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Ötzi the Iceman yeasts contribute to sourdough, Italian students uncover Roman dwelling beneath their school, Google intends to release millions of mosquitos, and RIP to NASA’s Maven probe(Image credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Augustin Ochsenreiter/All rights reserved | VCG/VCG via Getty Images)Jump to category:
- Google intends a multi-million mosquito release
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Astonishing discoveries dating back millennia were prominent in this week’s scientific news, as researchers found that Ötzi the Iceman’s remains harbored ancient yeasts, which were then utilized to create sourdough bread.
Ötzi, first found in the Ötztal Alps of Italy in September 1991, was a man from prehistory who perished approximately 5,300 years ago, likely due to homicide, and was subsequently naturally mummified within glacier ice. However, unfortunate circumstances for Ötzi proved beneficial for four varieties of cold-adapted glacier yeasts, which infested his body shortly after his demise and may still be viable. Indeed, some of these yeasts are ideal for bread-making — the scientists used them to produce a sourdough they rated as “very very good.”
Around 1,000 years later in what is now Uzbekistan, a child underwent Asia’s earliest documented surgical procedure, a horrific cranial trepanation. Elsewhere globally, another team of researchers rediscovered 17,000-year-old cave paintings, marking the oldest discovered in the U.K. Another group reported tracing the origins of the Euphrates River, a waterway that sustained the “cradle of civilization.” Furthermore, reports surfaced this week regarding the identification of the first shipwrecks connected to the actual pirates of the Caribbean, and Italian teenagers unearthed an 1,800-year-old Roman residence beneath their high school’s gymnasium.
If that historical context isn’t ancient enough for your taste, consider the number of human generations that have existed or examine the findings from the inaugural whole-genome sequencing of the Greenland shark, Earth’s longest-living vertebrate, to gain insights into its longevity and cancer resistance. Alternatively, delve into outdated Medieval legal practices that led to numerous animals being put on trial and imprisoned — with the exception of cats, which largely escaped consequences.
Google plans a multi-million mosquito releaseGoogle plans to release 64 million mosquitoes carrying bacteria across California and Florida. Here’s why scientists are optimistic.
Southern house mosquitoes are vectors for West Nile virus and other illnesses.
(Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
When is a technology firm’s plan to release millions of bacteria-laden mosquitoes into the U.S. considered positive news? This week, it turns out, with an application submitted by Google to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for an experimental mosquito release permit.
The mosquitoes in question are non-biting male southern house mosquitoes (Culex quinquefasciatus) — a species whose females transmit diseases such as West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis to humans. These males, infected with a bacterium named Wolbachia pipientis, will prevent any females they successfully mate with from producing offspring, thus reducing mosquito populations and disease transmission rates over time.
The EPA has evaluated Google’s request as being of potential regional and national importance. The agency will render a final decision on whether to approve the permit after a public consultation period that concluded on June 5.
Explore additional health-related stories
—Flesh-eating screwworm detected in a Texas cow. Are humans in danger?
—Heading a soccer ball just once elevates levels of proteins linked to brain damage
—Scientists induced mouse eyes to conduct photosynthesis — and they did not turn green
Life’s Little MysteriesWhy is the strength of gravity proving so elusive to determine?
Scientists have a general comprehension of gravity’s magnitude, but they have not yet established a precise value for this fundamental force.
(Image credit: AscentXmedia via Getty Images)
Out of the four fundamental forces, gravity is the one we most directly experience throughout our existence. Nonetheless, it remains the most enigmatic, posing a significant obstacle to any successful unified theory of everything. In fact, we are unable to accurately ascertain the precise strength of Earth’s gravity. But what makes measuring it so challenging?
—If you found this interesting, subscribe to our Life’s Little Mysteries newsletter
RIP to NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft’In an unrecoverable state’: NASA confirms MAVEN spacecraft is officially defunct after losing signal behind Mars
An artist’s rendering of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars. NASA lost communication with MAVEN in December 2025, and declared it “unrecoverable” on June 3, 2026.
