Today's Science News

December 24, 2025

Saturn’s Rings Are Thicker Than We Thought - New research points to a wide band of particles, invisible to telescopes The post Saturn’s Rings Are Thicker Than We Thought appeared first on Nautilus .

December 23, 2025

Americans Don’t Seem to Enjoy Negotiating - Even when they have to pay more to avoid it The post Americans Don’t Seem to Enjoy Negotiating appeared first on Nautilus .

Russia patents space station designed to generate artificial gravity - According to the patent, habitable modules would rotate around a central axis to simulate gravity for crew by producing an outward-pushing centrifugal force.

Childhood Games Like Super Mario Bros. Can Boost Happiness and Reduce Burnout - Learn why playing classic video games, like Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi, can help young adults fight burnout and chronic stress.

Ancient DNA Uncovers Startling Family Secret of a 3,500-Year-Old Bronze Age Community - Learn more about the people who once used Grotta della Monaca as a sacred burial site.

10 most expensive Lego Star Wars sets available right now - In a galaxy not so far away, Lego sets can be VERY expensive: Here are the most expensive Lego Star Wars sets you can currently buy.

Before trips to Mars, we need better protection from cosmic rays - Outside Earth's protection, space travellers will be routinely exposed.

How All Those Forever Chemicals End Up on Your Plate - Apex predators and people may get the highest doses The post How All Those Forever Chemicals End Up on Your Plate appeared first on Nautilus .

Earth's seasons vary wildly, even at the same latitude, new research finds - Earth's seasons look very different at locations not far from each other, 20 years' worth of satellite data reveals.

18,000 years ago, ice age humans built dwellings out of mammoth bones in Ukraine - Some people in Ukraine weathered the harshest moments of the last ice age by creating shelters made partly of mammoth bones and tusks.

Santa's sleigh or the International Space Station? How to spot a bright Christmas flyby Dec. 24 and 25 - Early risers across North America and Europe may spot a bright, silent light gliding across the Christmas sky — and it just happens to coincide with an ISS flyby.

OPERA: Addressing Societal Needs with Satellite Data - Introduction

Get In, We’re Going Moonbound: Meet NASA’s Artemis Closeout Crew - For most, getting into a car is a task that can be done without assistance.

Meet 14 of the New and Unusual Species of 2025 — From Death Ball Sponges to Pumpkin Toads - Learn more about the most exciting species found around the world in 2025, from the deep sea to the western Himalayas.

Smiling Through the Holidays Can Instantly Change How People See You - Learn how smiling — and mimicking other people’s smiles — can make you seem more trustworthy and confident.

The Stream Animals Thriving After a Megafire - Oregon fish and amphibians are surprisingly resilient The post The Stream Animals Thriving After a Megafire appeared first on Nautilus .

Northern lights may delight this Christmas — here's what you need to know - Fast solar wind and a possible glancing blow from a coronal mass ejection could spark auroras over Christmas.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals weird wobbling jets in rare sun-facing tail - 3I/ATLAS may have moved away from Earth as it makes its way out of the solar system, but this interstellar intruder continues to delight and surprise astronomers.

How changing your diet could help save the world - A UBC study reveals half of the global population must change diets to limit temperature rise and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Government waters down inheritance tax plan for farms - The government has now said it will lift the intended threshold from £1m to £2.5m.

Tiny implant 'speaks' to the brain with LED light - By directly communicating with the brain, a new wireless device could someday help restore lost senses or manage pain without medications, its developers say.

Scientists Develop Revolutionary Tool to Eavesdrop on the Brain’s Most Private Conversations - Researchers developed the iGluSnFR4 protein, enhancing the ability to detect crucial neuronal glutamate signals, impacting various neurological conditions.

Artemis II Crew Launch Day Rehearsal - From left to right, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman stand outside

Artemis II Flight Crew, Teams Conduct Demonstration Ahead of Launch - NASA’s launch and mission teams, along with the Artemis II crew, completed a key test Dec. 20, a countdown demonstration test, ahead of the Artemis II flight around the Moon early next year.

How to Taste More Intensely - A tasting boot camp appeared to boost people’s taste buds The post How to Taste More Intensely appeared first on Nautilus .

