This week’s science news is full of discoveries from the world’s best telescopes, with the James Webb Space Telescope confirming the existence of a runaway supermassive black hole escaping from its host galaxy at 2.2 million miles per hour (3.6 million km per hour).
This black hole leaves an astonishing contrail of stars in its wake, backed up by more than 50 years of research. And it’s not the only celestial object this week showing evidence for a long-standing astronomical theory. There’s also Cloud 9, a failed galaxy discovered by the Hubble telescope that appears to be held together by dark matter.
Ancestors of humans and Neanderthals discovered in Casablanca
A collection of 773,000-year-old bones discovered in a Moroccan cave this week confirms the likely origin of modern humans, which moved from East Africa to West Africa.
Although there are many fossil hominins in Africa dating back to at least about 1 million years ago and beyond 500,000 years ago, a gap exists between these two points, making it difficult to trace the evolutionary history of humans.
That’s why the discovery of new fossils found in Casablanca’s Hominid Cave is a very exciting development for paleoanthropologists, believed to be those of Neanderthals and Denisovans, the last common ancestors of modern humans.
Discover more archeology news:
-One of Siberia’s last shamans was an 18th-century woman whose parents were related, a DNA study reveals
– A 60,000-year-old poison arrow from South Africa is the oldest poison weapon ever discovered.
– Small bumps in 7-million-year-old fossil suggest ancient apes walked upright and may even be human ancestors
life’s little mysteries
There are over 600 million cats in the world, but have any of the approximately 10% that are purebred evolved naturally? Or are they all the result of human choices? The answer is more complicated than it seems at first glance.
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US government cuts pediatric vaccine schedule
Federal health officials this week announced unprecedented changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, reducing the number of shots widely recommended for children under 18 from about 17 to 11.
This unilateral decision is a step toward reducing the number of vaccines given to children, a long-standing goal of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other vaccine skeptics. Officials say the move will bring the U.S. closer together with other developed countries, but experts say the decision lacks scientific support and will lead to more sick children.
Check out more health news:
—A new U.S. food pyramid recommends a very high-protein diet, beef tallow and full-fat dairy as healthy fat options
— Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA may be embedded in his art — and scientists think they’ve succeeded in extracting some of that DNA
— Early research suggests ‘mitochondrial transfer’ to nerves may relieve chronic pain
Also featured in this week’s science news
— Greenland’s giant ice dome disappeared 7,000 years ago — is melting at the temperatures we’re aiming for today
—A rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet discovered in England that may be related to Celtic Queen Boudica
—Satellites in orbit could start colliding with each other within three days, reveals new theoretical ‘CRASH Clock’
—Hundreds of iceberg earthquakes shake the crumbling edge of Antarctica’s terminal glacier
something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best science histories, sky-watching guides, and quizzes published this week.
—Sophie Germain, the first woman to win France’s prestigious Grand Prix Mathematics, whose ticket to the award ceremony was ignored because it was “lost in the mail”—January 9, 1816 [Science history]
— Jupiter will outshine every star in the sky this weekend — How to see the “King of Planets” at opposition [Skywatching]
–How much do you know about Tyrannosaurus, the king of dinosaurs? [Quiz]
Science in pictures
The first full moon of 2026, known as the Wolf Moon, shone brightly in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere earlier this week. The biggest and brightest full moon of the year will be visible until November, but in case you missed the spectacle, we’ve put together this handy gallery of photos of the moon from around the world.
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