Science News Explores
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Science News Explores is for readers of any age, from middle school on up. https://linktr.ee/sn.explores See also @sciencenews.bsky.social 🧪
An invisible superhighway of microbes courses through the atmosphere. It holds clues about disease transmission and extraterrestrial life. https://www.snexplores.org/article/life-stratosphere-edge-of-space
Germs in the stratosphere ride a superhighway at the edge of space
Some microbes common on Earth's surface lead a secret double life. Soaring in the stratosphere, higher than jumbo jets, they carry clues about disease spread and alien life.
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At 464° Celsius (862.7° Fahrenheit), the surface of Venus is far too hot for life as we know it. But a zone with Earthlike temperatures high in its clouds may be habitable. https://www.snexplores.org/article/clues-life-venus-mars
These clues might point to life on other worlds
Gases and color on distant planets may trace to activity by extraterrestrial life. If so, those E.T.s are likely tiny, one-celled beings.
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Future telescopes might look for pigments and trace gases produced by microbes on other planets — signs of life that could be light-years away. https://www.snexplores.org/article/life-stratosphere-edge-of-space
Germs in the stratosphere ride a superhighway at the edge of space
Some microbes common on Earth's surface lead a secret double life. Soaring in the stratosphere, higher than jumbo jets, they carry clues about disease spread and alien life.
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Is this it? A single dot on a graph could be the first direct detection of a dark-matter particle. Then again, it could be something less exciting. https://www.snexplores.org/article/lz-find-glimpse-dark-matter
A hint of elusive dark matter may have finally emerged
For decades scientists have been trying to detect this invisible substance that fills the cosmos. The LZ experiment may have finally spied dark matter.
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The Japanese art of paper folding has inspired new designs for robots, telescopes and more. https://www.snexplores.org/article/lets-learn-about-origami-inspired-science
Fire may look like a simple one-step chemical reaction. But this week’s word — pyrolysis — shows us this phenomenon arises from several chemical steps. https://www.snexplores.org/article/scientists-say-pyrolysis-definition-pronunciation
Scientists Say: Pyrolysis
This oxygen-free “burning” reaction explains why charcoal can burn, but typical campfire soot cannot.
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Also unusual: There’s been a very rapid swing from a La Niña, last winter, to a very strong El Niño — all in less than a year. That might be the fastest such swing ever seen. https://www.snexplores.org/article/record-breaking-2026-el-nino
2026’s El Niño is record-breaking — and it’s not done yet
Within the ocean region where El Niños form, daily sea-surface temperatures are already more extreme than at any point in recorded history.
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Naked mole-rats exposed to this powerful smell will not fight or mate. When the odor disappears, chaos ensues. https://www.snexplores.org/article/naked-mole-rat-queen-smell
Among naked mole-rats, a royal’s scent keeps the peace
The special scent made only by breeding queens keeps the other naked mole-rats from fighting or reproducing.
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Humans think farts are funny, but for some animals, farts have a function — from communication to floatation. https://www.snexplores.org/article/animal-farting-fish-manatee-gas
Farting fish and tooting manatees — how some animals use gas
Humans think farts are funny — but some animals rely on farts for flotation, communication and more.
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Can you burp in space? Why do we burp at all? Our bodies make a lot of gas, and it’s just got to get out. https://www.snexplores.org/article/burps-farts-body-gas
Burps and farts: Why the body is such a gas
People make a lot of gas, and it’s got to come out one end or the other. Understanding those farts and burps could tell us a lot about our health.
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A “cold blob” in the North Atlantic is linked to a major ocean current’s looming shutdown. https://www.snexplores.org/article/cold-spot-atlantic-ocean-amoc
Even as Earth’s oceans warm, one spot has gone cold
A cold blob of water in the North Atlantic suggests that an important ocean current is weakening.
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A past focus on meat-eating may have missed some food trends that helped build the human brain. https://www.snexplores.org/article/sugar-evolution-human-brain
The human brain may owe a lot of its size to our love of sweets
Meats were important, too. But throughout human evolution, fruits may have fueled much of the brain growth in our primate cousins and early ancestors.
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Earth has frozen over in the past — at least five times. Science fiction is full of takes about how it might happen again and the implications of a modern ice age. https://www.snexplores.org/article/snowball-earth-ice-age-movies
Some kids might want to learn how to code a game for their pals. But what about for non-human friends? Scientists challenged a group of kids to design games for monkeys to play. https://www.snexplores.org/article/monkeys-understand-math-shapes
Monkeys might share our instincts for math
To show how monkeys think about math and shapes, scientists had them play games — including some designed by kids.