Watch Indian rocket launch record-breaking BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite to orbit tonight - An Indian LVM3 rocket is scheduled to launch the massive BlueBird 6 smartphone satellite for AST SpaceMobile tonight (Dec. 23), and you can watch the action live.

Christmas During Wartime: How WWI’s Christmas Truce Was an Anomaly in Centuries of Holiday Violence - The 1914 Christmas Truce showcased spontaneous peace among soldiers in war, contrasting with historical holiday bloodshed, revealing shared humanity.

For teens, any cannabis use may have impact on emotional health, academic performance - Cannabis use, even infrequently, negatively impacts teens' school performance and emotional well-being, increasing risks of academic issues and distress.

We didn't find answers in 2025, but UFO researchers say the search continues - Despite years of whistleblowers testifying before Congress, there seems to have been a bottleneck in getting to the bottom of the UAP issue in 2025.

Cats meow more at men to get their attention, study suggests - A small study reveals that cats greet male owners more vocally than female ones.

NASA Astronaut Nick Hague Retires - NASA astronaut Brig.

See the 100,000th photo of Mars taken by NASA's groundbreaking Red Planet orbiter - NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft has just taken its milestone 100,000th photo of the Red Planet using its high-definition camera.

Researchers use robotics to find potential new antibiotic among hundreds of metal complexes - Researchers developed a promising iridium-based antibiotic using robotics, synthesizing over 700 metal complexes rapidly to combat drug-resistant infections.

NASA’s Hubble Reveals Largest Found Chaotic Birthplace of Planets - Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have imaged the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed circling a young star.

The Earth Is Round, and Is Also a Shifting, Squashed Spheroid - Learn how we know the Earth is round, and the science behind the shape of our gravitational field.

I Am Artemis: Grace Lauderdale - Listen to this audio excerpt from Grace Lauderdale, exploration project manager for the Training Systems Office at NASA Johnson:

How 2025 became the year of comet: The rise of interstellar 3I/ATLAS, an icy Lemmon and a cosmic SWAN - Highlights from a cometary trio that captured our imaginations.

Artemis 2 moon rocket gets 'America 250' paint job | Space photo of the day for Dec. 23, 2025 - The "America 250" logo commemorates the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Why Africa’s outbreak warnings still arrive too late - One Health surveillance must cut across all sectors and cover hard-to-reach places, writes Paul Adepoju.

'A huge surprise': 1,500-year-old church found next to Zoroastrianism place of worship in Iraq - A 2,000-year-old palace in the Republic of Georgia and a 1,500-year-old church in Iraq suggest Zoroastrians coexisted with people of other religions.

Webb Spots the 'Smoke' from Crashing Exocomets Around a Nearby Star - The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was involved in yet another first discovery recently available in pre-print form on arXiv from Cicero Lu at the Gemini Observatory and his co-authors.

'This is our future,' climate adviser warns as 2025 to break heat records - The Met Office says that 2025 is likely to be the UK's hottest year since records began.

“Pulse generators” in the brain grow and shrink as memories are formed. - DZNE researchers observed changes in axon initial segments in living mice, linking neuroplasticity to learning and implications for Alzheimer's disease.

Doomed SpaceX Starlink satellite photographed from orbit - We just got a great up-close look at a SpaceX Starlink satellite that recently suffered an anomaly in orbit, thanks to Vantor's WorldView-3 spacecraft.

Graphene supercapacitor breakthrough could boost energy storage in future EVs and other household devices - A new material called multiscale reduced graphene oxide could mean faster charging and power delivery than traditional batteries allow.

The Taste of Prehistory - Three recipes our Neanderthal cousins might have enjoyed The post The Taste of Prehistory appeared first on Nautilus .

Eat Like a Neanderthal - Science-inspired recipes to help you dine like our evolutionary cousins The post Eat Like a Neanderthal appeared first on Nautilus .

New species are now being discovered faster than ever before, study suggests - About 300 years ago, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus set out on a bold quest: to identify and name every living organism on Earth.

Best targets to observe between Christmas and New Year 2025 - From a crescent moon and a 'Christmas Star' to deep sky delights, the wonders of the holiday night sky are yours to explore.

