SCIENCE
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Flu Cases Surge Early in Japan, Sparking Global Health Concerns
October 17, 2025 2 min read Flu Cases Surge Early in Japan, Sparking Global Health Concerns School closures and hospitalizations from an unexpected early spike in flu cases in Japan has experts concerned about what lies ahead for other countries By Rachel Fieldhouse & Nature magazine Paulo Fridman/Contributor/Getty Images Japan’s health authorities have declared an influenza epidemic, with thousands of…
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How the Government Shutdown Is Impacting Science and Research
The shutdown of the US government, about to enter its third week, is starting to take a toll on US science. Since the shutdown began, the administration of US President Donald Trump has cancelled funding for clean-energy research projects and laid off public-health workers. The activities of some federally funded museums and laboratories have been suspended, along with the processing…
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Moving NASA Space Shuttle to Texas from DC Could Damage It, Experts Say
Even in retirement, the space shuttle Discovery exudes power, seen across a hangar crowded with planes and jets at its museum home in Chantilly, Va. Charred and worn from its record 39 missions to space, the stalwart of NASA’s shuttle fleet evokes awe in its one-million-plus visitors every year. But it won’t be there for much longer, perhaps. Discovery, the…
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The Science Behind Peak Fall Colors: What to Expect in 2025
October 10, 2025 4 min read When Will the Leaves Turn? This Is How Scientists Find Peak Fall Colors If you want to know where the best leaf peeping will be this year, climate science and weather can provide the answer By Humberto Basilio edited by Andrea Thompson DenisTangneyJr/Getty Images Evan Fisher first fell in love with the changing colors…
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Babies’ Brains Recognize Foreign Languages They Heard before Birth
October 7, 2025 3 min read Babies’ Brains Recognize Foreign Languages They Heard before Birth Babies process foreign languages they heard in utero much like their mother tongue, researchers find By Meghie Rodrigues edited by Allison Parshall Babies start processing language before they are born, a new study suggests. A research team in Montreal has found that newborns who had…
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Is Dark Energy Born inside Black Holes?
Black holes are eaters of all things, even radiation. But what if their rapacious appetites had an unexpected side effect? A new study published in Physical Review Letters suggests that black holes might spew dark energy—and that they could help explain an intriguing conflict between different measurements of the universe. Dark energy is the force driving the accelerated expansion of…
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U.S. Military Continues mRNA Vaccine Research after RFK, Jr., Cuts Funding
The abrupt termination last month of nearly half a billion dollars in US government contracts for mRNA vaccine research rattled scientists working inside and outside industry. The cuts raised alarm about the country’s commitment to the Nobel-prizewinning technology, which is credited with saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and is regarded as essential for fighting viruses in the…
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People Are More Likely to Cheat When They Use AI
September 28, 2025 4 min read People Are More Likely to Cheat When They Use AI Participants in a new study were more likely to cheat when delegating to AI—especially if they could encourage machines to break rules without explicitly asking for it By Rachel Nuwer edited by Allison Parshall Despite what watching the news might suggest, most people are…
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Bird Flu and Human Flu Viruses Could Mix in Cow Udders and Spark a Pandemic
September 25, 2025 4 min read Cow Udders Could Brew Up Dangerous New Bird Flu Strains Cells in cow udders could act as a site for human flu and bird flu viruses to swap genes and generate dangerous novel strains By Chris Simms edited by Tanya Lewis Cow udders may provide a hotspot for bird flu and human flu viruses…
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Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake Strikes San Francisco Bay Area
September 22, 2025 2 min read San Francisco Rattled by Predawn Earthquake The San Francisco Bay Area was rattled early this morning by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake along the Hayward fault line By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson USGS/CISN: Northern California Seismic System (UC Berkeley, USGS Menlo Park, and Partners) Sleeping residents of California’s San Francisco Bay Area were…
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