Science Magazine

The image depicts a liposome containing RNA molecules.

Don’t miss the new issue of #ScienceSignaling!

Scientists exploit the dark transcriptome to generate one of the first potential lncRNA therapies, a Focus discusses how AI is becoming a necessary tool to decode the mysteries of cancer neuroscience, and more. https://scim.ag/4rmyIDy

An illustration of scientists working in a field, with text: Why we should look beyond grades to spot potential in STEM

"… watching these students, I am reminded how transformative that moment can be when someone finally sees in you what you could not yet see in yourself." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/46GFzAr

Multi-isotope analysis of mammal bones provides environmental context for the adoption of agriculture in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico Isotopic values of animal bones reflect environmental conditions during the origins of agriculture in south-central Mexico.

Animal bones reveal that maize cultivation in ancient Mexico began during a relatively wet period in the Holocene and intensified centuries later.

Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4rNpEZt

NASA administrator talks to Science about studying the Moon, Mars—and Earth

Last week, new NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman welcomed Science for a 20-minute interview at his ninth-floor office at NASA headquarters, where one of his first directives was an “open doors” policy

Learn more: https://scim.ag/40qzapt

Identification and characterization of dietary antigens in oral tolerance Immunodominant epitopes from seed storage proteins are a target of intestinal regulatory T cells that modulate immune challenge to food.

A new #ScienceImmunology study identifies intestinal regulatory T cells in mice that recognize common dietary grain proteins and promote immune tolerance, potentially preventing food allergies. https://scim.ag/4d2PR1y

Career effects of preprints get mixed reviews from biomedical researchers Junior researchers are more likely to embrace preprints; grant reviewers and hiring committees express doubts

Nearly half of biomedical scientists worry preprints could spread shoddy research and misinformation, according to a new survey that could help explain why the life sciences have taken up the publishing practice more slowly than some other fields. https://scim.ag/3PsbLBC

Governing real-world health data as a public utility The utility model offers a framework for ethical stewardship, patient empowerment, and distributed innovation

The vast troves of health data generated during everyday medical care should be treated like essential public infrastructure—governed as a regulated utility rather than left fragmented across private silos, argue the authors of a new #SciencePolicyForum. https://scim.ag/4btOrfm

U.S. agency will devote $144 million to studies that slow aging, extend quality of life ARPA-H will “build the train tracks” for first large clinical studies of aging interventions

ARPA-H will “build the train tracks” for the first large clinical studies of aging interventions. https://scim.ag/4dcPEJj

NASA administrator talks to Science about studying the Moon, Mars—and Earth Jared Isaacman says agency may accelerate lunar science program and could tackle a new Mars mission in 2028

My latest: in an interview with @science.org, new NASA administrator Jared Isaacman promises a big uptick in lunar robotic missions, another potential Mars 2028 mission beyond comms, and continued support for earth science observation.

(Sorry astro and helio folks, time went fast.)

This month’s cover features an image of flint corn, a frequently colorful variant of maize (Zea mays), that contains an immunodominant food epitope recognized by Treg cells.

The March 2026 issue of #ScienceImmunology is out!

This month's cover highlights how intestinal regulatory T cells in mice recognize food-derived antigens such as the maize protein αZein and suppress immune responses to them.

Learn about this research and more: https://scim.ag/4rL6F1I

A chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) cares for a chick while its partner catches a quick nap.

In the wild, nesting chinstrap penguins get more than 11 hours of sleep per day—but not all at once.

According to a 2023 Science study, these birds nod off thousands of times per day, but for only around 4 seconds at a time.

Learn more on #NationalNappingDay: https://scim.ag/4ujVsXG

Stabilization of the H5 clade 2.3.4.4b hemagglutinin improves vaccine-elicited neutralizing antibody responses in mice Vaccinating with a stabilized H5 hemagglutinin increases the proportion of humoral responses against neutralizing receptor binding site epitopes.

Researchers in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine present new vaccines for H5 clade #influenza based on a stabilized H5 hemagglutinin stem, which improves the breadth and depth of antibody responses and protects against #H5N1 challenge in immunized mice. https://scim.ag/4aRgrcG

Do the twist: Scientists reveal why cats always land on their feet Study of feline spines suggests a hyperflexible region of their backbones is key

Of the many impressive acrobatic qualities of cats, perhaps their most spectacular is their ability to right themselves midair so they always seem to land on their feet. The trick lies in a hyperflexible region of their backbone known as the thoracic spine, a new study finds. https://scim.ag/4rlHodw

Scientists have developed dielectric elastomer actuators, or artificial “muscles,” that can operate at low voltages while still producing high output to drive untethered, soft robotic fish movements.

Learn more in #ScienceRobotics: https://scim.ag/4c7km6l

Career effects of preprints get mixed reviews from biomedical researchers Junior researchers are more likely to embrace preprints; grant reviewers and hiring committees express doubts

#preprints are seen as accelerating science – but do they accelerate #researchcareers? @science.org @sciencecareers.bsky.social #scientificpublishing #scicomm
www.science.org/content/arti...

