Weekly Science Report 1-16-26
- Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
- Jan 13
- 8 min read
Weekly Science Report
January 16, 2026
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Introduction
Steve Detwiler created this publication with the support of Graham Hancock and the late John Anthony West to share news and information on various disciplines to include but not limited to paleontology, space sciences, genetics, and archaeology. His goal behind sharing this publication has always been very simple, by sharing knowledge we can make our world a better place. This publication is Mr. Detwiler’s contribution to bring people together and share ideas and discoveries with his fellow humans.
I hope you enjoy this publication and that the content challenges and inspires you!
The Weekly Science Report is also on social media at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wklysciencerpt
News Articles
Paleontology, Evolution and Prehistoric Studies
Oldest rock art served as maps for finding water in the desert over 12,000 years ago
https://www.earth.com/news/oldest-rock-art-engraved-arabian-desert-served-as-maps-to-watering-holes/
10 things we learned about Neanderthals in 2025
Ancient bone arrow points reveal organized craft production in prehistoric Argentina
The Top Ten Dinosaur Discoveries of 2025, From Preserved Blood Vessels to the Return of a Short King
18,000-Year-Old Circular Dwellings Made of Mammoth Bones Unearthed in Ukraine
Recent discovery reveals Africa's oldest cremation pyre and complex ritual practices
Meet five new species discovered in 2025
Scientists Stunned by 7,000-Year-Old Mummies With DNA From Nowhere on Earth
Ammonites survived asteroid impact that killed off dinosaurs, new evidence suggests
Oldest known poison arrows show Stone Age humans’ technological talents
Hominin fossils from Morocco may be close ancestors of modern humans
Oldest known cremation pyre in Africa reveals mysterious woman who lived 9,500 years ago
Fossilized bones are revealing secrets from a lost world
A legendary fossil is forcing scientists to rethink human origins
How did life begin on Earth? New experiments support 'RNA world' hypothesis
Giant 'cow of the Cretaceous' discovered almost 100 years ago identified as new duck-billed dinosaur
Deep Sulawesi cave dig could reveal overlap between extinct humans and us
History
Her husband's kidnapping became Malaysia's biggest mystery. Then came a stunning confession
What Happened to the Sodder Children, the Siblings Who Went Up in Smoke in a West Virginia House Fire?
Church of England launches holiday ad to counter far-right Christian nationalism
She thought finding a stolen Amelia Earhart statue would come with a hefty reward. It only damaged her reputation
Ira 'Ike' Schab, one of last remaining Pearl Harbor survivors, dies at 105
In eastern China, ancient ruins are pushing back the date of Yangtze delta’s earliest cities
Simulations explore Neanderthal and modern human encounters in ancient Europe
Ancient Puebloans kept macaws and parrots in great houses for ceremonial use
6 'lost' cities archaeologists have never found
Genomic study reveals how people moved pigs across the Pacific
UNRAVELING THE SECRETS OF THE INCA EMPIRE
The 17th-century Pueblo leader who fought for independence from colonial rule – long before the American Revolution
Roots of medieval migration into England uncovered in new study
Whale hunting began 5,000 years ago in South America, a millennium earlier than previously thought
Surface ceramics reveal self-sufficient rural economy in Ancient Samos
Could Leonardo da Vinci’s DNA Be Hiding Inside One of His Renaissance Sketches?
How a Sudden Winter Storm in 1617 Sparked the Deadliest Witchcraft Trials in Norwegian History
Archaeology
An early Christian fresco depicting Jesus as the Good Shepherd discovered in Türkiye
Lchashen wagon: A 3,500-year-old covered wagon that transported a deceased chief to the next world
Otto the Great’s Tomb Marble Was Not Greek, Overturning a Long-Held Assumption
3,300-year-old cremations found in Scotland suggest the people died in a mysterious catastrophic event
2,300-year-old Celtic gold coins found in Swiss bog
Archaeologists uncover Bronze Age Chinese secret to brewing red rice wine
3,000 BC find takes archaeologists by surprise
Archaeology team uncovers lost mission site of Espiritu Santo
Scientists have uncovered evidence of Ireland's largest prehistoric hillfort settlement
Centuries-old 'trophy head' from Peru reveals individual survived to adulthood despite disabling birth defect
OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION HUB EXCAVATED IN TURKEY
Pompeii’s Graffiti Captures Every Joke, Boast and Argument of an Ancient Roman City Frozen in Time
Volunteers discover 'significant' Roman building
'Extraordinary' Roman box made of bone found
Ancient clay cylinders provide first foundation text documenting Nebuchadnezzar II's restoration of the ziggurat of Kish
DNA Reveals Unexpected Burial In One of Europe’s Largest Neolithic Monuments
1,100-year-old mummy found in Chile died of extensive injuries when a turquoise mine caved in, CT scans reveal
Monumental tomb discovered in Turkey might be of royal from King Midas' kingdom
3,300-Year-Old Mask Unearthed in Bahrain Sheds Light on Lost Dilmun Civilization
Tumba Madžari Great Mother: A boxy goddess figurine from North Macedonia designed to protect Stone Age houses 7,800 years ago
Mycenaean Gold Artifacts Found in Kefalonia Bear Solar Symbols Linked to Nordic Cultures
Egyptology
King Tutankhamun’s Tomb Is at Risk of Collapse, Study Finds
2,000-year-old workshops, Roman necropolis uncovered in Egypt’s western Delta
ANCIENT WORKSHOPS AND NECROPOLIS EXPLORED IN NORTHERN EGYPT
https://archaeology.org/news/2025/12/31/ancient-workshops-and-necropolis-explored-in-northern-egypt/
General Science
Science in 2026: what to expect this year
It’s been a difficult year for science. Here’s what researchers say about the future
Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
A Starlink satellite seems to have exploded
Gizmodo’s Guide to the Coolest Space Missions of 2026
Most sensitive radio observations to date find no evidence of technosignature from 3I/ATLAS
Space debris led to an orbital emergency in 2025. Will anything change?
