Health & Medicine
How a brutal drought may have helped unleash yellow fever in Brazil
Animals searching for water brought the forest to the city, perhaps sparking Brazil’s first yellow fever outbreak in decades.
Earth
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Earth
- Animals
Emperor penguin chicks like these starved. An iceberg may be the cause
An emperor penguin colony in Antarctica saw a massive decline in chicks in 2025. The contours of a nearby grounded iceberg may have been the cause.
- Environment
A fire’s rumble reveals where it’s burning
Researchers tracked a prescribed grassland fire using infrasound, sound waves pitched too low for people to hear.
- Earth
Mammals moving between the Americas stopped over in Mexico
Ancient mammals may have had an easier time moving across the Isthmus of Panama from north to south thanks to Mexico’s climate.
- Animals
‘Forever chemicals’ could be aging dolphins beyond their years
Common dolphins in New Zealand are biologically older than their calendar ages. Trace metals and “forever chemicals” may be to blame.
- Climate
What’s to blame for Canada’s wildfires?
The inferno that sent toxic smoke billowing toward the United States won't be the last. Officials are now battling both the wildfires and misinformation.
- Animals
Watch an orca ram into a sunfish so hard it explodes
This strategy expands orcas’ already broad repertoire for dispatching different types of prey.
- Animals
This humpback whale hunting strategy has been out of sight — until now
Scientists documented humpback whales hunting together at the seafloor, coordinating their arrival to scoop up sand lances.
- Oceans
Deep-sea snails ride surface currents to reach distant hydrothermal vents
The finding shows how life spreads between isolated deep-sea vents — and how closely those ecosystems are tied to the sunlit ocean.
- Climate
A new map traces the sky’s water highways
Atmospheric rivers bring heavy rain and floods, but if they don’t come around, it could mean drought. A new global map reveals little-known pathways.
