Science & Nature

The Hunt for Planet Nine: Why the Solar System's Biggest Mystery Just Got Stranger in 2026

The case for a hidden Planet Nine shifted in 2026 in ways its original proponents didn't predict. A new dwarf planet candidate is rewriting the map of the outer solar system.

Tobias Wainwright · 7 min read
Science & Nature

Bemotrizinol (BEMT): Why American Sunscreen Is Finally Catching Up to Europe After 27 Years

The FDA approved bemotrizinol (BEMT) on June 9, 2026 — the first new US sunscreen active ingredient in 27 years and the only organic filter ever granted GRASE status.

Imogen Hartley · 6 min read
Science & Nature

The Amaterasu Particle: How a 2026 Study Is Rethinking What Cosmic Rays Are Made Of

A 2026 study argues the Amaterasu particle, the most energetic cosmic ray from the Northern Hemisphere, may not be a proton , but an ultraheavy nucleus.

Saskia Morrow · 9 min read
Science & Nature

H5N1 Bird Flu in Cats and Dogs: What the FDA's 2026 Raw Pet Food Warnings Mean for Pet Owners

Raw pet food contaminated with H5N1 has killed indoor-only cats across four brands since 2024, with an 89.6% case-fatality rate. Here's what the FDA has actually done and what pet owners need to know.

Saskia Morrow · 10 min read
Science & Nature

Octopus Intelligence: How Nine Brains Build a Distributed Mind

A 2026 Dartmouth study shows octopuses can use mirrors to locate hidden prey,the first invertebrate known to do so. The result is a small data point in a much larger story about what minds can look like when they are not built like ours.

Anika Rousseau · 6 min read
Science & Nature

A Humpback Whale Broke the Migration Record: 15,000 km Brazil to Australia

A humpback whale has broken the migration record with a 15,100 km, 22-year journey from Brazil to Australia, found in the Happywhale citizen science photo database.

Saskia Renshaw · 7 min read
Science & Nature

PFAS Forever Chemicals in Everyday Products: What Science Says in 2026

What PFAS forever chemicals are, where they hide in cookware, cosmetics and clothes, what the 2024 EPA drinking-water rule really does in 2026, and how to reduce exposure.

Maren Holloway · 7 min read
Science & Nature

How Bee and Shrimp Vaccines Are Quietly Rewriting Invertebrate Immunity

Honeybees and shrimp are being vaccinated through a yolk protein called vitellogenin. The science is rewriting what we thought we knew about immunity in animals without antibodies.

Tessa Vinje · 6 min read
Science & Nature

A Simple Blood Test for Alzheimer's: What the New pTau217 Test Means for Australian Patients

FDA-cleared pTau217 blood test matches PET scans for Alzheimer's — but Australia is still waiting. When will patients here actually get access?

Iris Tavener · 7 min read
Science & Nature

A Once-Daily Pill Doubles Survival in Pancreatic Cancer

In the RASolute 302 trial, daraxonrasib, a once-daily pill that targets active RAS, doubled median overall survival in previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Rosalind Tremaine · 6 min read
Science & Nature

Long-Period Radio Transients: A White Dwarf 'Rosetta Stone'

A 'cannibal' white dwarf in Western Australia is the 'Rosetta Stone' for a decade of mysterious long-period radio transients in the Milky Way.

Saoirse Bellamy · 7 min read
Science & Nature

The Varroa Mite Crisis Threatening Australia's $14.2 Billion Pollination Economy

Varroa destructor has wiped out an estimated 60% of Australia's commercial hives, putting the country's $14 billion pollination economy, and supermarket shelves, under direct threat.

Astrid Caldicott · 7 min read