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A two-paneled image. On the left, a reconstruction of a Denisovan man. On the right, a visualization of swirling rainbow matter in outer space.

Science news this week: 'Dragon Man's' identity and the universe's 'missing matter'

Alexander McNamara published 21 June 25

June 21, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

Two human burials, a series of four pots, and a map showing the location of two cemeteries in Neolithic China

Women likely ruled in Stone Age China, DNA analysis of 4,500-year-old skeletons reveals

Kristina Killgrove published 21 June 25

Genetic analysis of 60 people buried in a Stone Age cemetery has revealed two clans headed by women that spanned 10 generations.

a black and white photo of Einstein standing in a line of men

'Dreadful danger for all mankind': Einstein's powerful anti-war letter goes up for auction

Joanna Thompson published 20 June 25

A fiery letter written by Albert Einstein in 1954 is going to auction. The letter details Einstein's thoughts on his part in developing atomic weapons, and hails Mahatma Gandhi as a political genius.

Three aspects of a gold ring with a purple sapphire and a lion on the band

Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka

Kristina Killgrove published 20 June 25

An analysis of a 700-year-old ring reveals a unique reddish-purple sapphire set in 18-karat gold with a lion decoration.

Ice calving from the fracture zone of a glacier crashes into the ocean in Greenland. Melting of such glacial ice is leading to the warping of Earth's crust.

Humanity could be just 3 years away from crossing a dire climate threshold, report warns

Ben Turner published 20 June 25

Record carbon emissions mean that the planet's carbon budget could be exceeded in as little as three years, according to a new report.

The optical power beaming receiver designed for DARPA's power-beaming experiment.

DARPA smashes wireless power record, beaming energy more than 5 miles away — and uses it to make popcorn

Ben Turner published 20 June 25

The feat has significant applications for military purposes and space-based solar power.

an illustration of a head composed of nested, colorful outlines in a psychedelic style — Ketamine may treat depression by 'flattening the brain's hierarchies,' small study suggests Ketamine leads to increased communication between areas of the brain that don't typically engage with each other, new research suggests.

An archaeologist pieces together fragments of a fresco laid out on a table. — 'World's most difficult jigsaw puzzle': Archaeologists piece together thousands of shattered fresco blocks from ancient Roman villa Archaeologists found thousands of pieces of an ancient Roman painting, which features intricate designs and ancient graffiti.

Colored satellite image of Philippine's Taal Lake and Volcano Island within it. — Taal Lake: The volcanic crater that has 'an island within a lake, within an island within a lake, within an island' Taal Lake on Luzon Island in the Philippines is a volcanic crater lake with a rare geology of nested islands and water.

Close-up of tree roots underground. — Plants have a secret, second set of roots deep underground that scientists didn't know about A global analysis deep in soil found 20% of plants studied have an unexpected deeper set of roots more than 3 feet underground.

Glowing red and blue digital network in a torus shape. 3D Rendering. — Microsoft breakthrough could reduce errors in quantum computers by 1,000 times Microsoft scientists developed a 4D geometric coding method that reduces errors 1,000-fold in quantum computers.

Landscape photograph of Hells Canyon. — Hells Canyon caves reveal unexpected finding about America's deepest gorge About 2,000 feet deeper than the Grand Canyon, Hells Canyon was rapidly carved when a lake spilled over about 2.1 million years ago, new research estimates.

A photograph of the New York City skyline at sunrise before a major heat wave. — Massive 'heat dome' is bringing 'extremely dangerous' temperatures to the eastern half of the US Weather forecasters have warned of extreme and dangerous temperatures as a major heat wave sweeps across the central and eastern U.S. states.

Planet Earth

Aerial view of a dry river in Nevada, near Colorado River and Grand Canyon, USA.

Ancient groundwater records reveal worrying forecast for US Southwest

By Sascha Pare published 19 June 25

Groundwater records from the last ice age indicate that aquifers in the U.S. Southwest are more sensitive to global warming than aquifers in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2025, Tornado Alley has become almost everything east of the Rockies — and it's been a violent year

By Daniel Chavas published 19 June 25

Opinion A storm scientist explains what's been driving deadly tornado outbreaks and how tornado season has been changing.

LATEST ARTICLES

1
Women likely ruled in Stone Age China, DNA analysis of 4,500-year-old skeletons reveals
2
'Dreadful danger for all mankind': Einstein's powerful anti-war letter goes up for auction
3
Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka
4
Humanity could be just 3 years away from crossing a dire climate threshold, report warns
5
DARPA smashes wireless power record, beaming energy more than 5 miles away — and uses it to make popcorn

Space

Summer solstice arrives in North America

By Jamie Carter last updated 20 June 25

The summer solstice, the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, falls on June 20 this year in North America, and June 21 in Europe.

Mars (top) and Regulus (bottom), side by side in the night sky

Mars cozies up to one of the brightest stars in the sky in 'mind-blowing' conjunction photo

By Harry Baker published 19 June 25

A superbright Mars is currently visible alongside Regulus, the "Heart of the Lion" star located around 79 light-years from Earth.

archaeology

Who were the Denisovans, archaic humans who lived in Asia and went extinct around 30,000 years ago?

