Science news summaries — Page 3
Essential facts and source links for recent science stories.
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US scientific societies create a climate hub after federal assessment cuts
The American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society created the U.S. Climate Collection, a research hub, after federal actions disrupted work on the next National Climate Assessment. Its first paper, published in two journals, has 149 authors. -
A 700-year-old Chinese skull may offer the first archaeological evidence of punitive nose amputation
A 700-year-old skull from Henan, China, may be the first archaeological evidence of punitive nose amputation, researchers say. Healed nasal injuries indicate the woman survived; the study’s likeliest explanation is punishment, though disease or a birth defect cannot be excluded. -
Devon and Cornwall's good butterfly counts come with drought warning
Butterfly Conservation's 2026 count recorded 77,151 butterflies and day-flying moths in Devon and 47,712 in Cornwall. It called the totals very good, but warned prolonged hot, dry weather could lead to a population crash; drought's full impact may not be clear until next year. -
How splitter plates keep turbulent air out of fighter jet engines
On aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II, F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet, splitter plates create a gap between the fuselage and engine intakes. The opening lets slow, turbulent boundary-layer air pass by rather than enter the intakes, where it could destabilize the engines. -
Shuttle repairs and a hurricane extended Shannon Lucid’s Mir stay to 188 days
American astronaut Shannon Lucid returned from Russia’s Mir station on Sept. 26, 1996, after 188 days in orbit. Booster-rocket repairs delayed her return by more than six weeks, and a hurricane caused a further delay, extending her planned five-month mission. -
Study documents two king cobras guarding a 72-egg nest in Yunnan
Researchers documented two adult king cobras guarding a nest with 72 eggs in Yunnan, China—a clutch that may be a record. They could not identify the snakes’ sexes, leaving open whether one female laid an unusually large clutch or two females laid eggs in the same nest. -
Sperm whale headbutts bolster an old theory about the Essex sinking
Footage of sperm whales head-butting supports a theory that they use their heads as battering rams, possibly explaining the Essex's 1820 sinking. Burslem estimates an adult strike at about 1,200 kN; the forehead organ's function remains uncertain. -
Colorado River drought triggers early irrigation cutoff for Palisade peach growers
After record-low snowpack worsened the Colorado River shortage, the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District near Palisade halted deliveries Sept. 17 before the growing season ended, leaving peach growers worried about keeping trees alive and next year’s crop. -
Study finds over 99% chance post-2015 emissions worsened Europe's 2025 heat wave
A study says emissions released in the decade after the 2015 Paris Agreement made Europe’s deadly June 2025 heat wave worse, with better than 99% probability. In some areas, those emissions raised average daily temperatures by about 0.3°C (just over 0.5°F). -
Mouse study points to a possible role for the long-dismissed rete ovarii
A Duke study in mice suggests the little-studied rete ovarii, a tubule network attached to the ovary, may help move fluid toward the ovary and produce proteins linked to ovarian function. Its role in fertility and relevance to people remain unconfirmed. -
Toddler vocalizations expose limits of AI in animal-communication research
A study found that AI models could not sort pre-verbal toddlers’ vocalizations by meaning or detect rising urgency, despite outperforming a conventional acoustic method. The researchers say animal calls also require understanding context and the receiver’s perception. -
Powerful El Niño may add 451,000 heat deaths over nine months
University of Chicago’s Climate Impact Lab estimates a powerful El Niño could contribute to 451,000 extra heat-related deaths worldwide in its first nine months, compared with a typical year. The heaviest toll is expected in lower-income countries in the Global South. -
Study finds bare seagrass patches fell 93.6% at Studland eco-mooring site
A study of 39 damaged seabed areas in Dorset’s Studland Bay found bare seagrass patches fell by an average 93.6% from 2021 to 2025 where 10 trial eco-moorings were installed; a second area with chain moorings until 2023 saw a 65.4% decline. -
The flatworm brought to Samoa for pest control also ate native snails
Samoa introduced the New Guinea flatworm in the 1990s to curb crop-damaging giant African snails, but it also preyed on native land snails. Studies recorded releases on Savai‘i in 1996–98 and 2001, and concluded the predator had reached Upolu by the late 1990s. -
