in Peru may be one of the world’s largest

By Danielle BeurteauxJune 22, 2026
A 2011 earthquake bounced a seismic wave off Earth’s core, nudging Japan east

By Katherine KorneiJune 18, 2026
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Science & Society

Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science

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Lost in Curiosity reveals the messy reality of doing science

By Shi En KimJuly 10, 2026
A discovery about this bat’s diet was hiding in a Renaissance painting

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