Science

Geology, paleontology, physics, space and the natural world

In Science, ECOnews reports on new discoveries in geology, paleontology, physics, space, health and the natural world. We explain the latest studies from universities and labs worldwide in plain language.

Dog wearing EEG electrodes during a test

Researchers in Hungary recorded the brain waves of 14 dogs told to wait beside a treat and found a frontal rhythm that resembles the signal linked to self-control in humans

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 25, 2026 at 8:00 AM

Reddish two-lobed Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth photographed by New Horizons

NASA flew New Horizons within 2,200 miles of Arrokoth, a strange two-lobed world about 4 billion miles from the Sun, and its remarkably intact shape suggests two ancient planetary building blocks may have joined at barely 11 mph more than 4.5 billion years ago

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 24, 2026 at 6:36 PM

Full-length photographic negative of the Shroud of Turin

Scientists recovered DNA from humans, crops, domestic animals, microbes and even Mediterranean red coral from 1978 samples of the Shroud of Turin, but nearly 50 years later the genetic “guest book” still cannot reveal when the cloth was made or prove its authenticity

By ECONEWS

—

September 24, 2026 at 4:53 PM

Circular icefish nests on the muddy seabed of the Weddell Sea, with adult fish guarding their eggs

A camera towed over the Weddell Sea floor kept finding the same circular nest again and again, until researchers realized they had stumbled onto 60 million icefish nests spread across 93 square miles of Antarctic seabed

By ECONEWS

—

September 24, 2026 at 8:12 AM

Laboratory rat used in scientific research

Scientists put rats through 10 weeks of treadmill exercise and found the nerve hubs controlling their hearts changed in opposite ways, with roughly four times as many neurons on the right while cells on the left grew nearly twice as large

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 23, 2026 at 10:11 AM

Fossil hominin skull from Dmanisi on display at the National Museum of Georgia

Scientists compared 87 human skulls spanning multiple Homo lineages and found that our bigger brains and smaller faces may not have emerged through a steady evolutionary push, but through long periods of anatomical stability interrupted when biological and environmental constraints finally loosened

By ECONEWS

—

September 23, 2026 at 8:49 AM

Bowhead whale surfacing among sea ice in the Arctic

Bowhead whales can live for more than 200 years despite weighing up to 200,000 pounds, and scientists found their cells repair dangerous DNA breaks unusually well, with one protein even improving DNA repair in human cells and extending lifespan in fruit flies

By ECONEWS

—

September 22, 2026 at 6:26 PM

Angsana trees shading red curved benches on a Singapore street

Singapore plans to plant 1 million additional trees by 2030, and research suggests well-placed shade could cut outdoor heat stress by 3°C to 5°C while models show trees may reduce summer air-conditioning energy use by 6% to 9% in humid cities

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 21, 2026 at 4:56 PM

Children using tablet computers in a classroom

Researchers followed 260 Finnish children for eight years expecting more screen time to signal weaker thinking skills, but by age 15 those reporting greater use actually showed better overall cognitive performance, although the study could not prove screens caused the difference

By ECONEWS

—

September 20, 2026 at 6:00 PM

Australian magpie perched on a branch in Sydney

Researchers fitted five Australian magpies with GPS trackers to map their movements, but within an hour the birds began helping one another remove the harnesses, turning a failed tracking experiment into an unexpected observation of cooperation and problem-solving

By ECONEWS

—

September 20, 2026 at 2:30 PM

People cycling along a canal street in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Dutch men went from averaging about 5 feet 5 inches in the mid-1800s to nearly 6 feet today, gaining almost 8 inches in roughly 150 years, but researchers found natural selection may explain less than 2% of that extraordinary national growth spurt

By ECONEWS

—

September 20, 2026 at 11:48 AM

Three tall men walking together on a street in Amsterdam with Dutch canal houses behind them

Dutch men grew about 20 centimeters in 150 years, going from among Europe’s shortest to its tallest, and a simulation shows natural selection explains less than half a centimeter of that change

