In this week's science news, we tracked Hurricane Erin from space, the discovery of Uranus' 29th moon, the DNA of the first Americans, and the troubling deadliness of U.S. pregnancies.
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI/Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (CSU/CIRA & NOAA))
Hurricane Erin flooded our coverage this week, as the first Atlantic hurricane of the season also became one of the most rapidly intensifying in history.
We've written countless stories about the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) discoveries in the farthest reaches of our universe, but the telescope can also tell us more about our own solar system.
This week, astronomers announced they had used the telescope to discover a new moon orbiting Uranus, bringing the icy planet's total count to 29. The moon went undetected for years, even during a close flyby by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986, due to its location within the planet's dark inner rings. Yet its hiding spot was no match for the JWST's Near-Infrared Camera.
The moon has received the temporary title of S/2025 U1, but expect a new name soon — almost certainly after an Alexander Pope or William Shakespeare character like the planet's other moons.
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Humans evolved from a rich tapestry of ancestors. Who came first?
(Image credit: The Natural History Museum via Alamy)
All humans around today are Homo sapiens — modern humans who emerged at least 300,000 years ago. However, many Homo species came before, shaping who we are today. But what species was the first? The answer, perhaps unsurprisingly, is complicated.
Genes from Denisovans could have helped the first Americans fight new diseases.
(Image credit: Maria Avila Arcos)
The first people to populate the Americas had DNA from Neanderthals and Denisovans, a new study has revealed. The genes likely came from Denisovans who mated with Neanderthals, who then passed them onto modern humans when they mated with them in turn.
This sliver of genetic material isn't just an intriguing relic, it could have been key to humans' expansion across the continent by offering them a mutational arsenal to fight off the new pathogens they encountered.
Pregnancy is comparatively dangerous in the U.S., but it doesn't need to be.
(Image credit: Photo collage by Marilyn Perkins)
Giving birth is a comparatively risky process in the U.S., with a higher percentage of women dying across pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period than in other comparable countries. The problem is driven by health disparities and access to healthcare, and it is likely to get worse as a result of recent political decisions.
Would you use a "pregnancy robot" to give birth for you?
A viral story of a "pregnancy robot" has spread through the tabloids this week. It was supposedly based on the statements of a Chinese tech company that claimed it's on the cusp of developing a robot that could bring a human embryo from conception to term.
The claim itself is untrue, but if a pregnancy robot existed, would you use one? Tell us in this week's poll.
Something for the weekend
If you're looking for something to do over the weekend, here are some of the best polls, book interviews and crosswords published this week.
Penguins rocket through the water in one of the many entries to this year's Ocean Photographer of the Year competition.
(Image credit: Romain Barats/Ocean Photographer of the Year)
The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 competition were announced this week, featuring synchronized swimming whales, schools of fish swirling around coral outcrops, jellyfish that look like UFOs, and a Komodo dragon that's a little too close for comfort.
Ben Turner is a U.K. based writer and editor at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. When he's not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing the guitar and embarrassing himself with chess.
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