Science news this week: A runaway black hole, a human ancestor discovered in Casablanca cave, and vaccine schedule slashed

This week's science news was all about discoveries made by the world's best telescopes, as the James Webb Space Telescope verified the existence of a runaway supermassive black hole escaping its host galaxy at 2.2 million miles per hour (3.6 million km/h).

The black hole, which is leaving behind a stunning contrail of stars in its wake, confirms more than five decades of research. And it's not the only celestial object offering evidence for long-standing astronomical theories this week — there was also Cloud-9, a failed galaxy discovered by the Hubble telescope, that appears to be held together by dark matter.

Meanwhile, NASA's SPHEREx (short for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) unveiled its first complete, all-sky mosaic of the universe; Chile's ALMA telescope discovered a set of galaxies so hot they shouldn't exist; and the first images from the fledgling Vera C. Rubin Observatory revealed an enormous asteroid spinning at a record-breaking speed.

Human and Neanderthal ancestor found in Casablanca

Last common ancestor of modern humans and Neanderthals possibly found in Casablanca, Morocco

A collection of 773,000-year-old bones found inside a Moroccan cave shifted the potential origins of modern humans from East to West Africa this week.

There are a lot of fossil hominins in Africa — at least until about a million years ago and again after 500,000 years ago — but a gap exists between these two time points that makes tracking the evolutionary history of humanity difficult.

That's what makes the discovery of the new fossils, found inside Casablanca's Grotte à Hominidés, a very exciting development for paleoanthropologists, with the remains believed to come from the last common ancestor to modern humans, Neanderthals and Denisovans.

Discover more archaeology news:

—One of the last Siberian shamans was an 18th-century woman whose parents were related, DNA study reveals

—60,000-year-old poison arrows from South Africa are the oldest poison weapons ever discovered

—Tiny bump on 7 million-year-old fossil suggests ancient ape walked upright — and might even be a human ancestor

Life's Little Mysteries

Did any cat breeds develop naturally?

There are more than 600 million cats around the world, but did any of the roughly 10% that are purebred evolve naturally? Or are they all the result of human selection? The answer is more complicated than it first seems.

—If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life's Little Mysteries newsletter

US government slashes childhood vaccine schedule

US government overhauls the childhood vaccine schedule in unprecedented move

Federal health officials announced an unprecedented shift in the childhood vaccine schedule this week, reducing the number of shots universally recommended to kids 18 and under from around 17 to 11.

The unilateral decision is a step toward the longtime goal of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other vaccine skeptics to reduce the number of vaccines given to children. While officials claim the move will more closely align the U.S. with other developed countries, experts say the decision lacks scientific backing and will lead to more sick children.

Discover more health news:

—New US food pyramid recommends very high protein diet, beef tallow as healthy fat option, and full-fat dairy

—Leonardo da Vinci's DNA may be embedded in his art — and scientists think they've managed to extract some

—'Mitochondrial transfer' into nerves could relieve chronic pain, early study hints

Also in science news this week

—Huge ice dome in Greenland vanished 7,000 years ago — melting at temperatures we're racing toward today

—Rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to Celtic queen Boudica, discovered in England

—Orbiting satellites could start crashing into one another in less than 3 days, theoretical new 'CRASH Clock' reveals

—Hundreds of iceberg earthquakes are shaking the crumbling end of Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier

Something for the weekend

If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best science histories, skywatching guides and quizzes published this week.

—Sophie Germain, first woman to win France's prestigious 'Grand Mathematics Prize' is snubbed when tickets to award ceremony are 'lost in the mail' — Jan. 9, 1816 [Science history]

—Jupiter will outshine every star in the sky this weekend — how to see the 'king of planets' at opposition [Skywatching]

—How much do you really know about T. rex, the king of the dinosaurs? [Quiz]

Science in pictures

'Wolf Supermoon' gallery: See the first full moon of 2026 in pictures from across the world

The first full moon of 2026, called the Wolf Moon, shone brightly in the Northern Hemisphere's skies at the start of this week. It will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year until November, but if you missed the spectacle we compiled this handy gallery of lunar shots from around the world.

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