By Charles Q. Choi last updated 20 June 25

Who were the Denisovans, close human relatives who lived in Asia and mated with Homo sapiens?

Human Evolution

Viking Age burial of chieftain with 'enormous power' found in Denmark — and he may have served Harald Bluetooth

By Perri Thaler published 19 June 25

Archaeologists were surprised to find 30 Viking Age burials in Denmark, and even more surprised by the extravagant grave goods found within them.

World of science

Health

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 being worn by our reviewer

Best budget fitness trackers 2025: Cheap but mighty

By Maddy Biddulph, Anna Gora last updated 20 June 25

Buying Guide These are the best budget fitness trackers you can buy in every category, from Fitbit Inspire 3 and Xiaomi Smart Band 9 to Garmin Forerunner 165.

a close-up of white pills printed with the words "Tylenol 500"

Scientists finally work out how Tylenol works — 130 years after we started using it

By Clarissa Brincat published 19 June 25

According to a new study in rats, a key byproduct of acetaminophen, called AM404, may block pain at the source before it has a chance to reach the brain.

Our expert reviewer testing the workout features on the Garmin Fenix 8 smartwatch

Best fitness trackers 2025: Measure steps, sleep, exercise performance and more

By Andrew Williams, Anna Gora last updated 19 June 25

Buying Guide These are the best fitness trackers you can buy in every category, from Amazfit Balance and Garmin Fenix 8 to TicWatch Atlas.

Animals

Crows: Facts about the clever birds that live all over the world

By Marilyn Perkins, Alina Bradford last updated 18 June 25

Discover interesting facts about how crows remember faces, mimic human speech and more.

'Statistically, that shouldn’t have happened': Something very weird occurred in the ocean after the dinosaur-killing asteroid hit

By Stewart Edie published 15 June 25

Not everything dies in a mass extinction. Sea life recovered in different and surprising ways after the asteroid strike 66 million years ago. Ancient fossils recorded it all.

Extinct species

How do migrating birds know where they're going?

By Marilyn Perkins published 15 June 25

To navigate the skies, birds rely on a complex sensory tool kit.

Human Behavior

Girl reading books in front of a cartoon space scene

48 best science books for kids and young adults

By Ben Biggs last updated 20 June 25

Looking to inspire the next generation of curious minds? These are our picks of the best popular science books for children of all ages.

Strikingly simple 'dial' in the brain may help it distinguish imagination from reality

By Payal Dhar published 12 June 25

Activity levels in a specific region of the brain predict whether we think something is real, irrespective of whether we've seen it or imagined it.

People's mental health often improves after weight-loss surgery. A study pinpoints the real reason why.

By Marianne Guenot published 10 June 25

Feeling less stigma — not losing weight — was linked to better mental health and eating behaviors after bariatric surgery.

Physics & Mathematics

Mathematicians discover a completely new way to find prime numbers

By Rachel Crowell published 19 June 25

Using a notion called integer partitions, mathematicians have discovered a new way to detect prime numbers while also connecting two areas of math in an unexpected way

'A bundle of microscopic tornadoes' may be building the cosmic web

By Andrey Feldman published 19 June 25

When invisible dark matter spins, it may form clumps of "vortexes" that stretch across space, forming the cosmic web that links all galaxies, new research proposes.

Particle Physics

Bizarre radio signals that defy physics detected under Antarctica

By Perri Thaler published 18 June 25

Researchers detected mysterious radio waves in Antarctica that seem to defy the rules of particle physics. Now they're searching for a cause.

Particle Physics

Chemistry

A cross-section of the new copper alloy, with the orange dots representing copper atoms, the yellow tantalum atoms, and the blue lithium atoms.

Scientists create ultra-tough copper alloy that is stronger than steel and can withstand temperatures of 1500 F

By Ben Turner published 23 April 25

The new super-strong copper alloy can be used to build better airplanes and spacecraft.

a deer's breath is visible in the cold air

Why does nearly all life breathe oxygen?

By Harrison Tasoff published 30 March 25

Nitrogen comprises around 78% of Earth's atmosphere, so why do most lifeforms breathe oxygen?

Plastic waste by the ocean

Scientists break down cheap plastic using the air — and turn it into something far more valuable

By Ben Turner published 22 March 25

Scientists developed a new method for breaking down one of the most common plastics to a byproduct that can be upcycled into more valuable materials.

Technology

A robot holding a power plant above its head.

Advanced AI reasoning models generate up to 50 times more carbon dioxide than common LLMs

By Ben Turner published 19 June 25

Asking AI reasoning models questions in areas such as algebra or philosophy caused carbon dioxide emissions to spike significantly.

Artificial Intelligence

boy photographing a flower and butterfly in a field

Best macro lenses 2025: Get close to nature with incredible detail

By Kimberley Lane published 18 June 25

The best macro lenses for capturing the tiny world ahead of Prime Day on July 8-11 — including Sony, Nikon, Canon and more.

China pits rival humanoids against each other in world's first 'robot boxing tournament'

By Rory Bathgate published 18 June 25

Unitree's combat robots can punch and kick while keeping their balance, but they are controlled by humans — for now.

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