Uncontrolled mining in areas of Myanmar ruled by powerful ethnic armies has boomed. In early 2025, Sian traveled deep into the mountains of Shan State, on Myanmar’s eastern border with China, in search of work. He had heard from a friend that Chinese companies were recruiting at new rare-earth…
The assassination of a Hungarian duke, why woodpeckers grunt when they peck, and more. It’s a regrettable reality that there is never enough time to cover all the interesting scientific stories we come across each month. In the past, we’ve featured year-end roundups of cool science stories we (almost)…
Promising trials using engineered antibodies suggest that “functional cures” may be in reach. Around the world, some 40 million people are living with HIV. And though progress in treatment means the infection isn’t the death sentence it once was, researchers have never been able to bring about a cure.…
Yellowstone has long been a mecca for scientists studying how predators affect the environment. When the US Fish and Wildlife Service reintroduced 14 gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, the animals were, in some ways, stepping into a new world. After humans hunted wolves to near-extinction across…
The company is closer to increasing its Vulcan launch cadence, but it won’t happen this year. Around this time last year, officials at United Launch Alliance projected 2025 would be their busiest year ever. Tory Bruno, ULA’s chief executive, told reporters the company would launch as many as 20…
Over the course of 2025, electricity demand has gradually declined. Worries about the US grid’s ability to handle the surge in demand due to data center growth have made headlines repeatedly over the course of 2025. And, early in the year, demand for electricity had surged by nearly 5…
But the specific behaviors linked may be completely unrelated. Many dog breeds are noted for their personalities and behavioral traits, from the distinctive vocalizations of huskies to the herding of border collies. People have worked to identify the genes associated with many of these behaviors, taking advantage of the…
A rigid ice shell over a shrinking interior makes for pressures low enough to boil. Our explanation of the outer Solar System has revealed a host of icy moons, many with surface features that suggest a complex geology. In some cases, these features—most notably the geysers of Enceladus—hint at…
Researcher seek to understand the various uses of wild mushroom species. Like many mushroom harvesters, I got interested in foraging for fungi during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had been preparing for a summer of field work studying foraged desert plants in a remote part of Australia when the pandemic…
Light is the greatest threat to 19th-century masterpieces like James Ensor’s The Intrigue, study finds. The emergence of synthetic pigments in the 19th century had an immense impact on the art world, particularly the availability of emerald-green pigments, prized for their intense brilliance by such masters as Paul Cézanne,…
