US science

The Trump administration is seeking to prevent the restoration of climate change and diversity-related information at US historical sites. The move suggests an effort to keep such material removed from exhibits or signage at federally maintained locations. The news has drawn attention amid broader debates over how climate science and diversity topics are handled across government institutions.

Peter Barrett, a leading figure in Antarctic science in New Zealand and internationally, has died. Colleagues describe him as a legend in the field, noting that even in death he left behind a list of tasks and challenges, reflecting his lifelong commitment to Antarctic research and climate issues. Tributes have come from across Aotearoa and the wider scientific community.

The US National Institutes of Health has launched Linked Discoveries, an experimental new PubMed tool aimed at strengthening research replication and reproducibility. The announcement is circulating among science and technology communities, with observers highlighting the effort to help researchers verify and build on published findings more easily.

Germany is creating a digital repository, described as a 'Noah's Ark', to back up American climate data amid fears the Trump administration could alter or delete federal scientific records. The initiative would safeguard datasets from US agencies so researchers worldwide can continue accessing them. Observers say the move reflects growing international concern about the reliability of US government climate science and a broader effort to protect open scientific data.

Political science experts at Old Dominion University are analyzing Donald Trump's new political messages five weeks ahead of the US midterm elections. Their commentary, published by WAVY.com, examines how Trump's messaging may shape the campaigns and voter turnout. With the elections approaching, observers are watching closely to see which issues Trump emphasizes and how his involvement affects races nationwide.

Metro's Games Inbox is asking readers whether Naughty Dog will ever return to the Uncharted series, inviting speculation about the future of the PlayStation adventure franchise. The studio has not released a new mainline Uncharted game since Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and its spin-off The Lost Legacy, with recent focus on The Last of Us Part II and its upcoming science fiction game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Readers are debating whether a revival, remake, or handover to another studio is more likely.

A lawsuit alleges that Adam Kalkstein, a professor at the US Military Academy at West Point, was fired after he objected to department officials barring faculty from teaching that humans contribute to climate change. The case raises questions about academic freedom at the service academy and whether political pressure is shaping what instructors can teach about climate science.

NPR's weekly science roundup highlights three stories: unusually loud birds, research on how eating with company affects us, and new findings from asteroid samples. The roundup gathers recent developments in nature, behavior, and space research into a single digest for general readers.

US Senators Ted Budd and Lisa Blunt Rochester have introduced legislation to establish a Biometrology Laboratory Program aimed at accelerating development in the biotech industry. The bill would create a federal program to advance measurement science in biotechnology. The bipartisan pairing has drawn attention as Congress weighs support for the US biotech sector.

A representative of the Union of Concerned Scientists has delivered congressional testimony describing attacks on science in the United States, who is behind them, and the harm they cause. The organisation published the testimony on its blog, framing the discussion around threats to scientific integrity and their consequences for public policy.

Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Michigan, spoke with Scientific American about how his scientific background informs his political positions and approach to policy. The interview comes as he campaigns for the Senate seat, and it is drawing attention among readers interested in the intersection of science and politics.

New research suggests a deadly fungus, compared to the pathogen featured in the series 'The Last of Us', may be vulnerable to elimination itself. Coverage on science news outlets discusses findings on the fungus's biology and possible ways to stop it, drawing attention because the fictional show made fungal infections a mainstream fear.

NYU Stern professor Deepak Hegde argues in a new opinion piece that current tax policy penalizes the skilled workers and innovators who drive American scientific research. He contends that taxing this talent heavily undermines the workforce that builds US science leadership, and urges policymakers to reconsider how tax rules affect researchers and high-skilled immigrants in the innovation economy.

The IK Foundation is marking the last day of its fundraising campaign for the iBook Spitsbergen science expeditions, saying its goal is nearly met and appealing for donations to cover the final 10%. The campaign supports research and documentation work in the Arctic, with the appeal reaching audiences interested in science, Svalbard, Greenland and polar exploration.

The US Department of Energy has announced up to $400 million in funding for basic research aimed at advancing the frontiers of science. The programme will support fundamental scientific work across national laboratories and research institutions, though detailed allocations and eligible research areas have not yet been laid out in the announcement.

Veeva Systems Inc., the US life-sciences software company trading under the ticker VEEV, is seeing renewed attention on its stock price, quote and trading history. Investors are checking the latest news and market data on the company, which provides cloud-based software to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

A new article in The Conversation explores how space travel affects human sleep and circadian rhythms, arguing that astronauts' experiences offer lessons for better sleep on Earth. It examines how altered light cycles and microgravity disrupt the body clock, and what this reveals about sleep science more broadly.

Commercial fishing groups are petitioning NOAA to downgrade the protected status of the Atlantic sturgeon, a large, long-lived fish that has been listed as endangered or threatened along the US East Coast since 2012. The request sets fishing interests against conservationists, who argue the species has not yet recovered from historic overfishing, habitat loss and bycatch. The outcome could affect how much protection the fish's spawning rivers and coastal waters receive.

The US National Institutes of Health has awarded a $2 million grant for research into how the brain detects protein intake. The work aims to uncover the mechanisms that allow the body to sense protein consumption, a process relevant to appetite regulation and nutrition science. Details on the receiving institution and researchers have not yet been widely reported.

The US National Science Foundation is moving forward with a plan to build what would be the world's most powerful laser, a project that UC Irvine researchers are involved in advancing. The facility would push the frontiers of high-intensity laser science, enabling experiments in fundamental physics that are currently beyond reach. Details on timeline and funding remain limited.

A new article argues that even the most powerful telescopes have blind spots that limit our maps of the universe, and describes a proposed fix that could help astronomers chart cosmic structures more accurately. Science communicators are sharing the piece widely, with readers discussing how correcting these observational gaps could improve our understanding of the universe's large-scale structure.