Top Science News

February 17, 2026

Top Headlines

Toxic Metals Found in Bananas After Brazil Mining Disaster

Feb. 17, 2026 Researchers investigating crops grown in soil contaminated by the 2015 mining disaster in Brazil discovered that toxic metals are moving from the earth into edible plants. Bananas, cassava, and cocoa were found to absorb elements like lead and ...

Ancient DNA Solves 12,000-year-old Mystery of Rare Genetic Growth Disorder

Feb. 17, 2026 An Ice Age double burial in Italy has yielded a stunning genetic revelation. DNA from a mother and daughter who lived over 12,000 years ago shows that the younger had a rare inherited growth disorder, confirmed through mutations in a key bone-growth ...

Ultra-fast Pulsar Found Near the Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole

Feb. 17, 2026 Scientists scanning the heart of the Milky Way have spotted a tantalizing signal: a possible ultra-fast pulsar spinning every 8.19 milliseconds near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at our galaxy’s core. Pulsars act like incredibly ...

Scientists Discover Brain Switches That Clear Alzheimer’s Plaques

Feb. 17, 2026 Researchers have identified two brain receptors that help the brain clear away amyloid beta, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. By stimulating these receptors in mice, scientists increased levels of a natural amyloid-breaking enzyme, reduced ...

Mysterious RNA Led Scientists to a Hidden Layer of Cancer

Feb. 17, 2026 A mysterious RNA found in breast cancer led scientists to uncover an entire hidden class of cancer-specific RNAs across dozens of tumor types. These molecules form unique molecular signatures that identify cancer type and subtype with remarkable ...

The Surprisingly Simple Flaw That Can Undermine Quantum Encryption

Feb. 17, 2026 Quantum key distribution promises ultra-secure communication by using the strange rules of quantum physics to detect eavesdroppers instantly. But even the most secure quantum link can falter if the transmitter and receiver aren’t perfectly ...

Nearly 200,000 People Reveal the Real Key to Heart Health

Feb. 17, 2026 A decades-long study of nearly 200,000 adults challenges the low-carb versus low-fat debate. Both eating patterns were tied to lower heart disease risk when they emphasized whole grains, plant-based foods, and healthy fats. Versions filled with ...

Massive Magma Surge Sparked 28,000 Santorini Earthquakes

Feb. 17, 2026 When tens of thousands of earthquakes shook Santorini, the cause wasn’t just shifting tectonic plates—it was rising magma. Scientists tracked about 300 million cubic meters of molten rock pushing up through the crust, triggering intense seismic ...

Majorana Qubits Decoded in Quantum Computing Breakthrough

Feb. 16, 2026 Scientists have developed a new way to read the hidden states of Majorana qubits, which store information in paired quantum modes that resist noise. The results confirm their protected nature and show millisecond scale coherence, bringing robust ...

Giving People Cash Didn’t Cause More Injuries or Deaths

Feb. 16, 2026 As cash transfer programs expand across the United States, critics often warn that giving people money could spark reckless behavior, leading to injuries or even deaths. But a sweeping 11-year analysis of Alaska’s long-running Permanent Fund ...

This New Blood Test Could Detect Cancer Before It Shows Up on Scans

Feb. 16, 2026 A new light-based sensor can spot incredibly tiny amounts of cancer biomarkers in blood, raising the possibility of earlier and simpler cancer detection. The technology merges DNA nanotechnology, CRISPR, and quantum dots to generate a clear signal ...

One in Three People Carry This Brain Parasite but the Body Has a Kill Switch

Feb. 16, 2026 A parasite that may already be hiding in your brain has a shocking survival trick: it can infect the very immune cells sent to destroy it. Yet most people never get sick, and new research from UVA ...

Latest Headlines

updated 7:08am EST

Microplastics Have Reached Antarctica’s Only Native Insect

Feb. 16, 2026 Even Antarctica’s toughest native insect can’t escape the reach of plastic pollution. Scientists have discovered that Belgica antarctica — a tiny, rice-sized midge and the southernmost insect ...

