A new study warns that mercury levels in Arctic wildlife might keep climbing for hundreds of years—even if global emissions stabilize. Animals like seals and fish are absorbing more of this toxic metal, which could spell trouble for Indigenous communities and others who rely on them for food.

Editor’s Note: Mercury is nasty stuff—it can mess with brains and nervous systems, especially in kids. The Arctic’s acting like a sink for pollution from elsewhere, and the slow pace of environmental change means the problem won’t just vanish. For communities that hunt and fish for survival, this isn’t just an abstract concern—it’s a direct threat to their way of life.

Early Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, including the Arak heavy water facility, pose a relatively low radiation risk—for now. While the immediate radiological threat is minor, the situation could escalate if more sensitive nuclear infrastructure is targeted.

Editor’s Note: This isn't a Chernobyl-level scare (yet), but it's a reminder of how quickly tensions in the region could spiral. The low radiation risk offers some relief, but the bigger question is whether future strikes might hit more dangerous facilities—turning a geopolitical showdown into an environmental crisis.

Ever wonder where the heartwarming Netflix series Love on the Spectrum got its inspiration? Turns out, it’s based on a real-life dating boot camp designed to help autistic adults navigate the complexities of relationships. The program, which focuses on building social skills and confidence, has quietly been changing lives long before the cameras showed up.

The U.S. health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., just fired 17 scientific advisors from the CDC—a move that’s raising alarms. Critics worry the replacements might weaken vaccine guidelines, potentially shaking public trust in immunization efforts.

Turns out, bedbugs have been crashing human cities for way longer than we thought—about 13,000 years, to be exact. A new study shows these pesky hitchhikers thrived in early urban settlements, making them the OG urban pests. Basically, wherever humans packed together, bedbugs happily moved in for a never-ending blood buffet.

Carter Emmart, the beloved director of astrovisualization at the American Museum of Natural History, is retiring after decades of bringing the universe to life for audiences. Known for his mesmerizing cosmic tours and the iconic Digital Universe atlas, Emmart made complex astronomy feel intimate and awe-inspiring. This piece reflects on his legacy and his final public presentations, which continue to spark wonder about our place in the cosmos.

Amanda Feilding, the eccentric Countess who famously drilled a hole in her own skull in the 1970s to explore consciousness (a practice called trepanation), has passed away at 82. Though she was mocked for her radical self-experiment, her later work through the Beckley Foundation—championing research into psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin for mental health—turned out to be ahead of its time.

Scientists are exploring genetic modifications to help crops survive increasingly extreme heat, as rising temperatures disrupt photosynthesis—the vital process plants use to grow. But the effort faces hurdles: funding is drying up, and public skepticism about genetically altered foods isn’t helping.

Scientists are uncovering a hidden universe of tiny proteins called microproteins that were previously overlooked—and they might play a big role in everything from disease to metabolism. Think of them as molecular dark matter: small but potentially game-changing once we understand them better.