By ECONEWS

—

September 20, 2026 at 6:33 AM

Microscopy images of epithelial tissue showing keratin networks and cell nuclei

Scientists stretched living tissue for hours and watched its internal keratin scaffolding rebuild itself into thick networks spanning multiple cells, but the strangest part came when the same process gradually pushed the nuclei out of the protective cages surrounding them

By ECONEWS

—

September 20, 2026 at 5:38 AM

Brown and white mouse sitting on a white background

A drug first developed for spinal cord injuries reduced DNA damage and brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer’s, and because it already passed a safety trial in 109 people, researchers believe it could reach patients faster

By ECONEWS

—

September 19, 2026 at 12:38 PM

Fossil bone next to the 1985 field notebook from an Antarctic expedition

A fossil collected in Antarctica in 1985 sat in a museum drawer for 40 years labeled as a marine reptile, until scientists took another look and discovered the four-inch bone belonged to a 20-foot titanosaur that lived roughly 82 million years ago

By ECONEWS

—

September 19, 2026 at 5:06 AM

Entrance to the Goyet Caves in Belgium, a limestone cave with a metal gate

Ancient DNA from Belgium and France suggests Europe’s last Neanderthals were not isolated, inbred groups slowly dying out, and none of their genomes show recent modern human ancestry even though our species had already arrived in the region

By ECONEWS

—

September 18, 2026 at 10:20 AM

Three South Korean women standing side by side on a street in Seoul

South Korean women born in 1996 were about 20 centimeters taller on average than those born in 1896, the biggest gain recorded for women worldwide, and researchers say childhood nutrition and living conditions explain more than genes

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 17, 2026 at 2:57 PM

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin stands beside the American flag on the lunar surface during the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969

In 1976, a NASA intern bought 1,150 videotapes for $218, and three of them turned out to hold Apollo 11 Moon walk footage that sold for $1.82 million

By ECONEWS

—

September 16, 2026 at 2:36 PM

Dentist applying a liquid treatment to a young child's teeth with a small brush

A U.S. clinical trial tested a liquid painted onto toddlers’ cavities for just 10 seconds without drilling, injections or sedation, and six months later it had stopped 54% of the treated decay, although the damaged part of the tooth permanently turned black

By ECONEWS

—

September 16, 2026 at 11:51 AM

Researchers examining joint tissue samples under a microscope in a CU Boulder laboratory

Scientists in Colorado gave animals a single experimental injection and reported signs of osteoarthritis reversal within four to eight weeks, with the treatment releasing medicine for months and human trials now targeted for 2028

By Adrian Villellas

—

September 16, 2026 at 7:59 AM

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Science

Researchers in Hungary recorded the brain waves of 14 dogs told to wait beside a treat and found a frontal rhythm that resembles the signal linked to self-control in humans

NASA flew New Horizons within 2,200 miles of Arrokoth, a strange two-lobed world about 4 billion miles from the Sun, and its remarkably intact shape suggests two ancient planetary building blocks may have joined at barely 11 mph more than 4.5 billion years ago

Scientists recovered DNA from humans, crops, domestic animals, microbes and even Mediterranean red coral from 1978 samples of the Shroud of Turin, but nearly 50 years later the genetic “guest book” still cannot reveal when the cloth was made or prove its authenticity

A camera towed over the Weddell Sea floor kept finding the same circular nest again and again, until researchers realized they had stumbled onto 60 million icefish nests spread across 93 square miles of Antarctic seabed

Scientists put rats through 10 weeks of treadmill exercise and found the nerve hubs controlling their hearts changed in opposite ways, with roughly four times as many neurons on the right while cells on the left grew nearly twice as large

Scientists compared 87 human skulls spanning multiple Homo lineages and found that our bigger brains and smaller faces may not have emerged through a steady evolutionary push, but through long periods of anatomical stability interrupted when biological and environmental constraints finally loosened

Bowhead whales can live for more than 200 years despite weighing up to 200,000 pounds, and scientists found their cells repair dangerous DNA breaks unusually well, with one protein even improving DNA repair in human cells and extending lifespan in fruit flies

