Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. U.S. science funding agencies roll out policies on free access to journal articles

NIH and DOE are first to act, with implementation by all set to begin by end of 2025

BY JEFFREY BRAINARD 20 DEC 2024 

2. Some whales may live nearly twice as long as believed—if we let them

Study extends lifespan estimate for one whale species and suggests researchers have been underestimating others as well

BY MITCH LESLIE 20 DEC 2024 

3. Could thunderstorms be exaggerating the strength of mysterious gamma rays from outer space?

Storms may be confounding measurements at high-altitude observatories of the universe’s highest energy light

BY JACKLIN KWAN 20 DEC 2024 

4. AI writing is improving, but it still can’t match human creativity

Computer program finds that ChatGPT and its ilk remix words well, yet their output remains derivative

BY MATTHEW HUTSON 19 DEC 2024 

5. Earth’s clouds are shrinking, boosting global warming

Narrowing storm bands may be a surprising and dangerous new feedback of climate change

BY PAUL VOOSEN 19 DEC 2024 

6. Surprisingly thick ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa complicates hunt for life

Revelation is blow to hopes for habitability and future space missions

BY PAUL VOOSEN 18 DEC 2024 

7. Restricting calories may extend life. Can this molecule do it without the hunger pangs?

Lithocholic acid replicates antiaging effects of food restriction in mice, other animals

BY MITCH LESLIE 18 DEC 2024 

8. Syphilis microbe circulated in the Americas thousands of years before European contact

But ancient DNA from bony lesions suggests original bacterial strains may not have spread sexually

BY ANDREW CURRY 18 DEC 2024 

9. Shoddy commentaries—a quick and dirty route to higher impact numbers—are on the rise

AI-generated content floods literature with poor-quality publications, casts doubt on metrics, Science and Retraction Watch investigation finds

BY FREDERIK JOELVING, RETRACTION WATCH 17 DEC 2024 

10. Could psychedelic drugs improve the mental health of autistic people?

A brace of new studies probes benefits and risks for an understudied group

BY RACHEL NUWER 17 DEC 2024 

11. Young double-star system discovered near our Galaxy’s giant black hole

Surprising find could force rethink of astrophysics at Milky Way’s center

BY DANIEL CLERY 17 DEC 2024 

12. Transgender patients are more likely to experience chronic pain than cisgender ones

Study suggests mental health conditions and hormone therapy may raise risk of chronic pain in gender-diverse individuals

BY JASMIN GALVAN 16 DEC 2024 

13. Watch these tree frogs make some of the most dramatic landings in nature

Slow-motion videos reveal how the amphibians attach to vertical branches in midair

BY COLLIN BLINDER 16 DEC 2024 

14. Watch thirsty rattlesnakes drink from the scales of other snakes

Behavior may keep the reptiles alive in arid climates

 BY ANNA FITZGERALD GUTH16 DEC 2024