UPDATE: A dead humpback whale found in a strait between Denmark and Sweden is “Timmy,” @theguardian.com reports. Read why marine biologists advised against the attempt in @martinenserink.bsky.social's excellent story for @science.org earlier this month.

Critics say the proposal was made without consulting experts, does not specify how the transfer or lifetime care of the animals would be funded, and could endanger the monkeys if they’re not carefully integrated into their new home. My latest for @science.org

Scientists have spotted seals taking refuge in an unusual place: a small, dome-shaped chamber accessible only through an underwater passage. Such hidden “bubble caves” may provide peace and quiet during tourist season. Fun story by @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org

For decades, scientists have been puzzled by the gruesome deaths of gray seal pups. Injuries start at their mouth and corkscrew down to their chest, tearing down to the bone but leaving the rest of the body intact. Now they think they've finally identified the 'corkscrew killer'. @science.org

“We show that in almost every case where you use these fibers, this could be a privacy concern.” Nice story by @elisecutts.bsky.social for @science.org

Last week on the @science.org podcast, we had @david-grimm.bsky.social and Adrian Cho talking about the latest news stories from the site -- including a way to leave singularities out of black holes. Listen here: www.science.org/content/podc...

Archaeologists got wind of the site, which had recently been re-established in the early 2000s as a camp used by people illegally pasturing cattle. Local rumors swirled that they had found gold there... Cool story by @lizziewade.bsky.social for @science.org

@thegreatalbums.bsky.social psyched you guys are back. your shows on new miserable experience and she's so unusual were some of my favorites. looking forward to new shows!

The adaptation not only contributes to penguins’ signature waddle, it also helps keep their bodies streamlined when underwater, allowing them to move efficiently on both land and sea. Fun story by @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social @science.org

Up to 8% of fertilized eggs in IVF only sport one pronucleus-independent structures that contain chromosomes from mom and dad. Some facilities grow them into embryos, especially if a would-be mother’s eggs are in short supply. But many fail. Now scientists think they know why. @science.org

The incorporation of metal ions likely compensates for structural fragility. Rather than boosting raw crushing power, zinc appears to protect a structurally vulnerable weapon against wear over time. Cool story by Olivia Maule for @science.org

Never thought I'd be able to see a spider's heart beating with the naked eye. 🕷️ Cool story by Olivia Maule at @science.org

No beak? No problem. Despite his disability, Bruce the parrot beats all of his rivals in combat. He's done it by inventing a fighting style reminiscent of jousting or fencing. “He doesn’t have to open his bill. He’s just got this dagger.” Really fun story by @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org

Based on the rates of flashes seen by Juno, storms on this tempestuous world can unleash the force of multiple nuclear weapons every minute. Cool story by @squigglyvolcano.bsky.social for @science.org

In the summer of 2004, Douglas Baird was leading excavations at a remote hunter-gatherer site called Pınarbaşı in central Turkey when his team found something unusual... @science.org

Puppies found at an ancient hunter gatherer site are now the world's oldest confirmed dogs. Their nearly 16,000-year-old bones push the definitive origin of dogs back almost 5000 years. My latest for @science.org!

What does the new Project Hail Movie get right--and wrong? @science.org chatted with astronomer Wendy Freedman about whether non-water-based life could really exist, and the scenes that made her nerd out.

On using cats as spies, a CIA document states: "It is indeed possible…,” but the rest of the sentence is redacted. I don't think it takes a super-sleuth to figure out that the rest probably reads, "assuming you want to take your life into your own hands." 😹 Fun story by Tom Hawking at @popsci.com

In the dense jungles of Panama’s Barro Colorado Island, a rare, hot pink cricket will emerge. Scientists have long thought it was an unfortunate mutant, but it may not be a mutant after all. Fun story by @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social for @science.org

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. @science.org

As the debate raged over whether the COVID-19 pandemic was sparked by a food market in Wuhan or a leak from a nearby lab, an anonymous post on the Chinese social medium WeChat floated a completely different, bizarre theory... Excellent story by @cohenjon.bsky.social for @science.org

“I expect at some point” that the ceremony will make its way back across the pond, says Ig Nobel founder Marc Abrahams. But “the way things are right now, I doubt that the ceremony will be back in the U.S. in any of the next few years.” Nice coverage by @hannah-richter.bsky.social for @science.org

To simulate an asteroid impact in the lab, researchers put bacterial cells on a membrane and shot them with a gas-fired projectile that struck the microbes at up to 480 kilometers per hour. The bacteria largely shrugged off the cataclysm. Cool story by @jakebuehler.bsky.social at @science.org

The find promises new insights into one of the most famous ideological transitions in the history of science: the moment when Earth was thrust from the center of our universe. Cool story by @joshuasokol.bsky.social for @science.org

For half a century, researchers suspected treetops on Earth might glow because of thunderstorms. But the phenomenon, an electric outburst called a corona, has only ever been spotted in the lab--until now. Cool story from @hannah-richter.bsky.social for @science.org

Here me talk about the challenges of breeding dogs for disabilities—and what science can do to help 🐕

More than half of dogs trained to help people with blindness, PTSD, autism, and other conditions fail to graduate. New scientific approaches could help, getting more--and better--working dogs into the hands of people who need them most. My new feature for @science.org!

