Weekly Headlines (excerpts)

1. Brightest gamma ray burst of all time emerged from collapsing star

JWST spies an expected supernova but a puzzling lack of heavy elements

BY DANIEL CLERY 12 APR 2024 

2. As the lakes that flamingos inhabit expand, the birds’ food supplies are rapidly shrinking

As soda lakes grow, they may become too dilute in nutrients and food to sustain the iconic pink birds

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 12 APR 2024 

3. Bonobos, the ‘hippie chimps,’ might not be so mellow after all

Male bonobos are about three times as likely as chimps to engage in aggressive behavior—pushing, hitting, and biting

BY PHIE JACOBS 12 APR 2024 

4. Universities should experiment to improve caregiver support, U.S. National Academies says

New report recommends paid leave, flexible work policies, and changes in academic culture

BY KATIE LANGIN 11 APR 2024 

5. News at a glance: Jailed conservationists freed, physics titan dies, and diversity in anatomical illustrations

The latest in science and policy

BY SCIENCE NEWS STAFF 11 APR 2024 

6. Grizzly bears were pillaging farms. Could a canine keep them away?

Researchers test whether guard dogs could keep growing number of bears off Montana farms

BY GENNARO TOMMA 11 APR 2024 

7. Long Covid trials aim to clear lingering virus—and help patients in need

With a still-emerging understanding of the syndrome’s biology, researchers are braiding basic discoveries into treatment studies as they go

BY JENNIFER COUZIN-FRANKEL 11 APR 2024 

8. ‘It’s really a horror.’ Bones from across Europe suggest Stone Age ritual killings

Researchers see signs of a continentwide tradition of human sacrifice

BY ANDREW CURRY 10 APR 2024 

9. A university cut tenured faculty’s pay. They’re suing

“It’s created significant financial hardship,” one plaintiff in the Tufts University case says

BY KATIE LANGIN 10 APR 2024 

10. Bacteria is the new black: Scientists create microbes that make self-dyeing textiles

Researchers created a wallet and part of shoe by genetically engineering kombucha bacteria to produce melanin

BY MADELINE REINSEL 9 APR 2024 

11. Embattled Harvard honesty professor accused of plagiarism

Academic chapter and two books authored by Francesca Gino appear to copy from sources including student theses, blogs, and news reports

BY CATHLEEN O’GRADY 9 APR 2024 

12. Giant viruses played a key role in early life, study in Yellowstone hot spring suggests

DNA analyses reveal viruses have infected red algae—and spurred evolution—for at least 1.5 billion years

BY ELIZABETH PENNISI 9 APR 2024