Weekly Headlines (excerpts)

1. ‘Nasty’ microorganisms need saving, too

Science talks with a pair of biologists about why microbes—even pernicious ones—are worthy of conservation

BY HANNAH RICHTER 6 SEP 2024 

2. ‘My jaw dropped’: Bat loss linked to death of human infants

In places where bat populations crashed, farmers sprayed more insecticides, and baby mortality spiked

BY ERIK STOKSTAD 5 SEP 2024 

3. Africa has an mpox emergency. Why doesn’t it have more vaccines?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo received its first 99,000 doses today. Health officials say millions more are needed

BY JON COHEN 5 SEP 2024 

4. Slathering mice in a common food dye turns their skin transparent

Through a subtle effect, a yellow pigment found in Cheetos snack food enables light to travel straight through tissue

BY SARA REARDON 5 SEP 2024 

5. In a first for microbes, bacteria seem to track—and button up for—the cold

Cyanobacteria anticipate cold weather and fortify their membranes against freezing

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 5 SEP 2024 

6. Animals farmed for fur harbor dozens of concerning viruses

Study of Chinese fur industry reveals risk of new outbreaks that may threaten humans

BY JON COHEN 5 SEP 2024 

7. New clues to how placebo effect works could lead to drug-free treatments for chronic pain

Scientists “reverse engineer” placebo effect in mice by stimulating brain areas involved in pain-relief response

BY PHIE JACOBS 5 SEP 2024 

8. United Kingdom to end controversial badger cull

Campaign against bovine tuberculosis will now focus on vaccinating badgers and cattle

BY ERIK STOKSTAD 5 SEP 2024 

9. ‘We should know our own history’: India’s plan to teach traditional science sparks hope and concerns

Country’s effort to counter British colonial legacy has critics worried about promoting pseudoscience

BY VAISHNAVI CHANDRASHEKHAR 5 SEP 2024 

10. Brain fluid may travel to distant parts of body

Finding could lead to new ways to deliver drugs

BY RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA  4 SEP 2024 

11. U.K. researchers reveal glimpse of designs for novel fusion power plant

Spherical STEP reactor may rely on superconducting tape and jointed magnets

BY DANIEL CLERY 4 SEP 2024 

12. More damaging than tornadoes, hail may finally get the scientific attention it deserves

With drones, mobile radars, and 3D printers, first major field campaign in 45 years to bring hail research “into the 21st century”

BY HANNAH RICHTER 4 SEP 2024 

13. Breakthrough promises new era of ultraprecise nuclear clocks

Timekeepers based on energy transitions in atomic nuclei could be stable, portable, and able to probe new physics

BY JAY BENNETT 4 SEP 2024 

14. As academic unions proliferate, new directory could ease contract process

Resource compiles contracts for more than 900 unions representing grad students, postdocs, and more

BY CARINA STORRS 4 SEP 2024 

15. Wildlife migrations are in trouble. New atlas aims to help

First-of-its-kind effort visualizes tracking data for large mammals

BY CHRISTINE PETERSON 4 SEP 2024 

16. Immigration reform is key to continued U.S. leadership in science, says new report

Current restrictive policies are a “self-inflicted wound” to economic growth and national security

BY JEFFREY MERVIS 3 SEP 2024 

17. BepiColombo faces 11-month delay on journey to Mercury

Managers say observations will not be affected once spacecraft arrives in 2026

BY DENNIS NORMILE 3 SEP 2024 

18. Scientists solve a shark murder mystery

What killed a 2-meter-long pregnant porbeagle in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean?

BY PHIE JACOBS 3 SEP 2024 

19. Shake, rattle, and gold: Earthquakes may spark gold formation

Electric flow in quartz veins could help gold particles clump into nuggets

BY JACKLIN KWAN 2 SEP 2024