News from Science

In The Martian, fictional astronaut Mark Watney survives the wasteland of Mars by growing potatoes in lunar soil—with a bit of help from human poop. The idea may not be so far-fetched. In a new preprint, researchers show potatoes can indeed grow in the equivalent of Moon dust, though they need a lot of help from compost found on Earth. Read more: scim.ag/4bAIGvv

Bhashini, India’s government-backed artificial intelligence platform, aims to put the power of #AI in the hands of all Indians. scim.ag/40Vnz25

For biologists and archaeologists studying the peopling of the western Pacific, the remote archipelago of Palau has long posed a vexing puzzle. About 3200 years ago, Southeast Asian seafarers known as the Lapita pushed east into the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean, hitting nearly every habitable isle in that corner of the globe from New Guinea to Fiji and Tonga. As they did so, they left behind artifacts of their culture, including pottery stamped with distinctive geometric patterns. But on Palau, there’s not a single shard of Lapita pottery—and the island’s inhabitants speak a language that’s distinct from the tongues spoken on other Pacific islands. So who were the first Palauans, and where did they come from? A new study suggests an answer. Learn more: scim.ag/3PqCkqS

An analysis of published papers on eight widely studied “model” organisms suggests work on them is fading, but not everyone is worried. scim.ag/4rCcaiq

President Donald Trump’s budget office has disrupted the traditional process used to implement spending directives from Congress. scim.ag/4lvvFaU

ArXiv, the server that in 1991 pioneered the now widespread use of preprints as a fast, free alternative to scientific journal articles, will go it alone after more than 2 decades of being hosted by Cornell University. scim.ag/4rDpKlG

China is about to apply its growing scientific expertise to one of its most cherished cultural treasures: traditional medicine. scim.ag/4sRRYtV

In the dense jungles of Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, a striking cricket stirs. Arota festae, known colloquially as a “bush cricket,” usually sports a deep green coat. But occasionally, what appears to be a hot pink mutant will emerge. Scientists have long thought this hue was a genetic aberration—an unfortunate variant doomed to be quickly picked off by bats, lizards, and other predators. But a new study finds the vibrant variant is merely a natural developmental stage, one that makes it all the more remarkable that this bug is able to keep from being picked off. Learn more: scim.ag/4rLBnad

Researchers say they have developed a new way to transplant healthy mitochondria into animals harboring defective versions—a strategy the team hopes could one day treat certain neurodegenerative disorders and inherited genetic diseases in people. scim.ag/4dte0hZ

Spinal cord injury patients are scrambling for access to a new paralysis therapy, but researchers say preliminary evidence is weak. scim.ag/4ryhAuA

In 2021, amid debate over COVID-19’s origin, a viral WeChat post claimed the virus came to China from Maine on frozen lobsters sold at the Wuhan market. Scientists dismissed it—but a new analysis suggests the bizarre claim might hint at missing data China hasn’t released. scim.ag/47L1AOQ

About 570 million years ago, life was confined to the seas. Large, strangely shaped invertebrates attached themselves to the sea floor, their fleshy fronds collecting nutrients that drifted by. These bizarre life forms, known as the Ediacaran biota, eventually disappeared. But researchers have long debated whether their die-off was truly cataclysmic. New research now offers a reappraisal of the extinction that claimed many of these creatures, known as the Kotlin Crisis—and reveals that it may have been far more extensive than previously thought, extinguishing a similar percentage of species as the asteroid-driven calamity that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Learn more: scim.ag/4rvnOvh

When a fire ripped through a wealthy Iberian village 3450 years ago, it left heaps of rubble that trapped tools, pots, and jewelry—and, archaeologists now argue, one of the oldest looms ever found. scim.ag/4sHUSBf

The $1 billion Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite mission has fallen victim to agency upheaval at NASA, its principal investigator says. scim.ag/4rzQeEu

The biggest prize in computer science, the A.M. Turing Award, has for the first time honored work in the quantum realm. This year, Charles Bennett, a physicist at IBM, and Gilles Brassard, a computer scientist at the University of Montreal, share the $1 million award for “their essential role in establishing the foundations of quantum information science.” scim.ag/4bxPQjU

Scientific conferences can be a bore. Can jokes liven them up? @ScienceCareers speaks with ecologist @stefanomammola1 about the power of humor to enhance science communication. scim.ag/4ux51mh

Biomedical researchers breathed a collective sigh of relief after the White House loosened the purse strings that had hindered the U.S. National Institutes of Health from spending its 2026 budget on research grants. scim.ag/4uA29EX

A new approach, called temporal interference stimulation, offers access to deep-brain areas previously only targetable with surgery. scim.ag/3NLecij

A federal judge in Massachusetts has upended attempts by President Donald Trump’s administration to cut back on the use of approved vaccines by both U.S. children and adults. scim.ag/475zzBx

Many with sleep apnea aren’t adequately treated because they find continuous positive airway pressure machines too burdensome. A new pill may offer an alternative. Learn more: scim.ag/4muVxE0 #ScienceMagArchives