Ghreetings from ghorgeous Ghent, where #Type2Immunity26 co-org by @vibtrainconf.bsky.social & #Science #Immunology is well under way! Check out our free collection of #allergy, #asthma, & #Type2Immunity papers in celebration!

Collection: bit.ly/SciImm_free
Conference: vibbio.tech/3UwmTNk

A digital repository—known as Antscan—spans two-thirds of all ant genera, one of the most diverse groups of animals alive today.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4launBV

Science Advances’ special issue on women’s health highlights a growing wave of research focusing on women’s unique biological and psychological experiences. Articles cover a range of studies from the interplay between menopause and Alzheimer’s risk to the menstrual cycle’s influence on the brain-heart connection. It also describes the opportunities pregnancy provides to research aspects of both physical and mental health. By prioritizing women’s unique physiological and psychological experiences, research can expand the frontiers of knowledge in ways that benefit everyone.

In #ScienceAdvances last year, a special issue on #WomensHealth highlighted a growing wave of research focusing on women’s unique biological and psychological experiences.

Learn more on #InternationalWomensDay: https://scim.ag/4b5vlLq

Acceleration hotspots of North American birds’ decline are associated with agriculture Human activities might have accelerated declines of population abundance, but this acceleration remains underexplored. Using 1033 North American Breeding Bird Survey routes, we analyze abundance chang...

North American bird populations are not only declining, but they’re also shrinking faster with each passing year—particularly in regions shaped by intensive agriculture, according to a new study in Science. https://scim.ag/4bkrafP

Illustrated infographic comparing a functioning neuron with healthy GRN with one experiencing neurodegeneration due to mutated GRN.

A wealthy family fighting its own disease boosted research on a little-studied brain protein, progranulin. Can it spur new dementia treatments?

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4bqxG4J

Sensory aboral organ of an adult comb jelly.

Using volume electron microscopy in the warty comb jelly, researchers reveal that the aboral organ forms synaptic connections between cells in the nerve net—and may use both synaptic and nonsynaptic forms of communication.

Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4rOAmPz

Science stories for young readers

An unrelenting Everglades advocate, a clever wartime spider farmer, and a resourceful Peruvian potato hunter are among the cast of real-life science figures whose stories are told in the titles in this year’s children’s book roundup.

📕 Check out the reviews: https://scim.ag/47unHJh

Archeological data with AI- and physics-based modeling explain typhoon-induced disasters in inland China around 3000 yr B.P. Intensified typhoons caused extreme rainfall and floods in inland China, threatening cultural development, around 3000 yr B.P.

During the Bronze Age in China, intensifying typhoons contributed to population decline in the inland “Cradle of Civilization,” according to new #ScienceAdvances research involving ancient scripts, paleoclimate radiocarbon data, and additional archaeological evidence. https://scim.ag/4boOGID

Science stories for young readers

❤️this review of JELLYFISH SCIENTIST in @science.org by 8 year old reviewer Bianca Buehler (supported by Christie Wilcox). "I learned that anyone can be a scientist in their own way, whether they love chemistry or marine biology or even cooking." 🌊https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aef9208

I am *obsessed* with Antscan's detailed 3D ants. I wish there were data like these for all critters! #ScienceAdviser @science.org www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪 🐜

Can a wealthy family change the course of a deadly brain disease? Inspired by the loss of their mother, they have poured millions into studying a key protein behind frontotemporal dementia. But all has not gone according to plan

Fascinating look at efforts by a wealthy family to change the course of a deadly brain disease | Science | AAAS via @jennieerinsmith.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Many heat-stressed tropical insects are reaching their limits Vast study in Peru and Kenya confirms limited defenses against rising temperatures, redoubling climate concerns

Insects living in the lowland tropics have evolved to deal with brutal heat. But many of them are close to their limit, according to a massive study that assessed the heat tolerance of hundreds of species. https://scim.ag/406Y5yh

Hour-scale single-molecule imaging reveals dynamic assembly of the Wnt co-receptors LRP6 and ROR2 into common signalosomes A method that extends the duration of single-molecule tracking provides insights on Wnt receptor dynamics.

In #ScienceSignaling, a team of scientists devises a method to extend the time that individual molecules can be tracked in a cell, widening the analysis window from several seconds to more than one hour. https://scim.ag/3OGClH4

This year’s children’s book roundup features everything from a look at space law to a clever wartime spider farmer. Science's Valerie Thompson joins the @science.org podcast to discuss some of the books. Listen here: www.science.org/content/podc...

Did ancient Greek priestesses brew a mind-bending potion drunk by Cicero and Marcus Aurelius? Researchers found the psychedelic elixir would have been possible to make using ingredients and techniques available in ancient Greece

Researchers found the psychedelic elixir would have been possible to make using ingredients and techniques available in ancient Greece. https://scim.ag/3OMLGNv