Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. No sign of ghostly dark photons in afterglow of Big Bang

Subtle analysis of cosmological data probes novel concept of dark matter

BY ADRIAN CHO 27 SEP 2024

2. Male bowerbirds build acoustics into their love shrines

Experiments suggest bowers amplify males’ songs and tweak their frequencies to woo females attending their show

BY JAKE BUEHLER 27 SEP 2024 

3. The genetic secrets of the United States’s privately owned tigers

Big cats that formerly lived in roadside zoos show surprising diversity—but may not be able to help wild populations

BY DARREN INCORVAIA 27 SEP 2024 

4. Tiny fish carve out massive breeding colonies containing millions of nests

Study points to “oases of marine life” in need of protection

BY CHRISTIE WILCOX 27 SEP 2024 

5. Burying wood in ‘vaults’ could help fight global warming

Ancient, preserved log shows how carbon could be locked up for centuries underground

BY SAIMA SIDIK 26 SEP 2024 

6. This enigmatic mummy from western China was swathed in cheese

Bronze Age herders were buried with lumps of cheese starter, ancient DNA shows

BY ANDREW CURRY 25 SEP 2024 

7. Ants may force insect-eating birds to higher ground

In mountain ranges where weaver ants prowl the lowlands, insectivorous birds are more diverse higher up

BY ALICE SUN 25 SEP 2024 

8. Mpox may trigger large outbreak in one of Africa’s biggest cities

New study finds two variants of virus have a foothold in DRC capital of Kinshasa

BY JON COHEN 23 SEP 2024 

9. AI identifies hundreds of mysterious Nazca drawings in Peruvian desert

Study nearly doubles number of ancient, massive glyphs, offers clues to their purpose

BY RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA 23 SEP 2024 

10. Some octopuses treat fish like hunting buddies

The usually solitary creatures collaborate with—and sometimes wallop—fish while scouring for prey

  BY HANNAH RICHTER 23 SEP 2024

11. A mile-high probiotic? Gut microbe may help lowlanders conquer high altitudes

Common in people living at great elevations, a type of bacterium reduces damage caused by low oxygen levels

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 23 SEP 2024 

12. An army wielding fearsome weapons invaded the German northlands 3200 years ago

Battlefield evidence suggests large-scale conflict was commonplace in Europe in the Bronze Age

BY ANDREW CURRY 22 SEP 2024