In this week's science news, we covered the death of Jane Goodall and her scientific legacy, flooded cities in Iran and elsewhere, the creation of human eggs from skin, and the search for a universal antidote. (Image credit: BornaMir/Getty Images (left)/Apic via Getty Images (right)) Jump to:
Our main story this week is the death of renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, who died of natural causes on Wednesday (October 1) at the age of 91.
Goodall rose to fame for her groundbreaking research on wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. She arrived at the park early in her career, lacking formal academic training in a male-dominated field. But her keen eye, patience, and compassion for the chimpanzees under her observation soon enabled her to make a series of groundbreaking contributions that revolutionized the study of one of our closest living relatives.
These include the discovery of chimpanzees' ability to use tools, unique personalities, long-term social relationships, and complex strategy and warfare—all traits previously thought to be uniquely human before Goodall's observations.
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This week's science news: The world's oldest mummy and an ant mating with clones of a distant species
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This week's science news: a key Atlantic current is nearing its end, the world's largest iceberg has broken apart, and a mouse brain is redefining neuroscience.
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This week's science news: Black holes galore and blue whales that still sing
Cities in Iran and around the world are sinking. Iran is among the “world's most severe subsidence hotspots,” with some areas sinking up to 30 cm per year, according to a study.
Cities in Iran are sinking at an alarming rate. And they're not the only ones.
A new study has found that Iran is subsiding at an alarming rate, with some areas sinking by as much as 0.3 meters (1 foot) per year. This is due to groundwater extraction for agriculture in many arid regions of the country. According to the study's authors, this extraction will not only worsen Iran's ongoing drought but could also expose approximately 650,000 people to increased risk of water shortages and food insecurity.
But this escalating problem isn't limited to Iran. Subsidence is also occurring in major cities in central Mexico, the United States, China, and Italy, with peak subsidence rates in Iran occurring in Mexico City and California's Central Valley. This will not only exacerbate future droughts in these regions but also potentially lead to disasters like the fatal overpass collapse in Mexico City in 2021.
Find out more news about planet Earth
When China commits to fighting climate change, the world must listen.
The Panama Canal requires a colossal amount of water to operate. Research warns that climate change could threaten this.
Yosemite's glaciers have survived for 20,000 years—but we may be the first people to see the Sierra Nevada ice-free.
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This week's science news: The world's oldest mummy and an ant mating with clones of a distant species
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This week's science news: a key Atlantic current is nearing its end, the world's largest iceberg has broken apart, and a mouse brain is redefining neuroscience.
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This week's science news: Black holes galore and blue whales that still sing
Life's Little MysteriesAre there really dead wasps in figs?
Fig wasps are vital for pollinating figs. But do all the figs we buy contain them?
Figs are widely considered a truly delicious fruit: an explosion of light, lingering sweetness… with a possible hint of wasp? Hundreds of wasp species, most of them the size of fruit flies, crawl inside figs to reproduce, pollinating them in a stunning example of ecological mutualism. But does this mean the figs we eat actually contain dead wasps? Live Science has found the answer.
— If you liked this, please subscribe to our newsletter, “Little Secrets of Life.”
Embryos created from skin cells. Scientists created human eggs from skin cells and then used them to create embryos.
New technology could pave the way for innovative IVF methods. It could also allow people to have children with celebrities without their knowledge.
In a groundbreaking new study, scientists created human eggs in a laboratory using technology similar to that used to clone Dolly the sheep. The team then used in vitro fertilization to transform them into embryos, although most of them only developed briefly.
Ultimately, the method resulted in 82 eggs being recovered, which were then fertilized with sperm, but only 9% of them reached the blastocyst stage – the point at which they could be implanted into the uterus.
For this reason, the researchers who conducted the study cautiously emphasize that their methods are still in the proof-of-concept stage and require further testing and refinement before entering future clinical trials. Nevertheless, this study opens the possibility of more effective infertility treatment for couples who would otherwise face obstacles in conceiving genetically related children.
The research could also raise ethical concerns, as some experts suggest it could be used to harvest skin cells from other people, including celebrities, and create functional eggs without their knowledge or consent.
Find out more health news
— Scientists transplant a kidney with blood type A into the universal blood type O and implant it into a brain-dead recipient.
—HPV vaccination reduces the incidence of cervical cancer among both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
— The number of deaths related to wildfire smoke in the United States could reach 70,000 a year by 2050 due to climate change, according to a study.
