Weekly Headlines (excerpts)

1. Fermilab’s not-quite-new boss aims to end turmoil, boost performance

University of Chicago will again lead a group to manage the U.S.’s only dedicated particle physics lab

BY ADRIAN CHO 4 OCT 2024 

2.  Imagining faces in tree trunks and your morning eggs? AI can see them, too

Computers can be trained to exhibit pareidolia, the phenomenon of recognizing faces in objects

BY HANNAH RICHTER 4 OCT 2024 

3. Key information about Rwanda’s deadly Marburg outbreak is still missing

Authorities have been slow to release data about cases and how they are connected

BY KAI KUPFERSCHMIDT 3 OCT 2024 

4. News at a glance: A new schizophrenia drug, AI guardrails, and saving nearly extinct species

The latest in science and policy

BY SCIENCE NEWS STAFF 3 OCT 2024 

5. Asteroid impact may have turned ants into fungus farmers 66 million years ago

Cataclysm that killed dinosaurs and shook up life on Earth likely paved the way for this mutually beneficial relationship

BY ARIANA REMMEL 3 OCT 2024 

6. Long-term survival of Congo’s biodiversity threatened by lack of local scientists

Building a cadre of researchers is of “vital importance” to saving the world's second largest rainforest

BY EMMET LIVINGSTONE 3 OCT 2024 

7. ‘Wall’ of oysters once filled Europe’s coast, historical map reveals

Records from past centuries show vast extent of bivalves before overharvesting, may inspire restoration

BY ERIK STOKSTAD 3 OCT 2024 

8. ‘Milestone’ study suggests microbiome-boosting foods can treat severe malnutrition

If approach holds up, it could “result in health benefits to millions of malnourished children worldwide,” experts say

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 2 OCT 2024 

9. To slow global warming, could methane be stripped from the air?

U.S. panel calls for boosting research into capturing potent greenhouse gas

BY WARREN CORNWALL 2 OCT 2024 

10. Complete map of fruit fly brain circuitry unveiled

AI tools and hundreds of human proofreaders helped tease apart 140,000 neurons in a brain the size of a grain of sand

BY RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA 2 OCT 2024 

11. Dolphins grin at one another when they’re playing, study suggests

But questions remain about what the animals are actually communicating

BY CATHERINE OFFORD 2 OCT 2024 

12. Move over, Sparky—coyotes may be able to make ‘puppy dog eyes,’ too

Findings challenge idea that adorable expression originated with dog domestication

BY JASON BITTEL 1 OCT 2024 

13. This fungus grows more vigorously when it feels good vibes

Plant-friendly soil microbes outgrew their peers when exposed to white noise in the lab

BY KATHERINE BOURZAC 1 OCT 2024 

14. Mild brain injuries don’t predispose kids to criminal behavior, Danish study suggests

But scientists say in some settings concussions may still contribute to risk of later criminal justice involvement

BY JENNIFER COUZIN-FRANKEL 1 OCT 2024 

15. A river’s new course may have given Mount Everest a ‘growth spurt’

Erosion and uplift added 15 to 50 meters to world’s tallest mountain, study suggests

BY HANNAH RICHTER 30 SEP 2024