Biomedical researchers are shocked by a seemingly sudden decision to consider converting one of the largest primate research centers in the U.S. into a monkey sanctuary. Costs could exceed $250 million, and it's unclear who would pay for it--and if its even possible. My latest for @science.org

BREAKING: One of the largest monkey research centers in the U.S. could become a sanctuary. University voted today to enter into negotiations with NIH that could put an end to all studies at the Oregon Primate Research Center. My latest for @science.org

It was the middle of the night in 2017 when biologist Dikansh Parmar received an unexpected phone call from an anxious railway employee in India’s Gujarat state... Really fun story from @erikstokstad.bsky.social for @science.org!

About a decade ago, a baker in a small mountainous village in southern Austria noticed his cow doing something unusual... My latest for @science.org about the first documented case of tool use in cattle!

You don't need a brain to appreciate a good night of sleep! New research revealed that jellyfish and sea anemones sleep for around 8 hours a day—the same amount as humans—and even get groggy! 🪼 Latest for @science.org with a great edit from @david-grimm.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Leonardo da Vinci's burial site was disturbed early in the 19th century, and he had no direct descendants. Finding his DNA is “about as hard a target there is,” experts say. Now scientists may have made a breakthrough... Cool story by @richardastone.bsky.social for @science.org

RFK Jr. vows an end to animal testing on Lara Trump's Fox News program. "We’re reeducating researchers so that they know that there are these other forms of research that are much more predictive." The remarks are sending shock waves through the biomedical community. My latest for @science.org

In his strongest condemnation yet of animal research, RFK Jr. said HHS is “deeply committed to ending animal experimentation.” He also called for an end monkey to imports and claimed national primate centers are driven by profit. My latest for @science.org

From trees that love getting struck by lightning to one of the most insane acrobatic feats in nature, here are our favorite science news stories of the year! @science.org

My favorite podcast of the year, and not just because I'm on it 😊. Listen to a rundown of our favorite science news stories of the year. @science.org

The best show you've never heard of. Buried by AMC+, resurrected by Netflix. Two seasons that tell a complete story--no cliffhangers, no loose threads. And you won't believe where it ultimately goes. h/t @devindra.bsky.social

This hairdo doesn't just help male pheasants woo females--it also obscures their vision, making them more vulnerable to predators. Fun story at @science.org

EXCLUSIVE: CDC to end all monkey studies. Decision handed down by recent college grad and former DOGE employee who is now deputy chief of staff at the agency. Animals were being used in studies of HIV prevention. Some may be euthanized. My latest for @science.org

There is an excellent video of the wolf using the trap too, which is somehow both soothing and delightful

A female wolf has been doing something unusual on the Central Coast of British Columbia. She's learned to pull crab traps up from the water, yanking on a rope to bring it to the surface. But is it tool use? Very fun story from @phiejacobs.bsky.social for @science.org

Is it cheating at paleontology if the dinosaur bones are marked with bright orange lichen? @david-grimm.bsky.social dives in to the dilemma this week on the @science.org podcast www.science.org/content/podc...

Known as a “lip out” or the “golfer’s curse,” the sometimes strange behavior of golf balls has bedeviled players for centuries. Now, physicists have figured out how they happen. Just don't expect the discovery to improve your game... Fun story by @annademming.bsky.social for @science.org

Getting--or got--a PhD? Got boogie in your soul? Then don't be shy. Enter this year's contest--and dance, dance, dance! @science.org

Back to the Future did it first!

Ancient coffins aren't just for Dracula. They can provide clues to what it felt like to Walk the earth thousands of years ago. Just in time for #Halloween, a spooky story from @science.org

Each year, hundreds of millions of people worldwide similarly fall sick from microbial pathogens lurking in meals. Bacteria-killing viruses called bacteriophages could offer an unusual solution. @science.org

Breaking news: To avoid criminal prosecution for allegations of animal abuse, the second-largest breeder of research dogs in the United States will stop providing animals to research labs around the country, according to a settlement. https://scim.ag/4hT8dCV

“It was almost like watching little circus animals.” Very fun and cool (and important!) story at @science.org