Science news summaries — Page 8
Essential facts and source links for recent science stories.
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Openings help military parachutes stay stable in flight
Openings in military parachutes regulate airflow, helping steady the canopy and prevent violent rocking or collapse that could send a jumper into an uncontrolled fall. The T-11 static-line chute has deliberate openings and descends at about 19 feet per second. -
Alkermes reports dose-linked ADHD symptom declines with ALKS 7290
Alkermes reported dose-dependent reductions in ADHD symptom scores with investigational ALKS 7290 in a 14-day Phase 1b trial of 50 adults; median declines from baseline were 14 points at 20 mg and 19 at 50 mg. The drug was generally well tolerated. -
Charlie Blackwell-Thompson encourages students as Artemis III work advances
NASA’s first female launch director, Charlie Blackwell-Thompson, visited the Great Lakes Science Center to encourage students to consider STEM careers. She says Artemis III preparations are advancing; the mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 2027. -
Oceanside water project finds fossils of possible brontothere or amynodont
Workers on an Oceanside, California, water project found fossils of a large hoofed mammal that lived 40–45 million years ago. Paleontologist Joseph El Adli says the animal likely was a brontothere or amynodont; his team spent more than seven days exposing the bones. -
Global outbreak records track clinic access more than forest loss, study finds
A Nature analysis of 58,319 records for 32 diseases in 169 countries found that reported outbreaks tracked health-facility access more consistently than forest loss or warming. For the median disease, recording odds fell about a third per extra travel hour to care. -
Casper, a 1-in-100-million white lobster, joins UNE study
Casper, a one-in-100-million white lobster, has joined a University of New England study in Biddeford, Maine, examining why American lobsters develop rare shell colors. Donated by the Maine State Aquarium, he will be studied using non-invasive genetic methods. -
Galleri gets unanimous safety vote as FDA panel splits on effectiveness
The FDA panel unanimously backed the safety of Grail's Galleri blood-based cancer test, but voted 6-4 that evidence supports its effectiveness. The agency is expected to decide in coming months whether the test can be sold nationwide. -
Neptune has completed only one orbit around the Sun since its 1846 discovery
Neptune has completed only one orbit around the Sun since its 1846 discovery: a year there lasts just under 165 Earth years, and its first birthday after discovery came in 2011. It was the first planet found through mathematical prediction. -
Octopus camouflage is nerve-driven, but color matching remains a puzzle
Octopuses can alter their appearance in milliseconds to blend into their surroundings, and experiments show nerves directly control the changes. How they match backgrounds so precisely remains unresolved; evidence suggests their color vision is limited. -
REK says Frankie LaPenna defeated Rekbot in human-robot MMA bout
REK said on X that Frankie LaPenna kept going and defeated Rekbot in a Sept. 18 bout the startup billed as the first human-versus-robot MMA fight. The 6-foot robot was remotely controlled by a human and knocked LaPenna across the ring with a kick. -
Article estimates F-35A and F-35C can stay aloft over an hour on a full tank
The article's estimates put F-35A and F-35C flight time above an hour on a full tank, with combat durations of about 33 and 35 minutes. It gives the F-35B a 450-nautical-mile combat radius, about 25 minutes; all figures assume ideal conditions. -
Al Gore says climate fight can be won, but questions whether it’s in time
At a New York event marking 20 years since An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore said public opinion is nearing a “positive tipping point” despite stronger-than-expected fossil fuel resistance. He said the question is whether progress will come in time to avert climate tipping points. -
US-approved vaccines contain no peanut oil; evidence does not link them to peanut allergies
US-approved vaccines contain no peanut oil; evidence does not link vaccine ingredients, including aluminum, to peanut allergies, despite social media claims. About 1–2% of Americans have the allergy, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology says. -
Five North Dakota prints form the first known T. rex trackway
Colorado science teacher Kent Hups found the first known T. rex trackway in North Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation. Researchers identified at least five prints; four suggest a 13-foot stride and walking speed of 3.5–4.5 mph, according to study coauthor Tyler Lyson. -