Lab Grown Human Spinal Cord Heals After Injury in Major Breakthrough

Feb. 16, 2026 Researchers have built a realistic human mini spinal cord in the lab and used it to simulate traumatic injury. The model reproduced key damage seen in real spinal cord injuries, including ...

Brain Inflammation May Be Driving Compulsive Behavior

Feb. 16, 2026 For years, compulsive behaviors have been viewed as bad habits stuck on autopilot. But new research in rats found the opposite: inflammation in a key decision-making brain region actually made ...

Scientists Confirm One-Dimensional Electron Behavior in Phosphorus Chains

Feb. 16, 2026 For the first time, researchers have shown that self-assembled phosphorus chains can host genuinely one-dimensional electron behavior. Using advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques, they ...

Universe May End in a “big Crunch,” New Dark Energy Data Suggests

Feb. 16, 2026 New data from major dark-energy observatories suggest the universe may not expand forever after all. A Cornell physicist calculates that the cosmos is heading toward a dramatic reversal: after ...

Scientists Discover the Enzyme That Lets Cancer Rapidly Rewire Its DNA

Feb. 16, 2026 Researchers have uncovered the enzyme behind chromothripsis, a chaotic chromosome-shattering event seen in about one in four cancers. The enzyme, N4BP2, breaks apart DNA trapped in tiny cellular ...

Ancient Fingerprint Found on 2,400-Year-Old Danish War Boat

Feb. 16, 2026 More than a century after its discovery, Scandinavia’s oldest plank boat is finally giving up new secrets. By analyzing ancient caulking and cords from the Hjortspring boat, researchers uncovered ...

Why Some Kids Struggle With Math Even When They Try Hard

Feb. 15, 2026 A new Stanford study suggests math struggles may be about more than numbers. Children who had difficulty with math were less likely to adjust their thinking after making mistakes during number ...

AI Uncovers the Hidden Genetic Control Centers Driving Alzheimer’s

Feb. 15, 2026 Scientists have created the most detailed maps yet of how genes control one another inside the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Using a powerful new AI-based system called SIGNET, the ...

Scientists Find Nerves Actively Fuel Pancreatic Cancer

Feb. 15, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a hidden partnership between pancreatic cancer and the nervous system. Support cells in the pancreas lure nerve fibers, which then release signals that accelerate early ...

Earlier Headlines

Psychedelics May Work by Shutting Down Reality and Unlocking Memory

Feb. 15, 2026 Psychedelics can quiet the brain’s visual input system, pushing it to replace missing details with vivid fragments from memory. Scientists found that slow, rhythmic brain waves help shift ...

Couples Who Savor Happy Moments Together Have Stronger, Longer-Lasting Relationships

Feb. 14, 2026 Couples who intentionally slow down and soak in their happy moments together may be building a powerful shield for their relationship. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that partners ...

The Human Exposome Could Change Everything We Know About Disease

Feb. 14, 2026 Scientists are launching an ambitious global effort to map the “human exposome” — the lifelong mix of environmental and chemical exposures that drive most diseases. Backed by new partnerships ...

Rocky Planet Discovered in Outer Orbit Challenges Planet Formation Theory

Feb. 13, 2026 Astronomers have uncovered a distant planetary system that flips a long-standing rule of planet formation on its head. Around the small red dwarf star LHS 1903, scientists expected to find rocky ...

Astronomers Watch a Massive Star Collapse Into a Black Hole Without a Supernova

Feb. 14, 2026 A massive star 2.5 million light-years away simply vanished — and astronomers now know why. Instead of exploding in a supernova, it quietly collapsed into a black hole, shedding its outer layers in ...

Scientists Make Microplastics Glow to See What They Do Inside Your Body

Feb. 13, 2026 Microplastics and nanoplastics are now found everywhere on Earth, from ocean depths to agricultural soils and even inside the human body. Yet scientists still struggle to understand what these ...

