Some of 2025’s scientific discoveries broke records
Longest lightning, the first AI-generated genomes and biggest black hole smashup were among this year’s top science superlatives. More
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In a first, orcas and dolphins seen possibly hunting together
New footage shows orcas and dolphins coordinating hunts, hinting at interspecies teamwork to track and catch salmon off British Columbia. More
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Early Earth’s belly held onto its water
When the early Earth’s magma ocean crystallized 4.4 billion years ago, the deep mantle trapped an ocean’s worth of water, scientists say. More
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Drought may have doomed the ‘hobbits’ of Flores
Stalagmite data suggest Homo floresiensis faced prolonged drought that stressed both them and their prey, contributing to their disappearance. More
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A volcanic eruption might have helped bring the Black Plague to Europe
A volcanic eruption may have triggered a deadly chain of events that brought the Black Plague to Europe in the 14th century. More
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Here are 3 big ideas to combat climate change, with or without COP
Belém, Brazil — The Amazon rainforest is a poster child for the perils of climate change. Deforestation and warming temperatures threaten to push the iconic forest past its limits.
So Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, was a momentous place for global climate leaders to meet on the 10th anniversary of an international pledge to try to rein in climate change. Some 196 nations signed that pledge, known as the Paris Agreement, promising to collectively reduce their greenhouse gas emissions enough to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius relative to preindustrial times by 2100. More
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Combining western science with Indigenous knowledge could help the Arctic
The Arctic char, a red-pink bellied relative of trout and salmon, is a staple food source for millions of people living in the Arctic. But that dynamic is being embrangled by climate change, as the Arctic is warming two to four times faster than the rest of the world.
Marianne Falardeau, a polar marine ecologist at Université TÉLUQ in Quebec City, Canada, studies how climate change is reshaping boreal and polar marine ecosystems and the benefits those ecosystems provide to people, aiming to help northern communities adapt to the shifting environment. In 2022, she coauthored a study showing how to make small-scale fisheries in the Arctic more resilient in the face of climate change. More
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Life-saving research on extreme heat comes under fire
Located just a few hours’ drive from the Canadian border, Missoula, Mont. is not known for sweltering temperatures. And yet heat waves are becoming more common in the mountainous region due to climate change, and researchers are concerned that a catastrophic heat event could soon shock the 120,000 or so people who call Missoula County home. Recent history reveals the cost of being unprepared for extreme heat; in 2021, the Pacific Northwest was caught off guard by the strongest heat wave the region had seen in a thousand years, resulting in more than 1,400 deaths.
“We’ve come to understand that heat is a major threat to our region,” says Alli Kane, the Climate Action Program Coordinator for Missoula County. “And it’s something that we’re not prepared for.” More
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Deep-sea mining might feed plankton a diet of junk food
An analysis of mining plumes in the Pacific Ocean reveals they kick up particles sized similarly to the more nutritious tidbits that plankton eat. More
