Science Daily

Beneath our feet lies a fungal superhighway stretching 68 quadrillion miles

Beneath our feet lies a vast hidden fungal superhighway that helps sustain much of life on Earth—and scientists have now mapped it for the first time. Researchers estimate that these underground networks stretch an astonishing 110 quadrillion kilometers, move about 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide into soils each year, and play a major role in supporting plants and regulating the climate.

science  Jun 15, 2026

The Guardian Science

Starwatch: Sliver of moon and bright Venus create delightful twilight conjunction

Three-day-old moon will be about its own width away from luminous planet in constellation of CancerA silver sliver of moon joins the bright beacon of Venus this week for a delightful twilight conjunction. The moon will be just over three days old and only 11% of its visible surface will be illuminated.Venus will be burning brightly and less than a moon’s width away from our natural satellite. The pair will be situated in the constellation of Cancer, the crab. The chart shows the view looking wes

science  Jun 15, 2026

NASA News

Pumice Rafts Encroach on Admiralty Islands

Buoyant volcanic rock fragments from an underwater eruption drifted across the Bismarck Sea and choked island coasts.

science  Jun 15, 2026

Science Daily

The secret behind smoother, better-tasting protein shakes

A new whey protein manufacturing technique could make protein shakes taste better and feel smoother in the mouth. Researchers traced unwanted bitterness to concentrated minerals and found a way to remove them without sacrificing the improved texture.

science  Jun 15, 2026

Science Daily

Honey bees have their own personal flight paths and fly them with stunning precision

Researchers tracked honey bees in the wild using a drone-based system and found that each bee follows its own highly consistent flight path. Some repeated their routes so precisely that they flew only centimeters from where they had flown before. Landmarks like trees helped keep them on track, while uniform areas such as cornfields led to more variation.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Reversing prediabetes cuts risk of deadly heart problems by 58%

Bringing blood sugar levels back to normal may dramatically reduce the danger posed by prediabetes. Researchers found that people who reversed prediabetes cut their risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure by 58% and lowered their chances of major heart problems such as heart attacks and strokes by 42%. The benefits lasted for decades and were seen across large long-term studies in both the U.S. and China.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists crack a decades-old CO2 problem and triple fuel production

A new catalyst design could significantly improve the conversion of CO2 into methanol, an important fuel and chemical feedstock. Researchers separated key reaction steps across different catalyst sites, avoiding a long-standing trade-off between speed and efficiency. The result was about three times more methanol production than standard commercial catalysts.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

A dying star could create a new universe instead of a black hole

What if some black holes aren’t black holes at all? A new theoretical study suggests that when a massive star collapses, it might not form a singularity hidden behind an event horizon. Instead, the collapse could trigger the birth of a tiny new universe inside the dying star. Driven by dark energy, this miniature cosmos would expand and push back against gravity, preventing complete collapse and creating an exotic object known as a gravastar.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Millipedes beat vertebrates to land by 80 million years

Millipedes may have been crawling across Earth's landscapes nearly 460 million years ago, long before vertebrates ventured onto land. A new study finally completes their evolutionary family tree, revealing surprising clues about these ancient ecosystem engineers and their early chemical defenses.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists found a surprising problem with sugar-free diets

A surprising new study suggests that completely eliminating sugar may backfire. Mice on a sucrose-free low-fat diet showed worse blood sugar control, increased inflammation, disrupted gut bacteria, and signs of fatty liver compared with mice that consumed some sucrose. Researchers say the results highlight the importance of a balanced diet and a healthy gut microbiome rather than focusing solely on cutting out sugar.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

People taking GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic started moving less

People taking popular weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound may be losing pounds, but they could also be moving less. Researchers analyzing Fitbit data found that daily step counts and exercise levels dropped after people started these medications, despite successful weight loss. Because the drugs can reduce muscle mass along with fat, the decline in physical activity raises concerns about preserving strength and long-term health.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover parrots may actually use names

Parrots may be doing more than just repeating words—they may actually use names. By analyzing hundreds of recordings from pet parrots, researchers found evidence that many birds use specific names to identify particular people, animals, and even individual companions. Some parrots appeared to refer to someone who wasn’t present, while others used names in creative ways, such as saying their own name to grab attention.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Yellowstone wolves may not have reshaped the national park after all

One of the most celebrated claims about Yellowstone’s wolves is facing a major challenge. Scientists say the study behind the famous trophic cascade story relied on flawed methods that overstated the ecological impact of wolf recovery. Their reanalysis found no evidence for a dramatic, park-wide surge in willow growth. Instead, the effects appear smaller and vary from place to place.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Why middle age is becoming a breaking point in the U.S.

A new international study finds that middle-aged Americans are lonelier, more depressed, and experiencing worse memory and health than earlier generations. Researchers say growing financial strain, weaker social supports, and chronic stress may explain why the U.S. is falling behind other wealthy nations.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Ancient Denisovan DNA still shapes human immunity today

Ancient encounters between humans and the mysterious Denisovans are still shaping people today. By analyzing genomes from populations across the Pacific, researchers uncovered evidence that the ancestors of Near Oceanians interbred with at least three different Denisovan groups, leaving behind genetic variants that remain active in modern humans.

science  Jun 14, 2026

Science Daily

Your brain can keep improving into your 90s, study finds

A three-year study of nearly 4,000 adults ranging from age 19 to 94 found that brain health can improve at any age, challenging the common belief that mental sharpness must decline as we get older. Participants spent just a few minutes a day on brain-training activities, and researchers found measurable gains across multiple aspects of brain health, including thinking clarity, emotional well-being, and sense of purpose.

science  Jun 13, 2026

Science Daily

Lucy’s hunter revealed: Giant crocodile terrorized early human ancestors

A newly identified crocodile species nicknamed “Lucy’s hunter” prowled Ethiopia’s rivers when Lucy’s species walked the Earth more than 3 million years ago. The giant predator was likely the most dangerous animal in the ecosystem and may have regularly hunted early human relatives.

science  Jun 13, 2026

Science Daily

Alien planet spins revealed a hidden clue to how worlds form

Using the Keck Observatory, astronomers measured the spins of dozens of giant planets and brown dwarfs orbiting distant stars. They found that giant planets can spin faster than much more massive brown dwarfs, challenging simple assumptions about mass and rotation. The results suggest that magnetic fields and formation processes play a major role in determining how fast worlds end up spinning.

science  Jun 13, 2026

Science Daily

Learning a musical instrument in your 70s could help protect memory

Learning a musical instrument later in life may help keep the brain younger for longer. In a four-year study, older adults who continued practicing maintained their memory performance and showed less age-related brain shrinkage than those who quit. The benefits were especially noticeable in brain regions tied to memory and learning.

science  Jun 13, 2026

The Guardian Science

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin says it will fly again this year after explosion. Nasa needs it to

The company’s response to the launchpad blast has become a key test for Artemis IIIAs Blue Origin tells it, the most spectacular launchpad explosion in recent memory, which destroyed its pioneering New Glenn space rocket last month and severely damaged almost everything around it, was merely a blip.“We will fly again before the end of this year. Gradatim Ferociter,” Dave Limp, the company’s chief executive, posted on X on 1 June, using the Latin form of its motto, “Step by step, ferociously”. Co

science  Jun 13, 2026