Scientists Used Brain Stimulation to Make People More Generous

Feb. 13, 2026 A new study suggests that generosity may be more than a moral lesson—it could be shaped by how different parts of the brain work together. By gently stimulating two brain regions and syncing their ...

Twin Beams Blast from a Hidden Star in Stunning Hubble Space Telescope Image

Feb. 13, 2026 A dazzling new Hubble image peels back the layers of the mysterious Egg Nebula, a rare and fleeting phase in a Sun-like star’s death just 1,000 light-years away. Hidden inside a dense cocoon of ...

Almost Every Forest Bird in Hawaiʻi Is Spreading Avian Malaria

Feb. 11, 2026 Avian malaria is spreading across Hawaiʻi in a way scientists didn’t fully grasp until now: nearly every forest bird species can help keep the disease alive. Researchers found the parasite at 63 ...

Tracking Global Water Circulation Using Atomic Fingerprints

Feb. 15, 2026 Scientists have developed a powerful new way to trace the journey of water across the planet by reading tiny atomic clues hidden inside it. Slightly heavier versions of hydrogen and oxygen, called ...

Scientists Discover Pets Are Helping an Invasive Flatworm Spread

Feb. 14, 2026 A new study shows that dogs and cats may be helping an invasive flatworm spread. Researchers analyzing over a decade of reports discovered the worm attached to pet fur. Its sticky mucus and ability ...

This Ancient Animal Was One of the First to Eat Plants on Land

Feb. 11, 2026 Hundreds of millions of years ago, the first animals to crawl onto land were strict meat-eaters, even as plants had already taken over the landscape. Now scientists have uncovered a ...

Asteroid Bennu Reveals a New Pathway to Life’s Chemistry

Feb. 12, 2026 Dust from asteroid Bennu is revealing a surprising origin story for life’s building blocks. New research suggests some amino acids formed in frozen ice exposed to radiation, not warm liquid water ...

Radar Evidence Suggests a Massive Lava Tube Beneath Venus

Feb. 12, 2026 Scientists have uncovered evidence of a massive underground lava tube hidden beneath the surface of Venus, revealing a new layer of the planet’s volcanic history. By reexamining radar data from ...

Scientists Discover a Hidden Gut Bacterium Linked to Good Health

Feb. 14, 2026 A global study has uncovered a mysterious group of gut bacteria that shows up again and again in healthy people. Known as CAG-170, these microbes were found at lower levels in people with a range of ...

Just 5 Weeks of Brain Training May Protect Against Dementia for 20 Years

Feb. 11, 2026 A simple brain-training program that sharpens how quickly older adults process visual information may have a surprisingly powerful long-term payoff. In a major 20-year study of adults 65 and older, ...

Astronomers Shocked by How These Giant Exoplanets Formed

Feb. 11, 2026 A distant star system with four super-sized gas giants has revealed a surprise. Thanks to JWST’s powerful vision, astronomers detected sulfur in their atmospheres — a chemical clue that they ...

NASA Scientists Say Meteorites Can’t Explain Mysterious Organic Compounds on Mars

Feb. 12, 2026 Scientists studying a rock sample collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover have uncovered something tantalizing: the largest organic molecules ever detected on Mars. The compounds — decane, undecane, ...

James Webb Reveals Extraordinary Organic Molecules in an Ultra Luminous Infrared Galaxy

Feb. 12, 2026 Deep inside a nearby galaxy cloaked in thick clouds of gas and dust, astronomers have uncovered a surprising treasure trove of organic molecules using the James Webb Space Telescope. Peering through ...

AI Reads Brain MRIs in Seconds and Flags Emergencies

Feb. 10, 2026 Researchers at the University of Michigan have created an AI system that can interpret brain MRI scans in just seconds, accurately identifying a wide range of neurological conditions and determining ...