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The cases first received public attention at the end of last week, but the identification of the hantavirus type as the Andes virus — the only hantavirus type known to pass between people — has led to a flurry of reporting as global health organizations race to trace the contacts of those who disembarked. Cruise passengers in at least five U.S. states are being closely monitored by health authorities as the ship heads toward the Spanish island of Tenerife. We covered the latest developments in our live blog of the incident.
Hot off the heels of the first round trip to the moon in over half a century, one researcher looking at journey times to Mars has made a surprising discovery that could cut mission times in half. Using early, imprecise orbital estimates of near-Earth asteroids, they found a route to the Red Planet and back in just 153 days.
But there's a catch: To get there, any intrepid astronauts would have to arrive at Mars traveling around 64,800 mph (108,000 km/h) — way too fast for existing landing systems to handle safely. The more optimistic finding is that the study also identified a more realistic option that could still slash a Mars mission timeline to about 7.5 months — about half of what was previously thought possible.
Over the past two decades, some studies have suggested that human brains are shrinking. But there is also evidence that IQ scores have risen over the past century. So how is it possible for us to get smarter as our brains get smaller? Live Science contacted experts to find out.
Most of us have experienced the fear of our phone battery dropping below 5% at a critical moment, but if a proof-of-concept quantum battery is anything to go by, such worries could be a thing of the past.
Researchers recently outlined their design for a battery that, thanks to the weird laws of quantum mechanics, allows the molecules within it to charge at a constant speed, no matter its size. And in this situation, the bigger the battery, the better; the more molecules involved, the more efficiently energy is absorbed throughout the system. That means charging times actually decrease in real terms, and in theory, the battery is capable of holding a charge for 1 million times longer than the time it takes to charge it.
The FDA is changing its approval process for some gene therapies.
(Image credit: Hiroshi Watanabe via Getty Images)
The Food and Drug Administration is implementing a new strategy: It will provide experimental gene therapies that haven't been tested in humans and haven't gone through clinical trials to patients with rare disorders. This framework, called the plausible mechanism pathway, could grant these patients access to individualized therapies, but experts are divided over whether the regulatory change is safe enough for patients. Live Science investigates.
Something for the weekend
If you're looking for things to keep you busy over the weekend, here is our crossword, along with some of the best countdowns and interviews published this week.
Move over, Met Gala — the real fashion show this week came courtesy of these stunning re-creations of clothing from medieval Nubia (now parts of Egypt and Sudan). These lavish examples of clothes worn by royalty and clergy were based on murals of elite people painted in a cathedral up to 1,200 years ago and were re-created using fabrics and dyes available in medieval northeastern Africa.
Alexander McNamara is the Editor-in-Chief at Live Science, and has more than 15 years’ experience in publishing at digital titles. In 2024 he was shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the Association of British Science Writers awards for his work at Live Science. He has previously worked at New Scientist and BBC Science Focus.
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