Also in science news this week
— The “Great Wave” swept across our galaxy, displacing thousands of stars from their places.
— Physicists have found a loophole in Heisenberg's uncertainty principle without violating it.
Why OpenAI's Anti-Hallucination AI Solution Will Kill ChatGPT Tomorrow
— Citation cartels, opinion pieces, and fake peer reviews: Fraud is driving a crisis in science—here's what we need to do to stop it
Scientific article: Scientists may soon be able to create a “universal antidote.” But will it save lives?
A universal antidote could save hundreds of thousands of lives annually. But is it even possible?
Each year, approximately 138,000 people die from venomous snakebites, most of which occur in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, since many of these cases go unreported, even these figures may be significantly underestimated.
Neutralizing snake venom before it kills the bite victim is a complex task in itself: hundreds of species of venomous snakes can inhabit the same areas, so people need to accurately identify the snake that bit them, and doctors need to ensure that the appropriate antivenom is on hand.
What if scientists could create a universal antivenom that could cure all snake bites? And is it even possible? We'll explore this in detail in this lengthy article.
Something for the weekend
If you're looking for something a little more lengthy to read this weekend, here are some of the best long texts, quizzes, and science crosswords published this week.
Did plate tectonics cause the emergence of life? A groundbreaking new study could unlock Earth's deepest mystery. [Science Spotlight]
Heart Test: What Do You Know About the Body's Hardest-Working Muscle? [Test]
— Live Science Crossword #12: Heart of the Atom — 6 points down [Crossword]
Something for skywatchers. Harvest Moon 2025: Watch for a rare supermoon rising in October among shooting stars.
The Harvest Moon, the first of three supermoons visible this year, will grace our skies on Monday (October 6). The moon, closest to the September equinox, gets its name from the popular belief that its light allows farmers to harvest crops late into the night. The moon will also be 10% closer than usual due to the moon's elliptical orbit around Earth. Before then, on Sunday (October 5), observers will be able to look east and see a nearly full moon shining directly above Saturn.
Science in pictures. The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered dense cosmic dust in Sagittarius B2, the largest star-forming cloud in the Milky Way—Space Photo of the Week.
A small sea urchin moves along a piece of red seaweed using its tiny legs.
Newly released images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed a dazzling star-forming region near the Milky Way galaxy's supermassive black hole. The images reveal bright fields of glittering stars and exploding wisps of purple clouds. Beyond their stunning appearance, these images also hint at a key to solving an astrophysical mystery: why star formation is so disproportionately hyperactive near the center of our galaxy.
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TOPICS Science News This Week
Ben Turner, Social Links, Navigation, Acting News Editor
Ben Turner is a British writer and editor at Live Science magazine. He covers physics and astronomy, technology, and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics and later became a journalist. When not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing guitar, and embarrassing himself at chess.
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This week's science news: The world's oldest mummy and an ant mating with clones of a distant species
This week's science news: a key Atlantic current is nearing its end, the world's largest iceberg has broken apart, and a mouse brain is redefining neuroscience.
This week's science news: Black holes galore and blue whales that still sing
This week's science news: NASA finds compelling evidence of life on Mars, and scientists invent visible time crystals
A breakthrough drug for Huntington's disease and a fast-growing black hole that defies the laws of physics.
Wolves help restore trees in Yellowstone and the largest interstellar object ever seen
Latest animal news
Scientists may soon be able to create a “universal antidote.” But will it save lives?
Chimpanzees eat fruits full of alcohol, but no, they don't get drunk.
From tool use to warfare, here are five ways Jane Goodall revolutionized our knowledge of chimpanzees.
Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist who discovered chimpanzee tool use, has died at age 91.
A mysterious 160-million-year-old creature discovered on the Isle of Skye is half lizard, half snake.
A mysterious creature discovered in Peru's 'forbidden cloud forest' is a new species of marsupial.
Latest news
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall dies, Iran sinks at alarming speed, and scientists create human eggs from skin
Harvest Moon 2025: Watch a rare supermoon rise in October against a backdrop of shooting stars
AI voices are now indistinguishable from real human voices.
A vast system of rotating ocean currents in the North Atlantic is behaving strangely – and may be approaching a tipping point.
Anthropologists prepare “ant yogurt” using an ancient recipe and serve it as an “ant dish” in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Scientists transplant a kidney from blood type A to the universal blood type O and implant it into a brain-dead recipient.
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