#Science122

10 Mar 2026

AI chatbots can shift political opinions

A new study finds that ordinary AI chatbot summaries can change people’s social and political opinions. The researchers say subtle framing comes from latent biases in model training and from how responses are prompted.

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Photo by Duncan Shaffer, Unsplash

5 Mar 2026

Bacteria survive asteroid-like impacts

A laboratory study shows a desert bacterium can survive extreme forces like those from asteroid impacts and then face space conditions. The results suggest rocks could move life between planets and raise planetary protection questions.

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24 Feb 2026

AI audio summaries of research can help — and err

Researchers tested Google’s NotebookLM, which turns research papers into podcast-style audio. The summaries were engaging and clearer for teaching, but every audio overview contained mistakes, so the authors advise reading the original papers to check claims.

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24 Feb 2026

Warm winter and early buds in Washington

Last December was the warmest on record in Washington and the state has had a mild winter. Many garden plants already show small buds, and a University of Washington specialist has discussed how warmer winters might change flowering time.

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24 Feb 2026

Molecule stores sunlight and releases heat on demand

Chemists at UC Santa Barbara designed a modified molecule called pyrimidone that captures sunlight, stores it in chemical bonds and releases it as heat when triggered. Tests released enough heat to boil water under normal conditions.

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17 Feb 2026

AI predicts personality from ordinary language

A new study finds that generative AI models can read ordinary language and predict personality, daily emotions and behaviour, often matching or even exceeding friends' or family ratings. The results appear in Nature Human Behavior.

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13 Feb 2026

Bonobo Kanzi Shows Apes Can Pretend

Researchers report that a bonobo named Kanzi can imagine and play pretend. Three controlled experiments, reported in Science, show he understood pretend objects and suggest this ability may go back millions of years.

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12 Feb 2026

New US database shows who withdraws water

Researchers at Virginia Tech created the first nationwide database of water withdrawals in the United States. The public dataset standardizes many records and shows early findings about irrigation and the power sector.

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11 Feb 2026

Study: Low numbers of women in science academies

An international analysis finds women made up about 19% of academy members in 2025, with little change in recent years. The report highlights leadership gaps, higher reports of harassment, and calls for stronger gender equality measures.

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10 Feb 2026

Shrews shrink organs to survive winter

Eurasian common shrews shrink their brains and other organs in winter, a seasonal change called Dehnel’s phenomenon. Two new studies link genetic and chromosomal changes to this shrinking and to the regrowth that occurs in spring.

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10 Feb 2026

How relationships shape memories of childhood adversity

A study of nearly 1,000 emerging adults found that memories of adverse childhood experiences change with the quality of current relationships, especially with parents. The researchers suggest asking about these experiences more than once.

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10 Feb 2026

Study of Lead in Hair Shows Big Decline Since 1970s

Researchers analysed human hair from the Wasatch Front to track lead exposure over about a century. They found large drops in lead after US regulations began in the 1970s and link early exposure to leaded gasoline.

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4 Feb 2026

Fungi that thrive after wildfires

Researchers studied fungi at seven California burn sites over five years. They found genes and survival traits that let some fungi grow after fire and feed on charcoal, with possible uses for pollution cleanup and landscape restoration.

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