Frontiers | Science news

Health

Published on 17 Jun 2026

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Microbiome of ancient middens sheds new light on the daily life of Paleo-Inuit and old Norse

Health

Published on 10 Jun 2026

Living with cats does not worsen asthma in children, suggests study

Large-scale study on children with asthma and allergies suggests no link between exposure to cats and asthma severity

Health

Published on 27 May 2026

North America and Europe could become hotspots for chikungunya virus due to climate change

Enabled by global heating, mosquito-borne chikungunya virus is likely to spread into temperate regions

Health

Published on 07 May 2026

Frontiers in Science: AI-embodied surgical robots can revolutionize surgery—if regulatory questions addressed

Embodying surgical robots with next-gen AI can safely augment practice if ethical and regulatory questions are addressed, say experts writing today in Frontiers in Science.

Researchers in Portugal examined if handwriting features differ between older people who show signs of cognitive decline and those who don’t. Credit: Ana Rita Silva.

Neuroscience

Published on 20 May 2026

Handwriting speed among possible signs of cognitive decline in older people

Accessible digital tool recording writing speed and number of strokes in complex handwriting tasks could aid diagnosis of cognitive decline, study shows

Image credit: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Mond-vergleich.svg

Neuroscience

Published on 20 Oct 2025

Do animals fall for optical illusions? What fish and birds can teach us about perception

Dr Maria Santacà describes how not only how fish and birds perceive their worlds, but also how ecological pressures shape the evolution of perception.

Neuroscience

Published on 07 Oct 2025

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Scientists find that words you’ve been told to recall are better remembered than words with negative emotional connotations — but surprisingly, sleeping doesn’t help.

Neuroscience

Published on 03 Sep 2025

Happy music could help you recover from motion sickness

Listening to joyful music helped study participants with motion sickness recover better than other participants — while sad music helped less than doing nothing.

Environment

Published on 17 Jun 2026

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Microbiome of ancient middens sheds new light on the daily life of Paleo-Inuit and old Norse

Samples and scans of shark fins. Image by Dr Vanessa Pirotta, Macquarie University.

Environment

Published on 08 Jun 2026

Finding Nemo: AI tech could spot smuggled seahorses in suitcases

New automatic detection algorithm integrates into 3D scanners to help catch marine wildlife trafficking in luggage

An immature Amphibolis antarctica seedling attached to the mother plant. Image by Prof Jennifer Verduin, Murdoch University.

Environment

Published on 22 May 2026

Seagrass found to ‘give birth’ to new genetic individuals rather than clone itself, offering hope for our underwater gardens

Seagrass seedlings come from sexual reproduction, not cloning, preserving essential genetic diversity

Environment

Published on 21 May 2026

Frontiers in Science: How AI could help scientists secure soil—a vital global resource

Soils store carbon, sustain ecosystems, and underpin global food and water systems. A new Frontiers in Science paper details how AI tools can help us adapt soils—and the systems they nurture—to a changing climate.

An argument between father and teenaged son

Psychology

Published on 18 Jun 2026

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Teenagers who report competing with caregivers’ phones for attention are more likely to have insecure attachment styles, which could damage wellbeing

Psychology

Published on 16 Jun 2026

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

Researchers find more interaction with pets during stressful moments may not help stress-reduction but – in some cases – intensify negative feelings

A young woman uses her smartphone while waiting for a train.

Psychology

Published on 29 May 2026

‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say

Bans on teenagers’ social media use are gathering pace worldwide. Their proponents claim that social media bans will improve young people’s mental health, but what evidence supports these claims? In their new Frontiers in Developmental Psychology article, Dr Monika Neff Lind and her co-authors argue that there is no solid scientific evidence behind these bans, and reason to believe they could backfire. In this guest editorial, Neff Lind explains why she and her colleagues doubt that social media bans will work, and how bans should be evaluated to determine whether they have any positive effects.

Children playing tug of war at the park.