Converting CO₂ into valuable chemicals in acidic environments: Iodide ions unlock efficient ethylene production - The emission of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the primary factors contributing to air pollution and climate change on Earth.

MIT scientists strip cancer of its sugar shield - Scientists at MIT and Stanford have unveiled a promising new way to help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.

Dinosaur bones found almost on top of each other in Transylvania - Scientists exploring Romania’s Hațeg Basin have discovered one of the densest dinosaur fossil sites ever found, with bones lying almost on top of each other.

Stardust study resets how life’s atoms spread through space - A study found that starlight does not drive giant star winds; instead, complex processes contribute to spreading life-essential atoms in space.

Rare dusting of snow covers one of the driest places on Earth and shuts down massive radio telescope — Earth from space - A satellite photo from July shows intricate snowy stripes painted across the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Science history: Anthropologist sees the face of the 'Taung Child' — and proves that Africa was the cradle of humanity — Dec. 23, 1924 - Over a century ago, anthropologist Raymond Dart chipped an ancient skull out of some rock from an ancient quarry — and revealed the face of an ancient human relative.

A new strategy for immune tolerance - A Kanazawa University team engineered extracellular vesicles to induce antigen-specific regulatory T cells, potentially improving autoimmune disease therapies.

Protein production: Slow down to get ahead - Researchers revealed NAC's role in regulating protein synthesis, slowing nascent protein growth, and ensuring smooth cellular logistics and functions.

South Korean startup Innospace fails on its 1st orbital launch attempt - The South Korean startup Innospace failed during its first orbital launch attempt, which sent five satellites aloft on Dec. 22 from Brazil.

Hidden brain maps that make empathy feel physical - When we watch someone move, get injured, or express emotion, our brain doesn’t just see it—it partially feels it.

Physicists made atoms behave like a quantum circuit - Using ultracold atoms and laser light, researchers recreated the behavior of a Josephson junction—an essential component of quantum computers and voltage standards.

Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun - Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Scientist and APXS team member, University of New Brunswick, Canada

Are they really listening? Watch their blinks - Your eyes may reveal when your brain is working overtime.

How to Tell if Someone’s Really Listening - The eyes adjust to help us focus as we chat The post How to Tell if Someone’s Really Listening appeared first on Nautilus .

December 22, 2025

This fish-inspired filter removes over 99% of microplastics - Washing machines release massive amounts of microplastics into the environment, mostly from worn clothing fibers.

Russia's Plans for a Space Station Includes "Recycling" its ISS Modules - Oleg Orlov, Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), announced that the Russian Orbital Station (ROS) will include the modules that make up the Russian Orbital Segment of ISS.

Did Humans or Climate Push the Neanderthals Over the Edge? - A new model of what went down in one of the Neanderthals’ last holdouts The post Did Humans or Climate Push the Neanderthals Over the Edge?

Nebula knowledge: Do you know these stunning space structures? - Test your cosmic eye: can you match these dazzling nebula images to their names?

Holidays in Space: 25 Years of Space Station Celebrations - In the quarter century that humans have lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, astronauts and visitors from around the world have celebrated

The best sci-fi TV shows of 2025, ranked - Watch those skies!

The World’s Oldest Botanical Art Reveals How Humans Were Doing Math 8,000 Years Ago - Learn how ancient pottery covered in flowers may be humanity’s first attempts at mathematical thinking.

2,300-year-old Celtic gold coins found in Swiss bog - Two rare Celtic gold coins were discovered in a Swiss bog, and they may have been left there as an offering to the gods.

Weird Lemon-Shaped Exoplanet Discovered Orbiting a Bizarre Star - Learn more about PSR J2322-2650b, a lemon-shaped exoplanet that may be in a toxic relationship with its host star. 

Prehistoric Elephant Footprints Trace Their Movements Through Spain 125,000 Years Ago - Learn how researchers discovered what may be the oldest  Palaeoloxodon antiquus tracks in Europe.

Best space photos of 2025 - An alien comet, a Martian volcano, a man’s fall from the sun and a groundbreaking telescope’s first images: Here are the most jaw-dropping space photos of 2025.

