Plants
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday at a new state flower exhibit
Stop and smell America’s state flowers at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., open now through October 12, 2026.
Featured Articles in this Issue
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Cover Story
NASA seems to be backing away from hunting for life on Mars
Viking 1 kicked off the search for Martian life 50 years ago. Now NASA’s shifting priorities are putting the quest in limbo.
Reviews & Previews
Science Visualized
Life
Cows’ methane burps may be fueled by a newfound organelle in gut microbes
In cows’ guts, ciliates contain a tiny organelle called a hydrogenobody that may drive production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
More of an Art
Space
Otherworldly music albums feature space weather data
A science-art team uses research data to make music featuring sounds of Antarctica and outer space
More Stories from the July 1, 2026 issue
- Science & Society
How real is the Cyclops in The Odyssey?
The iconic one-eyed monster coming to movie screens in July in The Odyssey might have more in common with tiny water critters than with humans.
- Health & Medicine
No, mastic gum won’t reshape your jaw
Chewing gum made from mastic resin is a Greek staple that has some benefits for the mouth and gut. But it won’t change your face shape.
- Animals
Giant, kraken-like octopuses may have ruled the Cretaceous deep
Some octopuses that lived over 72 million years ago were as long as whales. These huge predators may have been the largest invertebrates ever.
- Health & Medicine
An experimental new drug for stiff person syndrome restores mobility
CAR T cell therapy wipes out rogue antibodies' source and improves walking speed in people with the same autoimmune disorder that affects Celine Dion.
- Quantum Physics
A grapefruit-sized quantum device mapped Earth’s magnetic field from space
On the International Space Station, a cube holding a diamond-based sensor revealed the potential for quantum magnetometers.
- Astronomy
Astronomers may have found a record-breaking pair of black holes
At some 60 billion times the mass of the sun, this dark void could be home to a pair of black holes that are due for a cosmic collision.
- Animals
Territorial conflict may explain male primates’ large size
Male primates may be larger than females partly because of pressure from rival groups, not just competition with males inside their own group.
- Neuroscience
25 people learned to fly with virtual wings. Here’s how the brain changed
A new study shows learning to fly in virtual reality with virtual wings can reshape the brain, making it treat wings more like body parts.
- Animals
Humidity makes these bees turn green
North American sweat bees change color depending on the surrounding humidity. It might be a more widespread phenomenon among insects.
- Space
Space junk falls back to Earth faster as sunspot numbers climb
A new study links the sun's 11-year cycle to accelerated orbital loss, with debris falling faster once sunspot numbers near their cycle peak.
- Particle Physics
To understand black holes, physicists turn to a mathematical ‘Rosetta stone’
A link between particle physics and gravity equations, called the double copy, applies to Hawking radiation, creating a new way into black hole puzzles.
- Animals
Singing mice puff up air sacs to make their sweet songs
To serenade with their high-pitched songs, singing mice inflate a throat sac — a use for air sacs seemingly unknown in any other animal.
- Health & Medicine
Prenatal surgery for spina bifida may get a boost from stem cells
A clinical trial for spina bifida treatment suggests that a surgical approach relying on stem cells is safe for patients. Its efficacy is still being evaluated.
- Health & Medicine
Suicide deaths in U.S. teens and young adults fell after 988 launch
Suicide is a top cause of death for teens and young adults. A study finds a link between the 988 Lifeline and a drop in their suicide mortality.
- Earth
The crust under Africa is thinning in a way that hasn’t been seen before
Africa’s Turkana Rift Zone, a hotbed of hominin fossils, is caught in the act of “necking," a critical transition toward continental breakup.
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Crossword: Power play
Solve the crossword from our July 2026 issue, in which we raise our solving skills to the next level.
