Weekly Headlines（Excerpts）

1. Did a vaporized alien planet leave behind a strange iron ‘bar’?

Astronomers puzzle over newfound feature within the picturesque Ring Nebula

 15 JAN 2026 BY JENNA AHART 

2. What’s below Antarctica’s ice? New map provides clearest view yet

Technique could improve models of how ice flows, bolstering predictions of sea level rise

 15 JAN 2026 BY PERRI THALER 

3. In fish, low doses of common pesticide speed aging and death

Polluted lakes and lab experiments highlight harms of chronic exposure to chlorpyrifos

 15 JAN 2026 BY ERIK STOKSTAD 

4. On a Galápagos island, a ‘restoration project on steroids’

A multimillion-dollar plan aims to undo centuries of destruction on islands made famous by Darwin

 15 JAN 2026 BY SOFIA QUAGLIA 

5. Scientists turn cells’ most mysterious structures into spies on genetic activity

Enigmatic ‘vaults’ can be engineered to eavesdrop on RNA, aiding cancer studies and more

 15 JAN 2026 BY JOHN TRAVIS 

 6. Slow grower: Tyrannosaurus rex didn’t reach full size until age 40

Famed dino likely spent much of its life competing for food against smaller predators

 14 JAN 2026 BY JAKE BUEHLER 

7. Chinese telescope in Antarctica probes uncharted heavenly radiation

Terahertz instrument at Dome A, world’s driest spot, traces the faint glow of gases beyond other telescopes’ reach

 14 JAN 2026 BY DENNIS NORMILE 

8. AI has supercharged scientists—but may have shrunk science

Analysis of 41 million papers finds that although AI expands individual impact, it narrows collective scientific exploration

 14 JAN 2026 BY CELINA ZHAO 

9. Urban dandelions have evolved to stay close to home. That’s bad news

Small seed “parachutes” may be causing inbreeding

 13 JAN 2026 BY CLAUDIA STEINER 

10. The Arctic’s ‘last ice area’ is showing signs of weakness

Mission to Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Islands reveals degradation of a sea ice haven

 13 JAN 2026 BY RACHEL BERKOWITZ 

11. How to cool down African homes—and keep mosquitoes out

Painting roofs white and adding screens to doors and windows is a low-cost way to increase comfort and curb malaria risk

 13 JAN 2026 BY ABDULLAHI TSANNI 

12.  Scientists spot never-before-seen shock wave around dead star

Observation challenges understanding of how dead stars interact with their environments

 12 JAN 2026 BY PERRI THALER