Weekly Headlines (Excerpts)

1. Microbe with bizarrely tiny genome may be evolving into a virus

With DNA focused almost entirely on replication, newly discovered organism blurs the line between cells and viruses

 13 JUN 2025  BY CHRISTIE WILCOX 

2. Physicists’ hopes for an exotic muon collider get a boost

U.S. should plan to build machine to hunt for new subatomic particles, National Academies report says

 12 JUN 2025  BY ADRIAN CHO 

3. Tropical forests are heating up. Can they cope?

Scientists are pushing plants beyond their comfort zone to test their resilience to warming

 12 JUN 2025  BY ERIK STOKSTAD 

4. U.K. science funding to remain flat for next 4 years

Government also announces cash for nuclear, carbon capture, and AI projects

 11 JUN 2025  BY CATHLEEN O’GRADY 

5. Climate change threatens India-Pakistan pact over major river system

Warming world could further heighten tensions over access to Indus River waters

 11 JUN 2025  BY SUSHMITA PATHAK 

6. Newly discovered plant genes could slash cost of making key cancer drug

Shifting production from yew trees to yeast could lead to cheaper synthesis of Taxol precursor

 11 JUN 2025  BY ROBERT F. SERVICE 

7. ‘Dragon prince’ dinosaur may be missing link in T. rex evolution

Newly described fossils point to ancient movement between Asia and North America

 11 JUN 2025  BY MICHAEL GRESHKO 

8. This brain implant lets a man who lost his speech to ALS produce natural-sounding sentences instantaneously

New brain-computer interface allows control of intonation, and generates a person’s voice at the speed of typical speech

 11 JUN 2025  BY SARA REARDON 

9. Immune cells can make female deer grow antlers

Macrophages help male deer build their impressive headgear, new study suggests

 9 JUN 2025  BY MITCH LESLIE