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Monday, Dec. 8, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
Category: Science
Science history: Female chemist initially barred from research helps develop drug for remarkable-but-short-lived recovery in children with leukemia — Dec. 6, 1954
In December 1954, Gertrude Elion and colleagues described a new compound they had developed that sent children with leukemia into remission. It would guide a
GLP-1 drugs failed to slow Alzheimer’s in two big clinical trials
Tantalizing results from small trials and anecdotes raised hopes that drugs like Ozempic could help. Despite setbacks, researchers aren’t giving up yet.
Drought may have doomed the ‘hobbits’ of Flores
Stalagmite data suggest Homo floresiensis faced prolonged drought that stressed both them and their prey, contributing to their disappearance.
Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
The reason we can gracefully glide on an ice-skating rink or clumsily slip on an icy sidewalk is that the surface of ice is coated
NASA’s New Astronaut Candidates
NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United
Ash Pendant: The only known depiction of a pregnant Viking woman
The Ash Pendant was discovered in a Viking Age burial mound in Sweden and may have been used by a female shaman.
The ‘hobbits’ may have died out when drought forced them to compete with modern humans, new research suggests
A reduction in rainfall may have played a sizable role in the extinction of Homo floresiensis, the archaic human species nicknamed the “hobbit,” a new
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments. (Image credit: NASA via)
Lost Indigenous settlements described by Jamestown colonist John Smith finally found
Excavations along the Rappahannock River in Virginia have revealed the likely spot of Indigenous villages once described by John Smith.
What was the loudest sound ever recorded?
Determining the “loudest recorded sound” depends on how you define sound and on which measurements you choose to include.
Strangely bleached rocks on Mars hint that the Red Planet was once a tropical oasis
Bleached clay rocks found on the Martian surface suggest that the Red Planet was once home to heavy rainfall and tropical conditions, new Perseverance observations
2,400-year-old ‘sacrificial complex’ uncovered in Russia is the richest site of its kind ever discovered
The “sacrificial complex” contained hundreds of bits of horse bridles and bronze beads, revealing a new aspect of ancient nomadic peoples’ funeral rituals.