China canceled 67% of planned overseas coal capacity, but loopholes remain
A new report says China canceled 67% of the overseas coal capacity it planned in 2021—61.5 gigawatts, estimated to avoid 6.4 billion tons of lifetime carbon dioxide emissions. An analyst says the pledge still lets private Chinese companies invest abroad. -
South African program moves five bearded vulture pairs into breeding chambers
Conservationist Shannon Hoffman’s South African program is working to breed bearded vultures, with fewer than 400 left in the wild in South Africa and Lesotho. Five matched pairs are in breeding chambers; none has produced chicks yet, though Hoffman says it could happen any day. -
Evo 2 can generate viruses; Anthropic reports apparent Claude use in potentially dangerous research
Stanford and Arc Institute researchers unveiled Evo 2, a DNA model that can generate viruses from scratch. Separately, Anthropic reported cases of people apparently using Claude for potentially dangerous biological research, saying it banned the users and strengthened safeguards. -
Paddleboarder says sea lion grabbed her hair and bit her near Capitola
Capitola resident Heather Gray says a sea lion grabbed her hair and bit her arm, hand and feet Tuesday morning while she paddleboarded between Capitola Wharf and Privates Beach. She got back on her board and was treated at an urgent care clinic. -
Chefs rethink menus ahead of an exceptionally strong El Niño forecast
At Mexico’s Apapaxoa festival, chefs said erratic weather is reshaping menus: Brazilian ants are now available only on request, and Japanese cooks are adapting to a new seafood selection. UN experts forecast an exceptionally strong El Niño cycle. -
Tulane to add space science and engineering minor in 2027
Tulane University will introduce a space science and engineering minor in fall 2027, aiming to prepare workers for Louisiana’s expanding space sector. Local officials have questioned whether the region can train enough workers for a planned SpaceX launch site. -
Study suggests brain regions may stem from distinct embryonic cell groups
Researchers found that distinct cell populations in mouse embryos develop into the forebrain and midbrain versus the hindbrain, supporting a theory that the brain evolved from two neural systems. They also report making functional hindbrain motor neurons from human stem cells. -
Chester Zoo survey documents Cheshire’s first wasp spider record
Chester Zoo’s plant survey produced Cheshire’s first documented record of a wasp spider, confirmed by a British Arachnological Society expert. The zoo’s biodiversity manager says the species is moving north as southern European ranges warm too quickly for it to adapt. -
Elias 2-24 b, under 1 million years old, is youngest known planet
Astronomers have confirmed Elias 2-24 b as the youngest known exoplanet: it is less than 1 million years old and roughly Jupiter’s mass. Still forming in its star’s disk of gas and debris, the planet lies about 450 light-years from Earth. -
Guatemala releases first captive-raised tropical gar fry into the wild
Guatemala released hundreds of tropical gar fry into a southern canal after La Aurora Zoo raised them in tanks—the first time the threatened species has been raised in captivity. It faces illegal fishing, pollution and extreme weather exacerbated by El Niño. -
Papua’s remaining snow near Puncak Jaya is expected to vanish in a year or two
Papua’s remaining snow around Puncak Jaya is expected to disappear within a year or two; glacier cover has fallen from nearly 1,900 hectares in the 19th Century to about 16 today. The ice holds climate records and is sacred to Indigenous communities. -
Models link Ariel’s fractures to a possible ocean over 170 km deep
Models in a study published in Icarus suggest Uranus’ moon Ariel may have had a subsurface ocean more than 170 kilometers deep. Researchers say tidal forces from a past, more eccentric orbit could explain its giant fractures and ridges. -
Fossils in Kentucky and Alabama yield two ancient shark species
A team of paleontologists identified two new shark species from fossils found in Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave and northern Alabama in May 2025. The Carboniferous predators lived more than 325 million years ago and are estimated to have reached 3–3.6 meters. -
Researchers observe Cozumel pygmy raccoons making balls from discarded paper
Two juvenile pygmy raccoons on Mexico’s Cozumel Island made balls from discarded paper, researchers report. The study says the behavior may be socially learned; fewer than 200 critically endangered pygmy raccoons live on the island, according to the IUCN Red List. -
MIT's dissolvable battery ran ingestible devices in pigs for up to 3 days
MIT researchers tested a paper-thin, dissolvable battery in pigs, where it powered ingestible medical devices for up to three days before dissolving in the gut. The prototype is for low-power electronics, and the circuit boards it powered remained intact.
