In a move that has rattled some in the biomedical research community, the U.S. House of Representatives last night approved a ban on federal funding for “gain-of-function” research that modifies risky pathogens in ways that can make them more harmful to people. Scientific groups say the vaguely worded provision could unintentionally halt a large swath of studies, from flu vaccine...

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As climate-friendly fuels, hydrogen (H 2 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) are enticing. Because they lack carbon, they can be burned to produce nothing but environmentally benign water and nitrogen (N 2 ). But if producers do not take care to prevent leaks or incomplete combustion, researchers are now warning, the fuels could generate pollutants that...

What changes would you make if a summer science camp you’ve run for 64 years with little publicity received a $200 million windfall? That’s the enviable task facing the nonprofit Summer Science Program (SSP), which is reviewing its time-tested strategy of serving a tiny cadre of high-achieving high school juniors in the wake of a bequest from the estate of a former...

More than 3000 years ago during the Bronze Age, people across Eurasia formed massive trade networks that tied the continent together. But the Pannonian Plain, an open expanse that today includes parts of Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, was considered a relative hinterland. That was true even after archaeologists 2 decades ago uncovered a handful of massive Bronze Age enclosures, some...

Australia’s leading research agency is facing questions about possible ethical lapses after a U.S. law firm released documents suggesting some of its scientists did not disclose that they had allowed oil giant BP to review studies prior to publication in a journal or presentation at a conference. “It’s a mystery why BP’s legal team would be reviewing independent...

When thousands of cats started to die this year on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, nicknamed the “island of cats” for its 1-million-strong feline population, the crisis made international news. The animals had fevers, swollen bellies, and lethargy—symptoms that pointed to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a common condition caused by a type of cat coronavirus. But scientists...

Meteorologists call it the “ quiet revolution ”: a gradual but steady improvement in weather forecasting. Today, the 6-day forecast is about as good as the 3-day forecast from 30 years ago. Rarely do severe storms or heat waves catch people unaware. This revolution has saved lives and money, but it also comes with a cost: billions of dollars’ worth of energy-hungry...

On 9 October 2022, for 7 minutes, high energy photons from a gigantic explosion 1.9 billion light-years away toasted one side of Earth as never before observed. The event, called a gamma ray burst (GRB), was 70 times brighter than the previous record holder. But what astronomers dub the “BOAT”—the brightest of all time—did more than provide a light show spanning the...

If a bite of dandelion greens or extra-dark chocolate makes you pucker, there’s good reason. Bitterness can indicate the presence of toxins in potential foods, and animals long ago honed the ability to ferret out harsh tastes. But the ability to sense bitterness may be even older than many presumed, a new study finds. It likely first evolved in vertebrates roughly 460 million...

Did star neuroscientist Berislav Zlokovic manipulate data that support NIH-funded stroke trial and important Alzheimer’s research?

The restoration and protection of forests worldwide could help remove about 226 gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere, according to a study published today in Nature . That’s equivalent to roughly 20 years of emissions from burning fossil fuels and other sources at current rates. Some experts say the analysis provides a more reliable estimate of the carbon-capturing...

If you get lost in the luminous orange peepers of housecats or the baby blues of white tigers, thank the granddaddy of all felines—an ocelotlike creature that lived more than 30 million years ago. A new study finds that this distant ancestor of lions, tigers, and housecats sported brown and gray eyes, the latter of which allowed its descendants to evolve a veritable rainbow of iris...

David Sabatini, the high-flying biologist who lost positions at three prominent U.S. institutions after breaching sexual misconduct policies, last month began a new job as a senior scientist at the Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry Prague (IOCB), a powerful arm of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The hire has divided Czech scientists and is likely to ignite debate about...

A technique for precisely rewriting the genetic code directly in the body has slashed “bad” cholesterol levels—possibly for life—in three people prone to dangerously high levels of the artery-clogging fat. The feat relied on a blood infusion of a so-called base editor, designed to disable a liver protein, PCSK9, that regulates cholesterol. “It is a breakthrough to have...

All health care students worldwide should learn the history of medicine during the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, according to a report published Wednesday by The Lancet . The journal formed a commission in 2021 to explore how the lessons from that time could help improve medical education in the future. In its 50-page...

A plan to build a novel nuclear power plant comprising six small modular reactors (SMRs) fell apart this week when prospective customers for its electricity backed out. Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), a coalition of community-owned power systems in seven western states, withdrew from a deal to build the plant, designed by NuScale Power , because...

An engaging blend of hand fans, Lord of the Rings , and chemistry won Science ’s last Dance Your Ph.D. competition, and we can’t wait to see who takes the next crown. The latest edition of the contest, our 16th, is now open to entries. As always, we’re challenging scientists to explain their research obsession with fancy footwork but no...

For the past decade, psychology has been in the midst of a replication crisis. Large, high-profile studies have found that only about half of the findings from behavioral science literature can be replicated—a discovery that has cast a long shadow over psychological science, but that has also spurred advocates to push for improved research methods that boost rigor. Now, one of...

TAXONOMY Revised map of fish lineage illuminates family ties Researchers are flocking to download a revised tree of life for ray-finned fishes, which account for half the living vertebrate species and 97% of all living fish. In the first comprehensive synthesis of all the classification work of these animals , ichthyologists...

Isolated and sanctioned, researchers carry on and hope that ties to the West might one day be mended

A week of reduced social media usage neither increased nor decreased people’s desire to get back online, a new study finds. The lack of craving to return to social media platforms such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) suggests that for most people, the use of social media may not be truly addictive, the authors argue. Some experts remain skeptical, however. “It’s a...

When it comes to investigating the human story, scientists tend to focus on clues in our ancestors’ bones and artifacts. The tiny, bloodsucking parasites that infest our scalps? Not so much. But a new study published today in PLOS ONE suggests the genetics of head lice can shed light on when and where groups of humans split and came together in the...

The U.S. Census Bureau may soon change the way one of its nationwide surveys asks about disability. But alarm bells are ringing for many researchers and activists, because the proposed change would dramatically decrease the official number of people in the United States who are considered disabled. “Disabled people are already underserved,” says Scott Landes, a sociologist at...