Lights, trees and visiting Santa are all potential hazards — be careful decking … or un-decking the halls! https://www.sciencenews.org/article/christmas-holiday-decorations-injuries-emergency-room

Many people struggle with the cringe factor that can come with giving thanks. But the discomfort is worth it, research shows. Simple acts of gratitude can lead to small moments of joy. Read more, free: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gratitude-increases-joy-habits-thankful

Creating human eggs from adult cells just got one step closer to reality. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-egg-cells-from-skin-cells

Rudolph’s superbright snout might seem as fantastical as his ability to fly. But a light-up body part needs no holiday magic. Read how his nose could glow oh-so-red, free: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rudolph-nose-christmas-reindeer-holiday

Ready to take on our holiday themed math puzzle? https://www.sciencenews.org/article/math-puzzle-holiday-gift

Cooking a holday dinner? Save your tissues. This cutting technique slashes tears when chopping onions. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/knife-tricks-stop-onion-cutting-crying

The more live Santas young kids see, the stronger their conviction is that the Santas are real. https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/science-kids-belief-santa

mRNA technology, which powered life-saving COVID-19 vaccines and is now rocketing new cancer therapeutics forward, underwent a scientific slowdown in the U.S. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/mrna-vaccines-diseases-tech

The bacteria that causes gonorrhea is showing resistance to the currently recommended treatment. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/antibiotics-gonorrhea-sti

Axial seamount was supposed to erupt in 2025. What happened? https://www.sciencenews.org/article/underwater-volcano-oregon-erupt-2026

Rudolph’s bright snout might seem as fantastical as his ability to fly. But a light-up body part is actually possible, no holiday magic needed. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rudolph-nose-christmas-reindeer-holiday

Good health news for babies, kids and adults regarding the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination kept coming in December. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/benefits-covid-19-shot-vaccine

🧪In April, I met @chrisbuck.bsky.social at a conference. I followed his journey as he home brewed and tested the effects of a vaccine beer on himself. Critics are worried about the ramifications. My exclusive story @sciencenews.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/vacc...

Eastern European Neandertal groups journeyed some 3,000 kilometers east into Asia, where they left a genetic and cultural legacy, new research suggests. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-neandertals-traveled-asia

Two of the largest clinical trials of their kind have doused hopes that a diabetes and weight loss “wonder drug” might also work its magic on Alzheimer’s. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/glp-1-drugs-failed-slow-alzheimers

Most countries follow the same Hep B vaccine policy — and many with selective vaccination have higher screening and universal health coverage. Experts say removing the birth dose here would widen dangerous gaps. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/hepatitis-b-vaccination-newborns-cdc-acip

A second study in as many months confirms — using an independent and novel analysis — that the the tiny tyrannosaur Nanotyrannus is indeed its own species and not a young T. rex. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nanotyrannus-still-no-teenage-t-rex

Human activities can trigger sudden shakes even in seismically silent regions — by forcing stable, “healing” faults to release all their built-up strength. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/human-caused-earthquakes-stable-regions

Proof that Neandertals hadn’t adapted to cold was right under their noses. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/big-neandertal-werent-nose-cold-climate

Mosaics can enchant humans with gestalt beauty, but for many other creatures, their worth transcends aesthetics. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/nature-tiles-patterns-biological

The training details of DeepSeek’s R1 model has been peer-reviewed. Can it help us understand how the model solves multistep reasoning problems? https://www.sciencenews.org/article/ai-model-deepseek-answers-training

Defined as an excessive propensity to anger, irritability is often triggered by perceived threats or frustration around things not going our way. And whenever you feel it, you’re not alone. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/irritability-mental-health-frustration

Beekeepers bring their bees to blooming heathlands in Ireland. Much like New Yorkers in the face of hordes of tourists, the local bumblebees end up changing their beehavior. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/honeybees-outcompete-bumblebees-hives

