The COVID-19 pandemic is now a year old. What have scientists learned?
One year ago, the World Health Organization declared that the novel coronavirus outbreak was a pandemic (SN: 3/11/20). Little did we know the uncertainty,...
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Archaea microbes fold, twist and contort their DNA in extreme ways
Single-celled archaea microbes pack their DNA into flexible coils that expand and stretch much like a Slinky does. This kind of molecular gymnastics had...
Riches in a Bronze Age grave suggest it holds a queen
A lavish Bronze Age burial found in southeastern Spain may hold a queen’s remains, researchers say. This unexpected discovery bolsters suspicions that women wielded...
A year ago, we asked 6 questions about COVID-19. Here’s how the answers evolved
One year ago, Science News published the first of our Coronavirus Update newsletters. The goal was to provide readers with a quick glimpse into...
A tiny gold ball is the smallest object to have its gravity measured
Even teeny objects obey the law of gravity. A gold ball just 2 millimeters wide, with a mass of about 90 milligrams, is now...
An experimental toothpaste aims to treat peanut allergy
Someday it may be possible for people to tackle their food allergies simply by brushing their teeth. A New York City–based company has launched...
The world wasted nearly 1 billion metric tons of food in 2019
The world wasted about 931 million metric tons of food in 2019 — an average of 121 kilograms per person. That’s about 17 percent...
Finds in a Spanish cave inspire an artistic take on warm-weather Neandertals
Here’s a scene guaranteed to melt the popular stereotype of Ice Age Neandertals as spear-wielding mammoth hunters confined to Eurasia’s frigid inner core. New...
A year after Australia’s wildfires, extinction threatens hundreds of species
When Isabel Hyman heads out in coming weeks to the wilds of northern New South Wales, she’s worried about what she won’t find. Fifteen...
People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can socialize without masks, CDC says
As the pace of coronavirus vaccinations picks up, normal life is looking tantalizingly in reach. Nearly a year after the World Health Organization declared...
Myanmar: UN investigators document deliberate military attacks on civilians 
Colombia earthquake: UN joins national response 
Security Council LIVE: Spotlight on Israeli settler violence in West Bank 
Obstetric Violence: Syrian Women Speak Out