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Science news: discoveries, health, climate and space, from the journals and the labs, explained plainly.

742 articles · page 3 of 16 · The Science front page

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Health & Medicine

Autistic children's brains show distinct, age-independent patterns in face processing, study finds

A major study published in Nature Mental Health has found that the brains of autistic children process faces in a fundamentally different way from neurotypical children, and that this difference does not diminish with age. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and machine learning, researchers analyzed brain activity across the entire scalp in approximately 400 autistic children and found that the neural signals associated with seeing a face were less distinct than in neurotypical peers and did not become more specialized as the children grew older, suggesting face-processing differences may be an intrinsic feature of autism rather than a consequence of experience.

·3 min
Earth & Nature

Biosecurity review launched after fire ant nest went undetected for years

The federal inspector-general of biosecurity has launched a nationwide review of biosecurity measures, beginning with the case of an established red imported fire ant nest found under concrete at Sydney's Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre, where the site was only required to be checked every three years. The discovery, made in September and disclosed to the public two weeks ago, has prompted urgent scrutiny of surveillance policies designed to stop one of the world's worst invasive species from spreading.

·2 min·2 sources
Space

NASA Systems Engineering team details architecture concepts for Habitable Worlds Observatory

A NASA systems engineering team has detailed three exploratory architecture concepts for the proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a flagship space telescope slated to launch in the 2040s that aims to directly image Earth-like exoplanets. The concepts, described in a June 2026 study published in the Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, balance science goals with engineering needs as the mission moves toward final design.

·2 min
Health & Medicine

South Carolina measles outbreak reached Washington state five times in two weeks, study finds

Washington state health officials have detailed how South Carolina's measles outbreak reached their state through five separate importation events over two weeks in January, causing 26 infections among residents before the spread was halted. The study, published this week in NEJM Evidence, says the episodes signal that domestic travel now poses a greater risk than international travel for bringing measles back into US communities.

·2 min
Archaeology & Origins

30,000-year-old genome from French cave reveals unexpected genetic mixing in Stone Age Europe

Scientists have sequenced the genomes of three Late Stone Age people who lived in Europe 30,000 years ago and discovered genetic mixing between Eastern and Western populations, overturning the long-held assumption that the two groups remained separate. The finding, published Oct. 23 in Science Advances, suggests that southwestern France was a key cultural and biological crossroads during the last ice age.

·2 min
Health & Medicine

Florida surgeon performs first telesurgery between two US hospitals, removing prostate from 35 miles away

A Florida surgeon has performed the first telerobotic surgery between two US hospitals, removing the prostate of a 66-year-old cancer patient from 35 miles away using a robotic system operated remotely. The procedure, conducted on Sunday under an FDA investigational device exemption, is part of a clinical study evaluating the safety and reliability of telesurgery.

·2 min
Science

Genetic study traces Native Hawaiian origins to Mangareva, reveals health risks from founder effect

A new genetic study has traced the origins of Native Hawaiians to the island of Mangareva, revealing that the closest genetic ties exist between the two most isolated islands in Polynesia: Hawaii and Rapa Nui. The research, published in Science, also identified three harmful mutations that arose from repeated population bottlenecks experienced by small groups voyaging across the Pacific.

·2 min·2 sources
Health & Medicine

Scientists uncover hidden immune cause of inflammatory bowel disease, ending 30-year mystery

Researchers at the University of Oxford, Newcastle University and Cambridge University Hospitals have identified a previously unknown cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): antibodies that disable the immune system's natural inflammation control. The discovery, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, solves a 30-year genetic puzzle and could lead to more precise diagnoses and treatments for the chronic conditions Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

·3 min
Health & Medicine

School captain Archie Patten raises $13,500 for swimming lessons, launches water safety campaign

Eleven-year-old Archie Patten was elected school captain on a promise to remove cost as a barrier to swimming lessons after he learned nearly half of his peers could not meet national water safety benchmarks. Through a school Colour Run he raised $13,500, funding professional swimming instruction for every student at St Joseph's Primary School in Maclean into 2028, and has now challenged young leaders nationwide to spread the 'Ripple Effect' to their own communities.

·3 min·3 sources
Space

Perseverance finds Mars dust small enough to enter astronauts' bloodstreams

NASA's Perseverance rover has measured Martian dust particles clinging to spacesuit material samples it carries, including grains small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings, collected over 1,645 Martian days and published Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could inform spacesuit and habitat design, dust-removal procedures and crew health standards for future NASA missions to Mars.

·4 min
Health & Medicine

Anaphylaxis cluster linked to black market peptides, health authorities warn

Victorian health authorities are warning against the use of unregulated peptides after a cluster of anaphylaxis cases was linked to black-market products promoted on social media. New health data shows at least 13 Victorians have experienced anaphylaxis since July 2025, more than half in the past two months, with emergency departments treating patients for breathing difficulties, facial swelling and collapse.

·3 min·3 sources
Health & Medicine

Mebufotenin nasal spray shows rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression trial

A new phase 2b clinical trial published in JAMA reports that a single-dose nasal spray of mebufotenin (5-MeO-DMT), a synthetic version of a compound found in Sonoran Desert toad venom, produced rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in patients with difficult-to-treat depression. However, independent experts caution that the benefits were incomplete and the study excluded patients with suicidality, leaving questions about safety and long-term maintenance.

·3 min