The first known method of producing fire involved striking a lump of the mineral iron pyrite against the edge of a jagged piece of flint. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/neandertal-fire-making-tools-flint-iron

A new climate record suggests that Homo floresiensis — pint-size human relatives nicknamed “hobbits” — endured thousands of years of intensifying drought before disappearing from their Indonesian island home of Flores. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/drought-doomed-hobbits-human-relatives

In a small clinical trial, some patients who received the vaccine remained cancer-free for more than three years, researchers reported in Nature. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cancer-vaccine-mrna-pancreas-nih

The first vaccine designed for insects may make honeybees healthier overall. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/honeybee-vaccine-protect-bacteria-virus

Autism is more common than ever before, a new report suggests. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/autism-rates-rose-experts-explain-why

Don't try this at home. Researchers turned milk into traditional yogurts with help from ants. For science. https://www.snexplores.org/article/ants-bacteria-yogurt-ingredient?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

A first-time contestant of the Nikon Small World photomicrography contest won this year’s competition with a close-up shot of a rice weevil. https://www.snexplores.org/article/award-winning-nikon-science-photos-2025?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

From furious firestorms to gently burning swirls, this recently discovered flame may clean oil spills and more. This week’s word is blue whirl. https://www.snexplores.org/article/scientists-say-blue-whirl-definition-pronunciation?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

Can dogs sort toys based on how they play with them? Yes, researchers say, some do. https://www.snexplores.org/article/gifted-dogs-learn-sort-fetch-toys?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded the sounds and interference of little arcs of electricity, generated by wind and dust. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/martian-mini-lightning-listen-nasa

One of Earth’s worst days is the center of a new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dinosaur-doomsday-museum-exhibit

Research shows that practicing gratitude promotes small moments of joy. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gratitude-increases-joy-habits-thankful

Rudolph’s siren-bright snout might seem as fantastical as his ability to fly. But a light-up body part is actually possible, no holiday magic needed. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rudolph-nose-christmas-reindeer-holiday

Canada recently lost their measles elimination status after a yearlong outbreak. The United States could soon follow. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/canada-measles-elimination-us-vaccine

An experimental nasal vaccine could one day serve as a treatment for cervical cancer. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/therapeutic-hpv-vaccine-cervical-cancer

A microphone on NASA’s Perseverance rover recorded the sounds of electrical discharges generated by dusty gusts. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/martian-mini-lightning-listen-nasa

Strong memories capture weak memories that we’d otherwise forget. https://www.snexplores.org/article/emotion-memory-help-remember-moments?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

Using field recordings from Africa and machine learning techniques to analyze the acoustics, scientists found that African lions produce two distinct types of roars. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lion-new-type-roar-decoded

Tiny life-forms with bright colors might point the way to big dinosaur bone discoveries. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lichen-dinosaur-fossils

In ancient Maya civilization, cacao wasn’t just for the elites. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/maya-cacao-ceramics-royals-currency-ritual

To “hear,” this microphone uses light. That means it works even through soundproof glass. https://www.snexplores.org/article/visual-microphone-sees-sounds?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

Dormant moss spores endured months of vacuum, radiation and temperature swings outside the International Space Station … and lived. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moss-spores-survive-nine-months-space

Cutting down on foods with glutamate could be a way to ease migraines, a small study suggests. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/low-glutamate-diet-ease-migraines

Prepare your 2026 TBR stack — here's our 2025 book recommendations and reviews! https://www.sciencenews.org/article/favorite-science-books-2025-review-shop

babe wake up new science news puzzle just dropped https://www.sciencenews.org/article/math-puzzle-holiday-gift

Cosmic forecast: Cloudy with a chance of galactic fountains! https://www.snexplores.org/article/high-velocity-clouds-milky-way-galaxy?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=bluesky&utm_campaign=snesnsocial

Simple chemistry could give Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer his famously bright snout. But physics would make it look different colors from the ground. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rudolph-nose-christmas-reindeer-holiday