“Weekly Headlines:  How will we know if AI is smart enough to do science?”

Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents.

Accessed on 28 February 2026, 1534 UTC.

Content and Source:  “News from Science (AAAS).”

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=8f7f0bdc77&view=lg&permmsgid=msg-f:1858367952697228111

URL–https://www.science.org.

Please check email link, URL, or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.com).

Brought to you by Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation Weekly news and headlines from Science Help News from Science deliver the deep, trustworthy reporting that this challenging time requires. Support nonprofit science journalism—make a tax-deductible gift. Latest News How will we know if AI is smart enough to do science? New tests gauge whether large language models can use their deep troves of knowledge to actually make discoveries By CELINA ZHAO  |  27 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Suspended small business research programs derail development of gene therapies, hip implants, and more Congressional impasse has halted billions in research funding for innovative technologies By RACHEL BRAZIL  |  27 FEB Read more ScienceInsider ‘Truly spectacular’ drug for sleeping sickness simplifies treatment, raising hopes for eradication European regulators greenlight new one-dose compound that could help African countries get rid of an ancient burden By GRETCHEN VOGEL  |  27 FEB Read more Latest News Treating fetuses with stem cells proves safe in milestone spina bifida trial The study is now scaling up to do more in utero procedures and evaluate effects on disability as children grow By CATHERINE OFFORD  |  26 FEB Read more ScienceInsider NSF officials break silence on how AI and quantum now drive agency grantmaking Leaders acknowledge White House role in controversial moves By JEFFREY MERVIS  |  26 FEB Read more Latest News Galileo’s handwritten notes found in ancient astronomy text Discovery sheds new light on how famed astronomer came to lead a scientific revolution By JOSHUA SOKOL  |  26 FEB Read more Latest News Surprising partner preference found in matings between Neanderthals and modern humans Male Neanderthals tended to pair up with female modern humans, but whether intercourse was consensual is unclear By BRIDGET ALEX  |  26 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Head of Haiti’s new research agency determined to ‘keep a candle burning for science’ Environmental engineer Evens Emmanuel is trying to rebuild a shattered academic system By RICHARD STONE  |  26 FEB Read more Latest News In a first, researchers film treetops glowing during thunderstorms Glimmer sparked by electrical fields detected in nature for the first time By HANNAH RICHTER  |  26 FEB Read more Latest News Moon’s ancient magnetic field may have flickered on and off Billions of years ago, melting rocks deep inside the Moon could have led to bursts of surprisingly strong magnetism By PERRI THALER  |  25 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Censorship and safety concerns cloud China’s plans to host science journalism conference Organizers of the 2029 World Conference of Science Journalists defend Beijing meeting as opportunity to connect with Chinese scientists By ANTHONY KING  |  25 FEB Read more ScienceInsider U.S. science agency moves to restrict foreign scientists from its labs Proposed rule at National Institute of Standards and Technology would limit access to a few years for international researchers and students By ROBERT F. SERVICE  |  25 FEB Read more News Feature Birds are vanishing from tropical forests. Is another ‘silent spring’ coming? As mysterious bird declines crop up in the Amazon and beyond, scientists suspect climate change may be to blame 25 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Controversial citizenship question added to upcoming census test Researchers worry question plus other changes will reduce accuracy and boost costs of 2030 count By JEFFREY MERVIS  |  25 FEB Read more Latest News Community health project in Kenya and Uganda dramatically cuts new HIV infections Large-scale study finds that simplifying delivery of prevention medication and improving connections to clinics is key By JON COHEN  |  24 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Major Chinese funder to stop paying fees for 30 pricey open-access journals Move comes amid effort to grow the country’s own journals By JEFFREY BRAINARD  |  24 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Allegations of a Chinese nuclear blast may reignite weapons testing As new global arms race looms, accusation highlights limits to monitoring low-yield tests By RICHARD STONE  |  24 FEB Read more Latest News Could dewdrops explain why plants are flowering earlier? Water droplets set off a chemical cascade that tells a plant it’s time to blossom, new study finds By RACHEL NUWER  |  24 FEB Read more Latest News Ancient artifacts hint at earliest protowriting Geometric shapes on 40,000-year-old bone and ivory suggest early European Homo sapiens long possessed cognitive tools for language By TAYLOR MITCHELL BROWN  |  23 FEB Read more Latest News Hubble spotted a ‘dark galaxy’ that’s at least 99.9% dark matter Search through space telescope’s archival images reveals unusually dim galaxy By DANIEL CLERY  |  23 FEB Read more Latest News Ancient rocks point to an early start for the Great Unconformity—the biggest gap in Earth’s rock record Two-billion-year-old rocks in China suggest mountain building from Earth’s first supercontinent led to a planetwide burst of erosion By JAMES DINNEEN  |  23 FEB Read more Latest News Whoa! When horses whinny, they whistle and sing at the same time New anatomical research reveals the one trick all ponies know By CHRISTA LESTÉ-LASSERRE  |  23 FEB Read more Latest News Ancient mass grave in Serbia seen as a grisly show of power Women and children were executed in an elaborate prehistoric ritual By ANDREW CURRY  |  23 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Journal giant Elsevier unveiled an AI tool that scans millions of paywalled papers. Is it worth it? First-of-its-kind product raises questions about costs, access, and equity By JEFFREY BRAINARD  |  20 FEB Read more ScienceInsider NIH research grant funding rates plummeted in 2025 Agency acknowledges young investigators are losing out as result of multiyear funding policy imposed by White House By JOCELYN KAISER  |  20 FEB Read more ScienceInsider Trump’s NSF pick is a stranger to its research community Jim O’Neill will need to build ties, say former agency leaders By JEFFREY MERVIS  |  20 FEB Read more ScienceInsider New energy department science advisory committee reflects Trump’s AI push DOE’s 21-member Office of Science Advisory Committee is well-qualified but lacks disciplinary breadth, observers say By ADRIAN CHO  |  20 FEB Read more Latest News ChatGPT spits out surprising insight in particle physics Physicists combined human acumen and AI-assisted math to show that a doubted particle interaction is possible after all By PERRI THALER  |  20 FEB Read more Latest News A shocking explanation for tape’s distinctive screech Fast-moving cracks in tape’s adhesive layer produce shock waves that make the stuff sing as it unrolls By SACHIN RAWAT  |  20 FEB Read more Subscribe to News from Science for full access to breaking news and analysis on research and science policy. subscribe Sign up for ScienceAdviser Science’s free daily newsletter delivers exclusive reporting and analysis as well as the latest science news, commentary, and research. Sign up to delve deeper into what matters most in Science and science. Sign up Journals Science Science Advances Science Immunology Science Robotics Science Signaling Science Translational Medicine Useful links News Careers Commentary Podcast Webinars Prizes and Awards Help Access & Subscriptions Reprints & Permissions Contact Us Follow us