Pittsburgh’s kindergartners fall below the measles safety threshold, testing the city’s vaccine legacy

It takes a lot to knock football out of the headlines in Pittsburgh. But reports of measles cases, exposure alerts and calls for residents to double-check their vaccination status have…

Meet Swiftiephylus, an Australian bug named after Taylor Swift

If you’re down under and you give the right tree a rustle, you might encounter a record-breaking, globally recognized music icon. Or at least a bug named after her. Meet…

Dengue-carrying mosquitoes expand their reach into new territories – including Florida

The Tampa Bay Times reported the death of an elderly woman on Sept. 8, 2026. Her family says local doctors attributed her death to dengue fever, although the Florida Department…

How South Korea is tackling its super-aging problem – and what other aging nations can learn from its experience

In December 2024, the share of South Koreans ages 65 and older surpassed 20% for the first time, making it what demographers like us call a “super-aged society.” By August…

International trade linked to 20% of global emissions

A fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are linked to international trade in goods and services, a new tracker shows, spotlighting a little-studied issue that researchers say should be…

Bronze jewellery offers clues to ancient burial found in Uzbekistan

Human remains, bronze bracelets and other artefacts believed to be associated with an ancient burial have been discovered accidentally during excavation work in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand Region. The find was made…

The warmest summer on record — 2026 hit a scorching new high in the US

If this summer felt hotter than usual, you’re not alone. As it turns out, this past summer was the hottest on record in the United States. This is the hottest…

These deep-sea spiders give off an otherworldly glow

In the deep, dark Australian Abyss, what’s visible can be scarier than the unseen. There, giant sea spiders with glowing 25-centimeter-long legs may scuttle like disembodied apparitions. Photos of these…

Shingles can cause severe chronic pain – new research on how exosomes alter neurons offers pathways to treatment

Shingles can cause pain that is notoriously difficult to manage and can last for months to years for some people. The pain can be so severe that it causes a…

Portugal decriminalized drugs 25 years ago, but the real lesson is what it built around this policy

Nearly 70,000 Americans died of a drug overdose in 2025. While that is a decline from the nearly 108,000 deaths recorded in 2022, these grim figures distinguish the U.S. from…