Science Wed, 17 Dec 2025 02:10:34 +0000

NASA telescope will hunt down ‘city killer’ asteroids  With an infrared eye, NEO Surveyor will target dangerous space rocks glowing in the dark Multispecies pangenomes reveal a pervasive influence of population size on structural variation | Science Structural variants (SVs) are widespread in vertebrate genomes, yet their evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Using 45 long-read de novo genome assemblies and pangenome tools, we analyze SVs among three closely related species of North ... Hepatic leukemia factor directs tissue residency of proinflammatory memory CD4+ T cells | Science CD4+ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells contribute to host defense and to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, but the molecules that direct their differentiation are unknown. We found that the transcription factor hepatic leukemia factor ... Advances in reproductive technology mean rethinking the meaning of autonomy | Science The last few decades have seen the introduction of a variety of new reproductive technologies that have transformed the familiar processes of making babies. Initially offered as an approach to overcoming infertility in heterosexual couples, their methods and capabilities have expanded well beyond that to include the use of donor gametes, donor embryos, and surrogacy arrangements that may or may not use the intended parents’ gametes. Moreover, reproductive medicine is increasingly coupled to other diagnostic technologies that enable the characteristics of a fetus, especially those linked to disability, to be identified prenatally. Observation of Shapiro steps in an ultracold atomic Josephson junction | Science The current-voltage characteristic of a driven superconducting Josephson junction displays discrete steps. This phenomenon, called the Shapiro steps, forms today’s voltage standard. In this work, we report the observation of Shapiro steps in a driven ... Shapiro steps in strongly-interacting Fermi gases | Science Driven many-body systems exhibit diverse and complex dynamical behaviors. Here, we report the observation of Shapiro steps in periodically driven Josephson junctions between strongly interacting Fermi superfluids of ultracold atoms. The height and the ... In Other Journals | Science Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature Mapping the online manipulation economy | Science A market perspective on digital manipulation may help improve online trust and safety Arctic route demands advanced marine coatings | Science On 23 September, China launched the China-Europe Arctic Express, a new Arctic shipping route that shortens the Asia-Europe maritime journey to 18 days (12 to 15 days shorter than conventional routes) (1). This route will accelerate cargo transit, reduce carbon emissions, and provide an alternative to the congested Suez Canal (2). However, it also introduces environmental challenges that could make marine coating materials less effective, such as extreme polar conditions, substantial temperature fluctuations, and highly corrosive seawater (3). Furthermore, the Arctic’s fragile ecosystem, which has a slow recovery rate, is extremely vulnerable to pollutants (4, 5), including microplastics and toxic residues such as copper ions leached from conventional marine coatings (6). Addressing these challenges requires a breakthrough in advanced multifunctional marine coatings (7). Communities can enforce China’s national parks | Science China’s National Parks Law (1), which will take effect on 1 January 2026, provides the legal foundation for a national park system planned to encompass about 50 sites that cover an area of about one-tenth of China’s total territory (including land and water) (1, 2). Effective governance and enforcement of the vast park system will be a challenge (3) that requires technological instruments and strengthened institutional capacity, including interagency coordination and landscape monitoring (4, 5). To ensure effective protection and enforcement, China should engage the communities that live within the borders of the proposed parks. Landmark marine mammal laws under threat | Science HomeScienceVol. 390, No. 6778Landmark marine mammal laws under threatBack To Vol. 390, No. 6778 Full accessLetter Share on Landmark marine mammal laws under threatMatthew S. Leslie, Joe Roman, and Christian SonneAuthors Info & AffiliationsScience11 Dec 2025Vol 390, Issue 6778pp. 1109-1110DOI: 10.1126/science.aec4817 PREVIOUS ARTICLEThe statusocratic dilemmaPreviousNEXT ARTICLECommunities can enfo… The statusocratic dilemma | Science An organizational theorist probes the hidden drivers of social power Dealing with distressing dreams | Science A sleep scientist offers hope for nightmare sufferers Deep mantle clues to Earth’s watery beginning | Science Minerals in the lower mantle may store more water than previously estimated Invisible heat insulators | Science A nanotube network with precisely engineered pores could replace insulating components in windows Chromosome shattering in cancer | Science A protein that cuts double-stranded DNA contributes to chromosome scrambling in human cancer cells Infrared as a pollination signal | Science Relying on infrared communication over visual color could have limited cycad evolution Pandemic security needs national leadership | Science In a world facing escalating risks from conflict, climate change, and emerging infectious diseases, health systems are the first line of defense for protecting people, economies, and stability. Although pandemic preparedness is often framed as a global ... In Science Journals | Science Highlights from the Science family of journals U.S. military funds AI tools to speed modeling of viral outbreaks  DARPA program could yield models of disease spread in days instead of weeks Replenishing sapped groundwater could trigger small earthquakes  A boom in aquifer injection projects could unlock long-quiet faults The first patients have been helped by cancer-fighting cells made directly in their bodies  Novel approach could be faster, and cheaper, than making the cells in the lab—but safety concerns linger Can adding light sensors to nerve cells switch off pain, epilepsy, and other disorders?  Optogenetics is poised to move from a research tool to new therapies—if scientists can show it’s safe Warm, humid ‘atmospheric rivers’ threaten Antarctica  Growing more common as climate warms, these once-rare events could ultimately accelerate ice loss Three-component assembly and structure-function relationships of (–)-gukulenin A | Science α-Tropolones comprise an unsaturated seven-membered ring bearing a hydroxyl substituent adjacent to a polarized carbon-oxygen π bond. This polarization imparts a permanent molecular dipole and aromatic stabilization to the ring, resulting in distinct ... NUDT5 regulates purine metabolism and thiopurine sensitivity by interacting with PPAT | Science Cells generate purine nucleotides through de novo purine biosynthesis (DNPB) and purine salvage. Purine salvage represses DNPB to prevent excessive purine nucleotide synthesis through mechanisms that are incompletely understood. We identified Nudix ... Cortical glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs support learning-driven hippocampal stability | Science Flexibility and stability of neuronal ensembles are crucial features of brain function. Little is known about how these properties of local circuits are influenced by long-range inputs. We show, in mice, that lateral entorhinal cortex glutamatergic (LEC... Comparative analysis of human and mouse ovaries across age | Science The mouse is a tractable model for human ovarian biology; however, its utility is limited by incomplete understanding of how transcription and signaling differ interspecifically and with age. We compared ovaries between species using three-dimensional ... Locating the missing chlorophylls f in far-red photosystem I | Science The discovery of chlorophyll f–containing photosystems, with their long-wavelength photochemistry, represented a distinct, low-energy paradigm for oxygenic photosynthesis. Structural studies on chlorophyll f–containing photosystem I could identify some ... Mechanosensitive genomic enhancers potentiate the cellular response to matrix stiffness | Science Epigenetic control of gene expression and cellular phenotype is influenced by changes in the local microenvironment, yet how mechanical cues precisely influence epigenetic state to regulate transcription remains largely unmapped. In this study, we ...