Science bytes

For the first time ever, researchers have recorded rat hunting bats

How baby whales drink milk underwater

One of Africa’s last remaining “super tusker” elephants died at the age of 54 in January 2026 at Amboseli National Park, Kenya.

‘Giant step forward’ for Huntington’s — the scientist behind the first gene therapy Sarah Tabrizi is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2025.

Huge step forward’ for Huntington’s, the scientist behind the first gene therapy www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Scientists have found that soybean oil, the most common cooking oil in the U.S. and a staple in processed food, may act as a HIDDEN OBESITY TRIGGER in mice by rewiring how the body handles fat. Time to rethink what is in our food!! www.jlr.org/article/S002...

Brazil’s hypocrisy at COP30 The Brazilian government’s 20 October authorization of oil drilling in the mouth of the Amazon River stands in stark contrast to Brazil’s role as host this week of the 30th Conference of the Parties t...

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Brazil just hosted #COP30 in the heart of the Amazon while approving new offshore oil drilling and weakening forest protections. A Science letter calls this out: “Brazil’s hypocrisy at COP30”. The message is clear, protect the Amazon or keep betting on oil. You cannot have both.

Huge news! Yoshua Bengio the “Godfather of AI” just became the first scholar ever to hit 1 million citations on Google Scholar!
His work in deep learning has shaped everything from ChatGPT to self-driving cars.

James D. Watson, Nobel laureate and co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix, has died at 97.
His scientific achievements are undeniable but his legacy is marred by repeated racist and sexist statements that perpetuated harmful stereotypes in science.
A reminder that brilliance does not excuse bigotry.

Sperm sequencing reveals extensive positive selection in the male germline - Nature A combination of whole-genome NanoSeq with deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq is used to accurately characterize mutation rates and genes under positive selection in sperm cells.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A new study by Wellcome Sanger & King’s College London shows that as men age, “selfish” mutations in sperm accumulate naturally, increasing the chance of passing on harmful genes linked to autism, developmental disorders & cancer.

The world’s first known leucistic Iberian lynx, pure white and magnificent has been sighted in southern Spain.

Teachers' notes - Dr Jim Peacock, molecular biologist and plant

www.science.org.au/learning/gen...

Tribute to Professor Jim Peacock

We are saddened by the passing of Professor Jim Peacock, a visionary scientist and former Chief Scientist of Australia (2006–2008). His groundbreaking work on water-efficient cotton and his leadership in Australian science leave a lasting legacy.

It’s official: the Slender-billed Curlew is extinct.

Once a graceful migrant across continents, officially declared extinct by the IUCN.
A haunting reminder that the extinction crisis isn’t distant-it’s happening now. credit:CMS

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Ever wondered why you can remember exactly where you were when you got shocking news but forget what you did yesterday? Scientists say emotional moments reach back in time to strengthen even the mundane memories around them and they’ve mapped out how the brain picks which memories to keep.

After years of sniffing out tuberculosis in Africa, Caroline, an African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys ansorgei), officially retired in March.
Her incredible nose helped detect thousands of TB cases missed by conventional methods and she did it much faster than lab technicians.

Probably due to prolonged exposure to high levels of radiation.

The ultimate 'out-of-office' auto reply!

Only one person in history has won both Physics & Chemistry Nobels. Her name was Marie Curie. Her discoveries of polonium and radium transformed science and medicine forever.

NVIDIA reportedly spent over $900M to hire Indian-origin Enfabrica CEO Rochan Sankar & license his AI-chip tech linking 100K chips without slowdown.
Big bet on talent and scalability.

Jane Goodall, the renowned conservationist and pioneer of groundbreaking chimpanzee research, has died at the age of 91. Her discoveries revolutionised science. Her lifelong dedication to conservation and compassion leaves an enduring legacy of hope and inspiration.

Perfectly Mummified Cheetahs Are The First Naturally Mummified Big Cats Ever Found. The oldest date back over 4,000 years. www.iflscience.com/perfectly-mu...

Forget wrinkle cream. Scientists just tested stem cells that made old monkeys younger & healthier. www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

3 minutes to a healed bone? Chinese researchers say their new bone glue makes it possible! www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/...

Goodbye knee replacements?
German scientists have created a gel that can regrow joint cartilage!

Researchers have grown tiny human hearts in pig embryos for the first time and they started beating! The pig–human chimeras survived for 21 days, marking a milestone toward potentially generating human organs for transplant.