Singapore plans to plant 1 million additional trees by 2030, and research suggests well-placed shade could cut outdoor heat stress by 3°C to 5°C while models show trees may reduce summer air-conditioning energy use by 6% to 9% in humid cities

Researchers followed 260 Finnish children for eight years expecting more screen time to signal weaker thinking skills, but by age 15 those reporting greater use actually showed better overall cognitive performance, although the study could not prove screens caused the difference

Researchers fitted five Australian magpies with GPS trackers to map their movements, but within an hour the birds began helping one another remove the harnesses, turning a failed tracking experiment into an unexpected observation of cooperation and problem-solving

Dutch men went from averaging about 5 feet 5 inches in the mid-1800s to nearly 6 feet today, gaining almost 8 inches in roughly 150 years, but researchers found natural selection may explain less than 2% of that extraordinary national growth spurt

Dutch men grew about 20 centimeters in 150 years, going from among Europe’s shortest to its tallest, and a simulation shows natural selection explains less than half a centimeter of that change

Scientists stretched living tissue for hours and watched its internal keratin scaffolding rebuild itself into thick networks spanning multiple cells, but the strangest part came when the same process gradually pushed the nuclei out of the protective cages surrounding them

A drug first developed for spinal cord injuries reduced DNA damage and brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer’s, and because it already passed a safety trial in 109 people, researchers believe it could reach patients faster

A fossil collected in Antarctica in 1985 sat in a museum drawer for 40 years labeled as a marine reptile, until scientists took another look and discovered the four-inch bone belonged to a 20-foot titanosaur that lived roughly 82 million years ago

Ancient DNA from Belgium and France suggests Europe’s last Neanderthals were not isolated, inbred groups slowly dying out, and none of their genomes show recent modern human ancestry even though our species had already arrived in the region

South Korean women born in 1996 were about 20 centimeters taller on average than those born in 1896, the biggest gain recorded for women worldwide, and researchers say childhood nutrition and living conditions explain more than genes

In 1976, a NASA intern bought 1,150 videotapes for $218, and three of them turned out to hold Apollo 11 Moon walk footage that sold for $1.82 million

A U.S. clinical trial tested a liquid painted onto toddlers’ cavities for just 10 seconds without drilling, injections or sedation, and six months later it had stopped 54% of the treated decay, although the damaged part of the tooth permanently turned black

Scientists in Colorado gave animals a single experimental injection and reported signs of osteoarthritis reversal within four to eight weeks, with the treatment releasing medicine for months and human trials now targeted for 2028

In Romania’s Brașov County, brown bears number about 1,329 by a national genetic estimate, the highest density of any county, and one bear relocated from Poiana Brașov was back within 3 days

More than 40 Magellanic penguins born in captivity arrived by court order from Mar del Plata at a river island in Argentina’s Río Negro province, and at first they had not explored even a third of their new home

In Japan, researchers led by Tohoku University used an inexpensive blue pigment to turn carbon dioxide into methane with 79.5% Faradaic efficiency, and methane selectivity stayed above 60% for about 80 hours

At 8.2 feet on Oct. 13, the Lake Constance water level in Konstanz, Germany, fell below a 1947 record for the date, and it now sits 10 inches under last winter’s low

A simulated AMOC collapse in an unreviewed preprint cut wheat, corn and rice harvests in Germany and Ukraine by roughly 16 to 19 percent, and cereal prices could climb up to 40 percent in the worst case

A landslide in Alaska’s Tracy Arm fjord sent a tsunami 1,578 feet up the opposite wall, and a Science study found small tremors striking every 30 to 60 seconds in the hours before the collapse

A company won a mining license for a magnesium deposit it estimates at more than 50 million metric tons near Rășinari, in Romania’s Sibiu County, and the EU gets 97 percent of its magnesium from China

Leap seconds will end on May 20, 2027, under a rule the General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted in Versailles, France, and a new study finds Earth’s solid surface turning slightly rounder as polar ground rises

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