Psychology

Published on 27 Mar 2026

‘Sometimes an adult should shut up and go away’: scientists reveal the qualities that kids need in play

For better play, give children space to choose and accessible games, scientists say

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 06 May 2026

Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, and this can help prevent collisions with satellites

Scientists have shown for the first time that solar activity can predict the rate at which space junk and satellites descend from orbit

Legged robot performing analogue tests in Marslabor at the University of Basel. Credit: Dr Tomaso Bontognali.

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 31 Mar 2026

Legged robot could accelerate resource prospecting on the Moon and the search for life on Mars

What if future planetary robots did not have to wait for instructions from Earth before examining every rock?

Concept design for a rectangular space telescope, modeled after the Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver (DICER), a notional infrared space observatory, and the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: Leaf Swordy/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 01 Sep 2025

Circle versus rectangle: finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

Guest editorial by Prof Heidi Newberg, an astrophysicist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and author of a new Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences article

Space sciences and astronomy

Published on 25 Feb 2025

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars

Scientists successfully identify microbe fossils in terrestrial rocks like those found on Mars, opening up the possibility of searching for fossils on the Red Planet.

Frontiers | Science news

Science news

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

This is how we found ‘The Heaven Sword,’ East Asia’s tallest tree after years of looking

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

Latest posts

Arabian Sea humpback whale’s long-distance trip further highlights species’ unique ecology

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

Living with cats does not worsen asthma in children, suggests study

Finding Nemo: AI tech could spot smuggled seahorses in suitcases

Categories

Health

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Living with cats does not worsen asthma in children, suggests study

North America and Europe could become hotspots for chikungunya virus due to climate change

Frontiers in Science: AI-embodied surgical robots can revolutionize surgery—if regulatory questions addressed

Neuroscience

Handwriting speed among possible signs of cognitive decline in older people

Do animals fall for optical illusions? What fish and birds can teach us about perception

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Happy music could help you recover from motion sickness

Environment

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Finding Nemo: AI tech could spot smuggled seahorses in suitcases

Seagrass found to ‘give birth’ to new genetic individuals rather than clone itself, offering hope for our underwater gardens

Frontiers in Science: How AI could help scientists secure soil—a vital global resource

Psychology

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say

‘Sometimes an adult should shut up and go away’: scientists reveal the qualities that kids need in play

Space sciences and astronomy

Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, and this can help prevent collisions with satellites

Legged robot could accelerate resource prospecting on the Moon and the search for life on Mars

Circle versus rectangle: finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars

Frontiers | Science news

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

This is how we found ‘The Heaven Sword,’ East Asia’s tallest tree after years of looking

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

Latest posts

Arabian Sea humpback whale’s long-distance trip further highlights species’ unique ecology

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

Living with cats does not worsen asthma in children, suggests study

Finding Nemo: AI tech could spot smuggled seahorses in suitcases

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Health

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Living with cats does not worsen asthma in children, suggests study

North America and Europe could become hotspots for chikungunya virus due to climate change

Frontiers in Science: AI-embodied surgical robots can revolutionize surgery—if regulatory questions addressed

Neuroscience

Handwriting speed among possible signs of cognitive decline in older people

Do animals fall for optical illusions? What fish and birds can teach us about perception

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Happy music could help you recover from motion sickness

Environment

Microbes frozen in ancient rubbish heaps help reconstruct ancient Greenlanders’ farms, seal hunts, and toilets

Finding Nemo: AI tech could spot smuggled seahorses in suitcases

Seagrass found to ‘give birth’ to new genetic individuals rather than clone itself, offering hope for our underwater gardens

Frontiers in Science: How AI could help scientists secure soil—a vital global resource

Psychology

Teenagers whose parents are more distracted by phones are more insecure

Cuddling cats might make us feel worse when under stress

‘We cannot ban our way out of a youth mental health crisis’: social media bans for teenagers lack evidence and pose risks, scientists say

‘Sometimes an adult should shut up and go away’: scientists reveal the qualities that kids need in play

Space sciences and astronomy

Space junk falls to Earth faster when sunspots peak, and this can help prevent collisions with satellites

Legged robot could accelerate resource prospecting on the Moon and the search for life on Mars

Circle versus rectangle: finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

Laser-powered device tested on Earth could help us detect microbial fossils on Mars