Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. Scientists in Latin America struggle to get key chemicals and other reagents for experiments. A group has begun to help

Several leaders of a multinational effort expanding access to essential lab materials discuss its impact and a major funding boost

BY RODRIGO PÉREZ ORTEGA 12 DEC 2024 

2. ‘Blob’ heat wave killed millions of seabirds—and they haven’t bounced back

Historic 2016 event may have permanently altered northern Pacific ecosystem

BY WARREN CORNWALL 12 DEC 2024 

3. News at a glance: Protecting monarch butterflies, mapping ocean life with DNA, and a radar satellite’s twin

The latest in science and policy

BY SCIENCE NEWS STAFF 12 DEC 2024 

4. Science’s 2024 Breakthrough of the Year: Opening the door to a new era of HIV prevention

A drug with a novel mechanism protects people against the AIDS virus for 6 months. It could speed the end of the epidemic—if those who need it most get access

 12 DEC 2024 

5. Mystery woman’s DNA reveals close family ties between Europe’s earliest people

Pair of studies shines light on how modern humans and Neanderthals settled the continent together

BY ANDREW CURRY 12 DEC 2024 

6. Leading scientists urge ban on developing ‘mirror-image’ bacteria

Looking-glass organisms would pose existential threat, they say. Others say restrictions are premature

BY ROBERT F. SERVICE 12 DEC 2024 

7, Thousands of previously unknown mountains and hills spotted in best-yet seafloor map

Data from SWOT satellite could stimulate studies of plate tectonics

BY PAUL VOOSEN 12 DEC 2024 

8. ‘Enigmatic’ cave art was made by ice age children

Charcoal doodling appears 14,000 years ago, as adults drew more proficiently nearby

BY ANDREW CURRY 12 DEC 2024 

9. Common virus may help protect skin against Sun damage

Beta human papillomavirus helps the immune system target mutated skin cells, a “provocative” mouse and human study suggests

BY CATHERINE OFFORD 12 DEC 2024 

10. Poliovirus keeps popping up in European wastewater, perplexing and worrying scientists

Origins and spread of the vaccine-derived viruses remain mysterious

BY LESLIE ROBERTS 11 DEC 2024 

11. During a baby oak’s first summer drought, a little leaf munching may help it survive

Deer may be seedlings’ unlikely allies when moisture is hard to come by

BY SEAN CUMMINGS 11 DEC 2024 

12. China’s ‘dreamy’ new ship aims for Earth’s mantle—and assumes ocean-drilling leadership

As U.S.-led program falters, Meng Xiang prepares for bold mission to drill 7 kilometers below the sea floor

BY DENNIS NORMILE 11 DEC 2024 

13. ‘Extraordinary’ globetrotting humpback whale tracked down with tail-recognition software

Happywhale software shows animal crossed oceans, traveled more than 13,000 kilometers

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 10 DEC 2024 

14. To spread its wealth, HHMI will exclude most top schools in special funding competition

Its flagship investigators program is heavily concentrated at handful of universities

BY JEFFREY MERVIS 9 DEC 2024 

15. Can Congo contain its exploding mpox epidemic—and curtail its international spread?

Efforts to control the virus are hampered by vaccine shortages, logistical problems, and bureaucracy

BY JON COHEN 9 DEC 2024 

16. The Himalayan tree landscape is shifting—and so are its ecosystems

At high elevations, fir trees are outcompeting once-dominant birches amid warmer, drier conditions

 BY SAUGAT BOLAKHE 13 DEC 2024 

17. ‘Safety signal’ in Moderna’s RSV vaccine studies halts trials of other vaccines for childhood killer

Company found signs its shots made some infected kids sicker than expected, casting a new shadow over the previously troubled RSV vaccine field