Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. New antibiotic for gonorrhea could help beat back drug-resistant infections

Two treatments for the sexually transmitted disease are expected to become available soon

 11 DEC 2025  BY KAI KUPFERSCHMIDT 

2. Heat-seeking beetles drawn to plants that glow in infrared

Pollinators’ antennae act like thermal cameras to spot self-heating plants

 11 DEC 2025  BY ERIK STOKSTAD 

3. NASA telescope will hunt down ‘city killer’ asteroids

With an infrared eye, NEO Surveyor will target dangerous space rocks glowing in the dark

 11 DEC 2025  BY ROBIN GEORGE ANDREWS 

4. A new preprint server welcomes papers written and reviewed by AI

With human peer review struggling to keep pace with machine-generated science, aiXiv enlists bots to help

 10 DEC 2025  BY CELINA ZHAO 

5. Replenishing sapped groundwater could trigger small earthquakes

A boom in aquifer injection projects could unlock long-quiet faults

 10 DEC 2025  BY HANNAH RICHTER 

6. The first patients have been helped by cancer-fighting cells made directly in their bodies

Novel approach could be faster, and cheaper, than making the cells in the lab—but safety concerns linger

 9 DEC 2025  BY MITCH LESLIE 

7. Cosmic neutrinos’ kink could help explain origins of the elusive particles

Energy spectrum of elusive particles shows an intriguing bump, giant IceCube experiment reports

 8 DEC 2025  BY ADRIAN CHO 

8. Can adding light sensors to nerve cells switch off pain, epilepsy, and other disorders?

Optogenetics is poised to move from a research tool to new therapies—if scientists can show it’s safe

 8 DEC 2025  BY KELLY SERVICK 

9. The strongest spiderweb on Earth is spun only by females

Bark spider silk is stronger than steel, but males make a weaker version

 8 DEC 2025  BY KAIA GLICKMAN 

10. Warm, humid ‘atmospheric rivers’ threaten Antarctica

Growing more common as climate warms, these once-rare events could ultimately accelerate ice loss

 8 DEC 2025  BY TIM VERNIMMEN