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Clouds and tree cover can mask the smoke and flames of wildfires. But those blazes may not be able to hide from sensors that scan for infrasound rumbles. https://www.snexplores.org/article/tracking-wildfire-infrasound-rumble
Wildfires can be tracked by their distinctive rumble
New sensors can map infrasound — a deep-bass thrumming lower than what human ears can hear — emitted by a fire as its flames spread.
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Are carbohydrates really evil? “There is no food group that’s bad,” says cardiologist Leslie Cho. “You can't eliminate one whole thing and think you're doing a good job.” https://www.snexplores.org/article/carbohydrates-sugar-nutrition
The sweet truth about carbohydrates
Many carbohydrates are important sources of energy, while others offer little benefit. Learn why not all carbs are the same and how our bodies use them.
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What makes artificial sweeteners even sweeter than sugar? https://www.snexplores.org/article/sugar-artificial-sweeteners-taste
Not all that tastes sweet is sugary
We’re naturally drawn to sweet foods and drinks. Scientists have designed several ways to make things taste sweet with little or no sugar.
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Unheard sound might be part of what gives people the creeps at spooky settings. https://www.snexplores.org/article/spooky-feelings-infrasound
Infrasound — too low to hear — may spur spooky feelings
People exposed to low infrasound frequencies had higher levels of a stress hormone in spit and were more likely to rate music as sad.
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Whether smashed between graham crackers and chocolate for s’mores or floating atop hot cocoa, marshmallows make snack time sweeter. https://www.snexplores.org/article/experiment-make-marshmallows
Experiment: Make your own marshmallows!
Soft, sticky marshmallows can be made with just three ingredients. Finding the right ratio of sugar and corn syrup is key to making this sweet treat.
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The mummies of some Egyptian princesses suggest they were well-trained in the use of weapons. https://www.snexplores.org/article/egyptian-warrior-princesses-weapons
Ancient Egyptian princesses may have been skilled warriors
A study of six mummies from ancient Egypt challenges the idea that the weapons buried with some royal women were merely ceremonial.
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Scientists studying sea stars accidentally found natural fiber optic cables inside. https://www.snexplores.org/article/some-sea-stars-channel-light-like-fiber-optic-cables
Some sea stars channel light like fiber-optic cables
The tiny cone-shaped structures in arms of chocolate-chip sea stars also triple their skeleton’s strength.
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That’s no moon: A newly discovered cosmic object challenges astronomical definitions. https://www.snexplores.org/article/cosmic-oddity-moon-planet-definition
Moon? Planet? This cosmic oddity blurs the line
The object orbits a brown dwarf that orbits a star. Astronomers aren’t sure if it’s a planet, a moon — or something else entirely.
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The largest wave ever recorded reached 524 meters when it slammed into a protected bay in Alaska in 1958. At 1,720 feet, it was taller than the Statue of Liberty! https://www.snexplores.org/article/worlds-biggest-waves-mysteries
Meet the world’s biggest waves — and the mysteries behind them
These towering walls of water carry a lot of energy. Scientists are investigating what gives rise to such behemoths and their destructive power.
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A new study has mined the preserved poos of ancient ground squirrels for their DNA, then used it to help imagine the environment in which they’d lived. https://www.snexplores.org/article/ice-age-squirrel-poop-ecosystem
Frozen poop reveals Ice Age squirrels’ ecosystem
Ancient ground squirrels were anything but picky eaters. Genetic material from grasses to woolly mammoths popped up in frozen squirrel poop.
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As a theoretical astrophysicist, Ronald Gamble translates reality into math. “I feel like Tony Stark every other day,” he says. https://www.snexplores.org/article/art-helped-this-astrophysicist-make-sense-of-math
Art helped this astrophysicist make sense of math
Ronald Gamble takes cues from the arts to study supermassive black holes and their spacetime geometry.
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Cave dirt suggests one of our ancestors used fire nearly 1.8 million years ago. https://www.snexplores.org/article/oldest-human-fire-use
Humans have used fire far longer than anyone realized
Cave dirt suggests one ancestral species was using fire around 1.8 million years ago. That pushes back the earliest known use by about 800,000 years.
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Researchers are finding ways to cut the carbon ‘pawprint’ of pets’ foods, poop and more. https://www.snexplores.org/article/greener-pets-less-impact-environment
How to lessen your pet’s impacts on the planet
Climate-friendly food choices, new poop solutions and avoiding animals collected from the wild can all help make pet ownership more sustainable.
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Can I really use AI to learn math? Yes, but how you use it makes a difference. If you’re not careful, it can actually slow your progress! https://www.snexplores.org/article/ai-math-tutor-learning
AI can be a helpful math tutor if used right — and harmful if not
Using AI to learn math concepts can boost understanding. But if used to get quick answers, AI can become a crutch that hurts learning.
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