
A shocking number of Pacific Northwest rodents may carry hantavirus
These critters were carrying the Sin Nombre variant of hantavirus, which can be spread from rodents to humans but not from one person to another
Adam Kovac is a breaking news reporter at Scientific American.

A shocking number of Pacific Northwest rodents may carry hantavirus
These critters were carrying the Sin Nombre variant of hantavirus, which can be spread from rodents to humans but not from one person to another

Trial results of next-gen weight-loss drug retatrutide bring it one step closer to FDA approval
While drugs such as Wegovy target a single gut hormone, retatrutide is among a new class of GLP-1 drugs that aims at three hormone receptors

A contentious effort to ‘resurrect’ the extinct moa and dodo takes a step forward
The science of de-extinction does not exist, but Colossal Biosciences’ “artificial egg” is an interesting technical feat

NASA’s Psyche captures gorgeous Mars crescent photo on way to asteroid
NASA’s Psyche snapped images as it flew by Mars last week. The spacecraft used the planet’s gravity to give itself a boost on its journey toward its target asteroid

The Colorado Avalanche is dominating the NHL. The reason could lie in a quirk of geography
Denver’s hockey team is studded with stars, but training and playing the game some 5,000 feet above sea level may give their athletic performance a boost over that of their rivals

The last 12 months in the U.S. were the hottest on record
March was a scorching 9.35 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th-century average for the month, capping the hottest 12-month stretch for the U.S. since records began in 1895

New NASA Hubble image captures a rare, turbulent galaxy
The new image shows the galaxy NGC 1266, a transitional object with a clutch of young stars that likely collided with a smaller galaxy 500 million years ago

U.S. bans travel from three African countries as Ebola outbreak spreads
At least six Americans are believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus, and one person who appears to have contracted the virus has been evacuated to Germany

See a Lincoln Memorial-sized asteroid pass within just 56,000 miles of Earth today
The asteroid will swing by Earth on Monday and be close enough to be visible using an amateur telescope

Hantavirus can persist in semen for years, but that doesn’t mean it stays contagious
Researchers know very little about how long the Andes version of the hantavirus can remain in human hosts

Meet the endangered scaly-foot snail, the most metal animal in the world
This snail became the first animal living on deep-sea hydrothermal vents to be added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species—it also turns poisonous sulfur into armor

2026 FIFA World Cup players and fans at risk of extreme heat, climate scientists warn
Heat conditions could exceed dangerous levels at a quarter of the planned 2026 World Cup soccer matches, including the final in New Jersey on July 19

Almost half of the objects in Earth’s orbit are junk—and that’s only the stuff we know about
Debris is a growing threat to orbital infrastructure, and it’s only going to get worse as the number of launches increases

Hantavirus treatments are coming, but funding is holding them back
There is no cure for the hantavirus that has so far sickened at least nine people and killed three of them on a cruise ship outbreak, but several therapies have shown promise in animal studies

See SpaceX Starship V3 megarocket on the launchpad as it gears up for its next test flight
This test flight comes at a pivotal moment for Elon Musk’s SpaceX as the company pushes to go public this year and show it’s ready for NASA’s planned 2027 Artemis III mission

Rubies and opals on Mars? The real treasure in the planet’s gemstones may not be what you think
NASA’s Mars rovers have found traces of minerals akin to those that make up precious gems on Earth. But their appearance and abundance on Mars is likely very different, experts say

The Pentagon just started releasing UFO files, but skeptics say they’re not impressed
The Pentagon’s first UFO file release includes photographs, videos and documents gathered as part of an effort that spans several governmental offices and agencies, including the FBI, the White House and NASA

Trump administration cut funding to study hantavirus, the virus behind the deadly cruise ship outbreak
The Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases were designed to study viruses that could jump from animals to people, including hantavirus, but in 2025 the National Institutes of Health said the work wouldn’t continue

Shake it off: NASA’s Curiosity rover gets its robotic arm stuck inside a rock on Mars
Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, but the Mars rover Curiosity just keeps on groovin’—even if its handlers had to spend several days freeing its drill from a rock

A dangerous experiment is playing out on a cruise ship with hantavirus
The tragic and fatal outbreak of hantavirus onboard a luxury cruise ship highlights the gaps in research and treatments for the rare and mysterious infection—including how the virus spreads among people

Antinicotine advocates and lawmakers criticize the FDA’s decision to approve flavored vapes
The president had vowed to “save vaping” on the campaign trail in 2024, but the decision is already drawing fire from antinicotine advocates and a bipartisan group of lawmakers

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere just hit a ‘depressing’ new record
These data come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mauna Loa Observatory, which may soon be shut down because of proposed government budget cuts

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin moon lander completes a crucial test as race with SpaceX heats up
NASA announced that this uncrewed lander, named Endurance, completed vacuum testing on Earth—a key step toward a planned launch later this year

Supreme Court extends temporary order allowing abortion drug mifepristone by mail
On May 11 the Supreme Court extended a pause on a ruling by a federal appeals court that prevented health care providers from prescribing mifepristone by telemedicine, setting the stage for further action from the nation’s highest court