Is the Mistletoe That inspires Holiday Smooching A Menace to Trees? - Study shows that parasitic mistletoe doesn’t hurt host trees in Oregon The post Is the Mistletoe That inspires Holiday Smooching A Menace to Trees?

12 days of space and sci-fi books: Check out these festive holiday titles for your gift list or yourself! - Yuletide season is officially upon us and here's a joyous array of new titles to add to your holiday reading list.

How to track Santa Claus this Christmas Eve with NORAD's 2025 tracker - NORAD celebrates its 70th year of tracking Santa Claus as he flies around the world delivering joy this Christmas Eve.

Sentinels in the Sky: 50 Years of GOES Satellite Observations - the development and evolution of NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) has been a major achievement for weather forecasting.

Thousands of Dinosaur Footprints Found Close to Where Italy Will Host Winter Olympics - Learn more about the thousands of dinosaur tracks uncovered on the side of an Italian mountain, and what they tell us about how these dinosaurs moved. 

Rocket Lab launches final mission of 2025, sends Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit (video) - Rocket Lab launched its 21st and final mission of the year over the weekend, sending a private Japanese Earth-observing satellite to orbit.

3,300-year-old cremations found in Scotland suggest the people died in a mysterious catastrophic event - Five urns holding cremated human remains from 3,300 years ago have been discovered in Scotland.

Meet Qingzhou, China's next-gen cargo craft for its Tiangong space station (video) - Qingzhou is a lighter and potentially lower-cost alternative to China's Tianzhou freighter.

Scientists claim 'Lucy' may not be our direct ancestor after all, stoking fierce debate - Recent fossil finds could mean that "Lucy" wasn't our direct ancestor, some scientists say.

Northern lights may be visible in 10 states tonight - Auroras may be visible from Alaska to Idaho as incoming speedy solar wind continues to buffet Earth's magnetic field.

10 space zombie movies, books, and games to prepare you for the night of the intergalactic dead - From space slugs to lunar cemeteries, these movies, games, and books show that the undead can arrive from above, as well as below.

Blood Pressure Medication Adherence May Not Be Cost, It May Be Annoyance At Defensive Medicine - High blood pressure is an important risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease and premature death.

The Solar System Loses an Ocean World - Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, may not have a subsurface ocean after all.

What Makes the Subclade K Strain Different? Here’s What to Know About the “Super Flu” - Learn about the new flu variant, subclade K, that is circulating several countries and why this winter 2025-2026 flu season is more severe.

Predictive 'mismatch' leads to novel carbon capture method - When experimental results don't match scientists' predictions, it's usually assumed that the predictions were wrong.

New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell - When you take a drug, where in your body does it actually go?

Satellites reveal heat leaking from largest US cryptocurrency mining center - Bitcoin-mining mega data center seen leaking heat into the environment in an image captured from orbit by a thermometer satellite

Tracing the quick synthesis of an industrially important catalyst - Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have successfully traced the mechanism behind how an industrially important "superbase" catalyst is synthesized in a faster, microwave-assisted reaction.

How Dad’s Fitness May Be Packaged and Passed Down in Sperm RNA - Research into how a father’s choices — such as diet, exercise, stress, nicotine use — may transfer traits to his children has become impossible to ignore.

NASA launches science balloon in Antarctica | Space photo of the day for Dec. 22, 2025 - The first scientific balloon flight happened on Dec. 16, 2025.

Hen cages and pig farrowing crates face ban - The government says its animal welfare strategy will bring "the biggest reforms in a generation".

Research Brief: Cage Aquaculture Reduces Water Quality at Different Scales in Lake Victoria - Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, and its expansive coastline meanders through Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya.

NASA's SPHEREx telescope completes its 1st cosmic map of the entire sky and it's stunning! - The first map from NASA's SPHEREx observatory is here and it is stunning, resplendent in 102 colors.

'Year of octopus' declared after warmer seas lead to record UK numbers - The Wildlife Trusts say its is 'flabbergasted' by the sighting of the highest number of octopuses since 1950

Five New Planets and the Battle for Their Atmospheres - One of the primary goals of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is to detect atmospheres around exoplanets, to try to suss out whether or not they could potentially support life.