Tractor beams inspired by sci-fi are real, and could solve the looming space junk problem
Hunting for dark matter axions with a quantum-powered haloscope
Are we the Martians? The intriguing idea that life on Earth began on the red planet
Scientists Just Clocked a ‘Rogue’ Planet the Size of Saturn
Are we the Martians? The intriguing idea that life on Earth began on the red planet
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals weird wobbling jets in rare sun-facing tail
Celestis books Stoke Space rocket for 2nd-ever deep space memorial flight for human remains
A Solution to Satellite Pollution? Make Them Indestructible
Russia sends 3 Iranian satellites into orbit, report says
Finding runaway stars to help map dark matter in the Milky Way
FYI: These Are the Asteroids You Should Mine
NASA Needs a Drone Detector At Kennedy Space Center
Space Startup Aims To Genetically Enhance Astronauts For Mars Odysseys
Space Force shows off snowy new Alaska radar post
Searching for light dark matter by tracking its direction with quantum sensors
Scientists are getting our robotic explorers ready to help send humans to Mars
GREAT NEWS FOR NASA IN THE HOUSE-SENATE FY2026 APPROPRIATIONS REPORT
Astronomers discover the earliest, hottest galaxy cluster in the universe, and it breaks all the rules
Vera C. Rubin Observatory discovers enormous, record-breaking asteroid in first 7 nights of observations
NASA considering bringing astronauts home early from International Space Station due to medical issue
Congress rejects President Trump's deep NASA budget cuts, proposes $24.4 billion for the agency
Space Force begins base network overhaul as cybersecurity demands grow
Advanced quantum detectors are reinventing the search for dark matter
NASA's Curiosity rover sends stunning new panorama from high on Mars' Mount Sharp
'It would be a fundamental breakthrough': Mysterious dark matter may interact with cosmic 'ghost particles'
Solar Orbiter Sets Record Watching Sunspot Region That Sparked Global Auroras
Betelgeuse's elusive companion star: Siwarha's 'wake' detected
Scientists Just Unlocked a Fuel Source on the Moon, And It’s Massive!
Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Wake-Up Call for Humanity and Space Exploration
SpaceX launches 1st Starlink satellites of 2026 on new Falcon 9 rocket (
Hundreds of iceberg earthquakes are shaking the crumbling end of Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier
Scientists create a system for tracking underwater blackouts
Scientists study 100 possible alien radio signals from collapsed Arecibo Observatory, ending groundbreaking 21-year search
Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy Sources
Turning plastic waste into valuable chemicals with single-atom catalysts
Tokamak experiments exceed plasma density limit, offering new approach to fusion ignition
Tribes seek holistic Northwest forest management
Why scientists are planting tiny forests in big cities
Climate anxiety is altering family planning. Should it?
Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences
Life's first molecule: Borate boosts its formation, finds study
Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing
Scientists say they have discovered 20 new species deep in the Pacific Ocean
Did reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone really cause an ecological cascade?
Bizarre Ecosystem Discovered More Than Two Miles beneath Arctic Ocean
These Orcas Are on the Brink—And So Is the Science That Could Save Them
Jellyfish sleep like humans — even though they don’t have brains
This CRISPR breakthrough turns genes on without cutting DNA
Scientists learn more about how human embryos implant using artificial wombs
Why scientists are catching whale breaths....with drones
Brain organoids are helping researchers, but their use also creates unease
70 Percent of Cancer Patients Now Survive at Least Five Years, Study Finds
Other
How a power outage in Colorado caused U.S. official time to be 4.8 microseconds off
A New Mexico monastery where the silence calls
A quirky guide to myths and lore based in actual science
'Chariots of the Gods' author Erich von Däniken dies at 90
Mysterious Voynich manuscript may be a cipher, a new study suggests
Additional Informational
Trust depends on public openness about how science is practiced
NASA to Preview US Spacewalks at Space Station in January
Fusion reactors may be key to uncovering dark matter
A Ranger Discovered Part of Yosemite’s Untold History. Now It's At Risk of Being Lost Again
First Sky Map from NASA’s SPHEREx Observatory
A hidden diversity of ceratopsian dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous Europe
NASA Selects Tech Proposals to Advance Search-for-Life Mission
Soft photonic skins with dynamic texture and colour control
New Executive Director Kara Cannon Appointed to Launch Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe’s Next Phase
Little to no active faulting likely at Europa’s seafloor today
Scientists Identify ‘Astronomy’s Platypus’ with NASA’s Webb Telescope
The visual system of the longest-living vertebrate, the Greenland shark
NASA’s Hubble Examines Cloud-9, First of New Type of Object
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