Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. Countries in the Global South have more biodiversity than countries in the North. Databases used to study species don’t always reflect that

Two evolutionary biologists speak to Science about the disparities in how some geographic areas are represented in biodiversity research

 BY RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA 18 OCT 2024 

2. China’s ambitious new space plan includes call to bring home a bit of Venus’s atmosphere

Roadmap outlines 25-year path to leadership in space, including more than 30 science missions

BY DENNIS NORMILE 17 OCT 2024 

3. Are diamonds Earth’s best friend? Gem dust could cool the planet

Idea would cost trillions, but could avoid issues with other “geoengineering” schemes

BY HANNAH RICHTER 17 OCT 2024 

4. How humans evolved a starch-digesting superpower long before farming

Two papers show how agriculture drove gene to duplicate again and again, confirming and extending earlier studies

BY MICHAEL PRICE 17 OCT 2024 

5. AI can help warring political camps find common ground

Virtual mediation of a mock citizens’ assembly generated more accurate, less biased consensus statements than humanmade ones

BY CATHLEEN O’GRADY 17 OCT 2024 

6. AI reveals how sperm sticks to egg during fertilization

Two studies identify elusive protein complex with help from software developed by some of this year’s Nobel winners

BY CATHERINE OFFORD 17 OCT 2024 

7. AI designer proteins could transform medicine and materials

Chemistry Nobel recognizes effort to engineer proteins to carry out novel tasks

BY ROBERT F. SERVICE 16 OCT 2024 

8. Cats beat babies at word-association game

Study suggests our feline friends are listening to us more than we think

BY CHRISTA LESTÉ-LASSERRE 16 OCT 2024 

9. Debate erupts about how to deploy experimental Marburg drugs and vaccines in Rwanda

Rwandan government decides against a randomized vaccine trial recommended by WHO

BY KAI KUPFERSCHMIDT 16 OCT 2024 

10. Most meteorites traced to three space crackups

Young asteroid families seed more than 70% of extraterrestrial rocks found on the planet

BY PAUL VOOSEN 16 OCT 2024 

11. Why did an obscure virus explode in Latin America? New study offers clues

Major genetic changes may have made the Oropouche more virulent, researchers say

BY SOFIA QUAGLIA 15 OCT 2024 

12. Watch marine biologists crowbar open a teeming realm of life beneath the sea floor

A common tool uncovers a crowded subway for sea creatures living near a hydrothermal vent

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 15 OCT 2024 

13. A mixed review for Plan S’s drive to make papers open access

Evaluation describes unintended effects as funders mull expanding the policy

BY JEFFREY BRAINARD 15 OCT 2024