Top science news headlines for the week 28

Monday, Jul 06
Archaeology
355

Cave finds reveal modern humans and Neanderthals may have shared long-term cultural continuity

Paleontology & Fossils
4816

Paleontologists make 'one in a million' discovery of soft tissue preserved in 450-million-year-old fossil

Evolution
1391

Larger brain, smaller face: Human evolution took a different course than previously thought

Materials Science
44

New approach boosts microplastic removal from wastewater

Social Sciences
17

Childhood trauma may erode adult relationships through daily communication struggles

Nanomaterials
21

Unexpected discovery yields new graphene oxide production method

General Physics
13

Bioinspired strategy creates complex 3D curved structures via programmed shrinkage

Tuesday, Jul 07
Plants & Animals
1080

New beetle genus named after One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy, encompassing two new species

Condensed Matter
77

Metallic rutile oxides break the rules of cooling

Quantum Physics
113

Quantum computers model nine fusion fuel material configurations for first time

Plants & Animals
12

Mating strategies shape tropical plants' invasive ability

Astronomy
21

Galaxy mergers aren't always obvious

Plants & Animals
549

Rare color shifting discovered in iconic Australian frog

Materials Science
7

Watching how molecules change shape in slow motion could inform future molecular machines

Wednesday, Jul 08
Evolution
93

Tiny Jurassic bird reveals a key step in bird evolution

Ecology
21

This rare British butterfly looks familiar, but its genome tells a very different story

Archaeology
61

The oldest deliberately collected fossil ichthyosaur was discovered in Roman Britain around 1,800 years ago

Plants & Animals
6

Robin study suggests fleeing isn't necessarily wildlife's first response to wildfire smoke

Plants & Animals
10

Satellites are transforming biodiversity monitoring for global nature targets, but major gaps remain

Ecology
25

Scavenger animals are the missing link in Australia's bird flu response. Three experts explain

Evolution
41

Caddisfly silk gene evolves quickly without losing adhesive power

Thursday, Jul 09
Ecology
27

Newly identified 'saprotropism' helps roots avoid decaying plant matter—but not animal decay

Archaeology
406

Shackleton's final ship is no longer just a sonar shadow

Quantum Physics
57

Programmable light simulates quantum matter across 300 processes without bigger circuits

Optics & Photonics
26

Quantum optics may turn this rare visual phenomenon into an eye test

Ecology
16

Seagrass meadows could help nourish millions, new study finds

Planetary Sciences
35

Young giant gas planet Beta Pic B refuses to reveal its origin

Evolution
240

Ancient fossil may reveal animal kingdom's earliest right-handedness at 550 million years old

Friday, Jul 10
Plants & Animals
306

Darwin's 150‑year‑old hillside steps mystery may have a new answer from virtual grazing animals

Cell & Microbiology
1583

Bacteria turn dissolved uranium into stable compound in 130 days, study finds

Nanomaterials
9

New ligand engineering strategy creates more active nanocluster catalysts

Earth Sciences
40

Rising tides, rising tensions: New research calls for rethink of coastal law

Cell & Microbiology
96

Hidden health risks found in New York City's free-roaming cats

Plants & Animals
112

Why natural forests survive heat waves better than planted forests

Earth Sciences
49

New model maps solar storms across 1 million miles around Earth

Saturday, Jul 11
Nanomaterials
25

A robot that reads bacteria by touch, without staining or chemical labels

Optics & Photonics
153

Synthetic rotation brings black hole energy theory into lab, amplifying waves

Plants & Animals
44

Grasses provide most of the world's calories—but we're only now starting to learn how they grow

Ecology
41

Heavy traffic can turn flower-rich verges into bumblebee traps, study finds

Plants & Animals
24

When species are forced to move: Prediction models underestimate climate-related extinction risk

Archaeology
63

'Their story is our story': Pigeons and humans, 3,500 years together

Plants & Animals
55

World's largest whale graveyard discovered by Chinese sub

Sunday, Jul 12
Molecular & Computational biology
71

Low-cost genome sequencing approach is powering genetics research on mental illness and many other studies

Environment
9

Machine learning calibration of biosensors for microcystin toxin monitoring in freshwater

Astronomy
55

Oldest quasars ever discovered add to 'perplexing' space mystery

Social Sciences
25

The public isn't bored with economists, management scholars and sociologists but engaging people has conditions

Nanophysics
94

Tiny magnetic 'flowers' could expand how researchers image spintronic materials under stronger fields

Ecology
21

Climate oscillations shape nature's coral refuges in a warming ocean

Astronomy
446

Gravitational waves reveal hidden populations within black hole mergers