Today so far 2026-09-12 · 00:00 UTC

Today's science news spans discoveries in ancient civilizations and fundamental physics alongside practical developments in space exploration and public health. Research reveals that mind-altering drugs played a key role in the rise of Andean civilization, while scientists have unlocked secrets of ancient Egyptian materials using proteomics and early alligators emerged following dinosaur extinction. In contemporary science, developments range from NASA establishing a US Space Academy to innovative solutions like 1,500 magnets potentially forming a power-free radiation shield for astronauts, though concerns have emerged over potential environmental impacts from data centre operations and a troubling MRSA outbreak linked to a bouncy castle in Ireland.

‘Remarkable’ discovery upends our understanding of how brains store memories

Memories in mice persisted even after they lost the connections that we thought were needed for recall, expanding our knowledge of memory in the mammalian brain

2026-08-13 · 18:00 UTC
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Compute-Optimal Is Not Cluster-Optimal

2026-08-13 · 17:40

# Summary Researchers developed MOSAIC, a framework showing that optimizing AI models for computational efficiency…

Tocharian Online

2026-08-13 · 17:15

Tocharian denotes two closely related Indo-European languages, Tocharian A and B, discovered in documents from 6th-8th…

DNA reveals a society organised around women in pre-Roman Britain

2026-08-13 · 16:00

Descent passed from mother to daughter rather than from father to son, a study of more than 500 Iron Age individuals…

Quantum entanglement is key to solving 250-year-old maths problem

2026-08-13 · 15:00

Analysis of a mathematical puzzle that Leonhard Euler deemed unsolvable in the 1700s reveals that the crucial ingredient…

Graduate Student Proves a Quantum Uncertainty Principle for Fractals

2026-08-13 · 14:22

A doctoral student at MIT named Alex Cohen proved an extended version of the fractal uncertainty principle, a…

We've flown a radiation-blocking vest to the Moon and back, and it worked

2026-08-13 · 13:48

Let's shield the astronauts instead of the spacecraft.

Why Are Rivers So Mathematical?

2026-08-13 · 13:18

Rivers follow universal mathematical laws despite arising from chaotic Earth processes, exhibiting branching patterns…

Rapid warming may tip AMOC at 2°C, slower warming may avert collapse

2026-08-13 · 10:17

The best photos of the total solar eclipse

2026-08-13 · 10:16

Photographers in Spain captured spectacular images of the rare alignment of the moon and the sun, casting a dark shadow…

Fate of the AMOC may depend on how quickly CO2 rises 

2026-08-13 · 09:00

The critical current could remain stable beyond 5°C of warming, but only if the warming happens very slowly 

Mammal ancestors were giving birth to live young 236 million years ago

2026-08-13 · 04:00

Almost all mammals give birth rather than laying eggs, and we have new clues about when they began to do so

Ebola outbreak on track to be deadliest ever, WHO chief says

2026-08-13 · 01:31

The outbreak, declared on 15 May, has caused more than 2,000 deaths, with thousands more reported cases.

Principia Mathematica is modern and insightful

2026-08-12 · 23:26

Principia Mathematica (1910) by Whitehead and Russell reads surprisingly like a modern programming language text,…

Vultures are disappearing in Nigeria - but the 'Vulture King' is fighting to reverse the trend

2026-08-12 · 23:19

Some see them as sinister or hunt them for ritual use but these birds play a vital role in nature's cycle.

Toddler's tragic death from brain-destroying amoeba offers lessons for doctors

2026-08-12 · 22:31

Boy's unusual symptoms could help identify the next case sooner.

Have physicists finally discovered glueballs? New evidence points to yes.

2026-08-12 · 21:13

“It’s the strongest evidence yet that particles dominated by a glueball component can exist in nature.”

Solar eclipse distracts from sporting events - in pictures

2026-08-12 · 19:43

Pictures from sporting events as the most significant solar eclipse since 1999 is visible across the UK and Europe on…

US boosts drone surveillance as flesh-eating screwworms spread in Texas

2026-08-12 · 19:40

Hundreds of Homeland Security drones retasked to survey wildlife and livestock.

Learning 10000 pictures (1973) [pdf]

2026-08-12 · 19:18

I cannot provide a summary of this article because the text provided is corrupted or improperly encoded PDF data (binary…

Your Key to Success Isn't More Luck or Hard Work

2026-08-12 · 18:17

Research from economist Raj Chetty analyzing 21 billion Facebook friendships found that having economically diverse…

Running with a stroller seems to reduce the risk of injuries

2026-08-12 · 18:00

Pushing a pram while running may reduce the force produced with each foot strike, decreasing the risk of injuries

Two hydrogen-burning engines powered this car to a new land speed record

2026-08-12 · 17:01

JCB has invested heavily in hydrogen to power its diggers and other machinery.

What changes will occur on Earth as the moon moves further away? part 2

2026-08-12 · 17:00

One reader explains how the moon’s drift will lead to longer (and warmer) days

At what point does my family tree stop doubling and start decreasing? part 2

2026-08-12 · 17:00

Our readers do the maths on what one of their mothers calls the family forest

This week’s new questions

2026-08-12 · 17:00

Humans can see water but not air. So can fish see air?

Does shapewear make us less prone to taking risks? Weirdly, maybe yes

2026-08-12 · 17:00

Feedback is a little nonplussed by an experiment that involved wearing (or not wearing) compressing shapewear, and then…

Tom Gauld on failed science clip art

2026-08-12 · 17:00

Tom Gauld's weekly cartoon

Glaciers on the Climate Dashboard

2026-08-12 · 16:38

The World Glacier Monitoring Service has tracked reference glaciers across 19 mountain zones and found that their mass…

Mission to save NASA telescope back on track after loss of control

2026-08-12 · 14:00

Katalyst’s LINK spacecraft might still be able to save NASA’s ailing Swift telescope from doom, despite a significant…

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