The science magazine "Nature" recently announced the winners of its 2026 "Scientists at Work" photography contest. The competition uses art to show the important research people do to help the planet and those who live on it. More than 220 people sent in their best pictures, all showing science in action.
Published in “Science”
Today, NewsForKids.net looks at three important stories from around the world. Europe is facing its second heat wave of 2026. Keir Starmer says he's stepping down as prime minister of the United Kingdom. And far right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella appears to have won Colombia's election for president.
Scientists have long known that there are huge networks of fungi underground. Now, researchers have created a map of these fungal webs and how they are spread around the world. Their study reveals that if the threads of these fungi were laid out in a line, they could stretch to the sun about 730 million times.
A new study shows that bumblebees can use objects around them to solve a challenging puzzle they've never seen before. The results suggest that even though bumblebees have tiny brains, they can think in much more complicated ways than most people believed.
Bruce is a kea - a clever kind of parrot found in New Zealand. Bruce lost the top part of his beak when he was young. But his creative solutions to the problems caused by his missing beak have surprised scientists more than once.
In January of 2022, a massive volcano erupted under the ocean near Tonga. The eruption released huge amounts of methane - a dangerous greenhouse gas. Now scientists have discovered that the volcano's ash cloud also removed a lot of methane. The discovery could lead to new ways to fight global warming.
Scientists have reported a surprising sight in the Democratic Republic of Congo - thousands of tiny fish climbing UP a tall waterfall. The fish use special fins to climb the rock wall behind the waterfall. The scientists say knowing about the unusual activity may be important for protecting the fish.
Scientists studying a Neanderthal tooth found in a Russian cave believe it may be the world's oldest example of dental work. The tooth, which is about 59,000 years old, shows signs of having been drilled to try to fix a cavity. The discovery suggests that Neanderthals were more advanced than scientists thought.
Last Friday, David Attenborough turned 100 years old. The man whose TV shows taught the world to love animals, plants, and the environment thought it might be a quiet day. But his fans, and those who wished him well, had other ideas.
On April 19, about 12,000 runners took part in a half marathon in Beijing, China. On a separate track, beside the human runners, over 300 humanoid (human-like) robots tackled the same challenge. In a similar race last year, humans won easily. This year, the robots not only won, they beat the human world record.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have discovered that rice seeds that "hear" the sound of raindrops seem to sprout faster than those that do not. The study is the first to suggest that seeds can sense sound, and use the information to help them "decide" when to sprout.