(Image credit: NASA/GSFC)
NASA announced a final decommissioning for its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft this week — the probe has officially ceased operations after 11 years of studying the Red Planet from orbit.
NASA lost contact with the probe in December of the previous year when it passed behind Mars on a routine trajectory, subsequently going silent at the expected time of its reappearance. Following the formation of a review board in February, the agency has now disclosed its findings, concluding that the craft is definitively non-functional. The cause remains a mystery for now; however, a fragment of telemetry data suggests that the spacecraft’s unexpectedly rapid spin may have depleted its battery reserves.
Discover more space-related news
—’Entirely counterintuitive’: Researchers inadvertently discover magnetic fields surrounding 7 distant planets, opening a new avenue in the quest for life
—Mysterious repeating radio signal identified as originating from a ‘vampire’ star consuming its companion
—James Webb telescope detects the most remote dormant black hole, undetectable across all wavelengths and possessing a mass equivalent to 6 billion suns
Also in science news this week
—The approaching El Niño could become the most powerful on record, according to a new forecast
—A new relative of Velociraptor, identified from a fossil find, was a ‘four-winged’ dragon that hunted prey from arboreal positions in ancient China
—Satellite imagery indicates a global resurgence of mangroves — yet they may still ‘drown’ for specific reasons
—Daddy longlegs spiders might be capturing and consuming frogs in South America’s tropical forests
—Physicists have attained ‘perfect randomness’ for the very first time
—’The optimal course of action is to assassinate him while he sleeps’: AI can acquire violent tendencies from one another despite no mention of violence in their training data
—NASA astronauts briefly sought refuge in a ‘safe haven’ procedure due to escalating leaks aboard the International Space Station
Science long readCertain ‘extinct’ volcanoes might simply be undergoing a period of growth before they ‘awaken in this catastrophic phase,’ according to emerging research
The Methana volcano, previously considered dormant and located near Athens, remained inactive for approximately 110,000 years before reawakening and erupting with significant force.
(Image credit: Posnov via Getty Images)
When can a dormant volcano be considered merely in a resting phase? The unsettling possibility suggests this might be more common than previously believed, following volcanologists’ discovery that the extinct volcanoes in our vicinity might actually be experiencing a growth phase prior to re-emerging forcefully.
This conclusion stems from a new examination of the Methana volcano, near Athens, Greece, which was found to have been dormant for 110,000 years before resuming activity. To understand the implications for other slumbering giants around us, Live Science contributor Chris Simms conducted an investigation.
Something for the weekend
For those seeking weekend activities, here is a selection of the most notable news analyses, crossword puzzles, interviews, and opinion pieces published this week.
—Microsoft’s latest quantum chip demonstrates a thousandfold increase in reliability compared to its predecessor — but why is this new processor so contentious? [News Analysis]
—Live Science crossword puzzle #46: The largest desert on Earth — clue 9 down [Crossword]
—’We were subjected to bullying in our own home’: An examination of how ‘authoritarian’ homeowners associations contribute to the insect crisis [Interview]
—Is it possible that certain individuals are predisposed to experiencing hallucinations? A psychologist explains the factors that increase the likelihood of paranormal encounters [Opinion]
Science news in picturesChina initiates launch of new Long March 12B rocket, reportedly without safety alerts
The Long March 12B is a reusable, commercial rocket designed to facilitate China’s construction of its own satellite megaconstellations.
(Image credit: VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
A tremendous roar and a trail of vapor were the primary warnings preceding the inaugural launch of China’s Long March 12B rocket, which reportedly took flight on Monday (June 1) without any prior airspace notifications.
This rocket serves as China’s answer to SpaceX’s Falcon 9 — a reusable, commercially operated vehicle intended for the cost-effective deployment of China’s megaconstellation satellites into low Earth orbit.
The unexpected launch coincides with China’s intensified rocket deployment efforts amidst a new space race with the U.S. Despite the geopolitical tensions, the flight provided spectacular photographic opportunities.
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