Recycled restaurant shells support oyster reef recovery in Apalachicola Bay
Local groups are returning restaurant oyster shells to Florida’s Apalachicola Bay, where they give young oysters a hard surface to grow on. The bay reopened to limited harvesting this year; the next season is scheduled for Oct. 1 through Feb. 28, 2027. -
Yellow-bellied sea snake sighting at Crystal Cove may be California's first since 2018
A yellow-bellied sea snake was filmed ashore at Crystal Cove in Orange County, potentially California’s first sighting since 2018. Reptile expert Greg Pauly is seeking more video to verify it; experts say the venomous snake is not dangerous if left alone. -
Regional study finds stroke rates nearly doubled among adults ages 20 to 54
A study of adults ages 20–54 in greater Cincinnati and northern Kentucky found stroke rates nearly doubled, from 33.9 per 100,000 in 1993–94 to 62.2 in 2020. Ischemic strokes drove the increase; experts recommend addressing cardiovascular risks early. -
Analysis of 50-plus studies links ultra-processed diets to higher health risks
A new analysis of more than 50 studies involving nearly 9 million adults linked diets high in ultra-processed foods to nearly 25% higher risks of cardiovascular events, diabetes and obesity; depression and anxiety risks were 27% higher and digestive-disease risk 31% higher. -
Two Wabtec battery locomotives arrive for Union Pacific California trials
Two of the four Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives ordered for Union Pacific have arrived in Southern California for testing in the greater Los Angeles area. The remaining two are due in October; trials will use the locomotives in yard and local service. -
Climate Impact Lab projects about 450,000 El Niño-linked deaths
Climate Impact Lab projects about 450,000 deaths linked to El Niño-related heat, drought, wildfires and flooding. The timeline is unclear: it cites a six-month estimate but also says deaths are likely during the event’s first nine months, June through February. -
FDA to consider approval of Grail’s Galleri multi-cancer blood test
FDA officials will consider approval of Grail’s Galleri blood test. A study of nearly 143,000 people missed its primary endpoints, but Grail said annual testing with standard screening increased screen-detected cancers and reduced stage IV cases and emergency presentations. -
UBC study describes two new sea spiders from Canada's Salish Sea
University of British Columbia researchers described Callipallene pilosuspedes and Tanystylum kiixin, two new sea spiders found in the Salish Sea near Vancouver at about 60 feet deep. They are the first sea spider species newly described from the area in nearly 100 years. -
Lassen's fire amoeba reproduces at a record 145°F for eukaryotes
NASA-supported researchers discovered Incendiamoeba cascadensis, the “fire amoeba,” in Lassen Volcanic National Park. It reproduced in water recorded at 145°F, five degrees above the previous known eukaryote limit, setting a new heat-tolerance record for complex life. -
Stanford researchers trace brain regions to two embryonic cell lineages
Stanford researchers found that the forebrain and midbrain arise from Otx2-expressing progenitors, while the hindbrain comes from a separate Gbx2 lineage. The finding could improve lab models of ALS and spinal muscular atrophy, but does not demonstrate a treatment. -
Aug. 27 Chicago-bound train exposure tied to a third measles case
A third measles case has been linked to exposure aboard a Chicago-bound train on Aug. 27, St. Louis County health officials said. The state listed possible exposure sites the person visited during a two-day St. Louis stay, including Busch Stadium and a popular bar. -
Reintroduced elk herd in Great Smoky Mountains now exceeds 250
According to WBIR-TV, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s elk herd now exceeds 250, after 25 elk were relocated from Kentucky in 2001 and 27 from Alberta in 2002. Native elk had been absent from the area for more than 150 years after hunters drove them to extinction. -
MIT team builds a machine-learning barcode for senescent cells in mice
MIT researchers combined Raman microscopy and gene-expression data to identify signatures linked to senescent cells in mouse lung and skin. A machine-learning classifier turned the signals into a barcode; the method remains preclinical and unvalidated in people. -
GPS has not made geography skills obsolete, educators say
Geography educators say GPS has not made the subject obsolete: students still need map-reading skills and mental maps to ask informed questions, interpret spatial information and connect local places with wider economic, political and environmental systems.