New EV motor invention could cut 1,000 pounds from future vehicles, making them much lighter while boosting their range - A new in-wheel motor for electric vehicles can deliver a record-breaking 1,000 horsepower to each wheel.

Scientists Say: River Piracy - This happens when one river captures another’s water.

AI can now write working genetic instruction books from scratch - Two AI models designed these genomes for viruses that kill E. coli bacteria.

Reliquary of the Holy Crib: Remains of Jesus' manger from Bethlehem - Five pieces of wood in a silver-and-gold container at a basilica in Rome may be the remains of the manger Jesus was laid on when he was born.

10 times the sky amazed us in 2025 - A bevy of comets, a "blood moon" total lunar eclipse and impressive northern lights were just three of the skywatching highlights in 2025.

This cancer-fighting molecule took 50 years to build - MIT scientists have achieved the first-ever lab synthesis of verticillin A, a complex fungal compound discovered in 1970.

AI mimics human-like intuition to explore and analyze chemical reactions - Chemical reactions are the breaking and forming of chemical bonds, which are fundamental to the creation of new technologies.

Japanese H3 rocket fails during launch of navigation satellite (video) - A Japanese H3 rocket suffered an anomaly during the launch of a navigation satellite on Sunday night (Dec. 21), resulting in the loss of the spacecraft.

Why evolution rewarded ants that sacrificed protection - Some ants thrive by choosing numbers over strength.

A new drug could stop Alzheimer’s before memory loss begins - New research suggests Alzheimer’s may start far earlier than previously thought, driven by a hidden toxic protein in the brain.

'New reservoirs will help address water shortage' - Water company says it needs two new reservoirs and a recycling plant to cope with demand in Suffolk.

This simulation reveals what really happens near black holes - Black holes are among the most extreme objects in the universe, and now scientists can model them more accurately than ever before.

2025 in review: resilience tested as aid cuts run deep - Opportunities emerge in AI and innovation as aid cuts leave their mark.

Parkinson’s breakthrough changes what we know about dopamine - A new study shows dopamine isn’t the brain’s movement “gas pedal” after all.

This AI finds simple rules where humans see only chaos - A new AI developed at Duke University can uncover simple, readable rules behind extremely complex systems.

A traditional Brazilian plant shows unexpected strength against arthritis - A Brazilian study has confirmed that Joseph’s Coat, a plant used for generations in folk medicine, can significantly reduce inflammation and arthritis symptoms in lab tests.

December 21, 2025

Study links full-fat cheese to lower dementia risk - Eating full-fat cheese and cream may be associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a large study that tracked people for more than 25 years.

Best space board games to play this Christmas - Enjoy some out-of-this-world fun this Christmas with my selection of the best space board games available right now.

ESA's JUICE Mission Reveals More Activity from 3I/ATLAS - During November 2025, ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) used five of its science instruments to observe 3I/ATLAS.

Planet-eating stars hint at Earth's ultimate fate - A sampling of aging Sun-like stars demonstrates that they likely eat their closest planets.

The self-gifter's Christmas: Treat yourself to gear you'll actually want this Christmas - Don't let anyone else choose your next telescope, camera or binoculars — these are important pieces of equipment that you should buy for yourself

Starship success, a private moon landing and more: The top 10 spaceflight stories of 2025 - Over the past 12 months, we saw multiple spaceflight records broken, the debut of a powerful new rocket and the first-ever fully successful private moon landing.

Ursid meteor shower 2025 peaks tonight: Here's what to expect from the yuletide light show - Ursid shooting stars may be visible throughout the night on Dec. 21-22.

Engineering the First Reusable Launchpads on the Moon - Engineers need good data to build lasting things.

Who are the Sea Devils? The classic 'Doctor Who' monsters in 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' - As the veteran 'Who' antagonists get ready for their close-up, we look back at 50 years of underwater history.

Glittering new James Webb telescope image shows an 'intricate web of chaos' — Space photo of the week - This mash-up of data from the James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals two galaxies mid-collision, with their spiral arms overlapping and bending toward their neighbors' cores.

Winter solstice 2025 marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere today - Today marks the shortest day and longest night of the year as the sun reaches its lowest point in the Northern Hemisphere sky.

Hidden seismic signals hint at a tsunami threat in Alaska - Researchers studying a massive landslide in Alaska have detected strange seasonal seismic pulses caused by water freezing and thawing in rock cracks.

When are the next best sales after Black Friday? - Black Friday offers massive discounts on a host of products, but you don't have to wait until the next one to save big.

Why is Venus so bright? - The "morning star" is bright because of several factors, including having an atmosphere filled with sulfuric acid.

On January 5th, Don't Get Divorced Because Of Hallmark Movies - The Monday after New Year's is colloquially called Divorce Day, but it's more than marriages ending.

Ancient sewers expose a hidden health crisis in Roman Britain - Sediments from a Roman latrine at Vindolanda show soldiers were infected with multiple intestinal parasites, including roundworm, whipworm, and Giardia — the first time Giardia has been identified in Roman Britain.

Scientists found a hidden clock inside dinosaur eggshells - Researchers have found that fossilized dinosaur eggshells contain a natural clock that can reveal when dinosaurs lived.

Subaru Telescope reveals a hidden giant planet - Astronomers have uncovered a massive hidden planet and a rare “failed star” by combining ultra-precise space data with some of the sharpest ground-based images ever taken.

Scientists unlocked a superconductor mystery under crushing pressure - Superconductors promise loss-free electricity, but most only work at extreme cold.

Astrophysicists map the invisible universe using warped galaxies - By studying tiny distortions in the shapes of distant galaxies, scientists mapped dark matter and dark energy across one of the largest sky surveys ever assembled.

Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples - Old military air samples turned out to be a treasure trove of biological DNA, allowing scientists to track moss spores over 35 years.

Astronomers Find the First Compelling Evidence of "Monster Stars" in the Early Universe - Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of international researchers has discovered chemical fingerprints of gigantic primordial stars that were among the first to form after the Big Bang.

December 20, 2025

The best Stranger Things gifts to celebrate season 5 - You don't have to search the upside down to find the best Stranger Things gifts outside of Hawkins, so celebrate season five's release with these top gifts.

Do Animals Hold Funerals for Their Loved Ones Like We Do, or Are We Just Projecting Grief? - Learn more about the death rituals seen throughout the animal kingdom and whether or not animals grieve the same way humans do.

James Cameron's sci-fi movies ranked, worst to best - As Avatar: Fire and Ash makes its cinematic debut, here's James Cameron's best directorial sci-fi movies to date – and the list is earth-shatteringly impressive.

Celestron Showdown: Battle of the 10x42s - We tested every single pair of Celestron 10x42 binoculars so you don't have to — find out which one comes out on top.

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 190 — Holiday Special 2025 - On Episode 190 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik look back at the past year in space — its ups, its downs, its all-arounds.

'Enemy Mine' at 40: An empathetic space adventure that still resonates strongly today - Hated rivals Dennis Quaid and Lou Gossett Jr. find brotherhood on a desolate planet in Wolfgang Petersen's cult sci-fi classic.

IMAP's Instruments Are Coming Online - During the deployment of new space telescopes that are several critical steps each has to go through.

Scientists build 'most accurate' quantum computing chip ever thanks to new silicon-based computing architecture - Researchers say they have created the world's first scalable atomic quantum processor that achieves record-breaking 99.99% fidelity.

Science news this week: Japan laser weapon trial, comet 3I/ATLAS bids farewell, and AI solves 'impossible' math problems - Dec. 20, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

This “mushroom” is not a fungus, it’s a bizarre plant that breaks all the rules - Balanophora is a plant that abandoned photosynthesis long ago and now lives entirely as a parasite on tree roots, hidden in dark forest undergrowth.

NASA just caught a rare glimpse of an interstellar comet - An instrument aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft captured rare ultraviolet observations of an interstellar comet while Earth-based telescopes were blinded by the Sun.

How the 'delayed choice quantum eraser' experiment got us to rethink reality - Does the universe notice that we're paying attention to a quantum experiment?

What scientists found inside Titan was not what anyone expected - For years, scientists thought Saturn’s moon Titan hid a global ocean beneath its frozen surface.