Weekly Science Report 12-12-25
- Emergency Manager's Weekly Report
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Weekly Science Report
December 12, 2025
"You can wipe out an entire generation, you can burn their homes to the ground and somehow they'll still find their way back. But if you destroy their history, you destroy their achievements and it's as if they never existed."
The Monuments Men
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
How did these species survive mass extinction events?
First kiss dates back 21 million years, say scientists
Neanderthals' hefty noses weren’t well adapted to cold climates
Walk through the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs with American Museum of Natural History's new 'Impact' exhibit
Scientists identify a dinosaur species that survived mass extinction 200 million years ago
Archaeologists discover traces of a 35,000-year-old advanced maritime society in the Philippine Islands
Bones of giant anacondas found in Venezuela. Here's what scientists discovered when they pieced them together
Mystery foot suggests a second early human relative lived alongside Lucy
This High Arctic rhino may change what we know about ancient animal migrations
Archaeologists uncover 13,000-year-old mystery at Maryland dig site
Scientists Just Found Incredible Ice Age Fossils in This Underwater Cave
When did people first arrive in Australasia? New archaeogenetics study dates it to 60,000 years ago
Sounding the 6,000-year-old shell trumpets of Catalonia
'An extreme end of human genetic variation': Ancient humans were isolated in southern Africa for nearly 100,000 years, and their genetics are stunningly different
Archaic humans were strategic and picky hunters, new study suggests
Return of the short (tyrant) king: A new paper by Dinosaur Institute researcher shows Nanotyrannus was not a juvenile T. Rex
In a 400,000-year-old hearth, hints of humans taming fire earlier than thought
Ancient undersea wall dating to 5,800 BC discovered off French coast
Tens of thousands of dinosaur footprints and swim tracks found in South America
History
50 years after Franco’s death, giving a voice to Spanish dictator’s imprisoned mothers
Pope Leo visits tomb of St Francis in Assisi
Paris court blocks auction of earliest-known calculator
Under the radar: The pilot who posed as a farmhand to evade the Nazis
D-Day veteran Charles Shay, who saved lives on Omaha Beach, dies at 101 in France
This Thanksgiving, read a Native American poet’s song of healing
Makah Tribe’s treaty-protected whaling rights remain blocked more than two decades later
Oldest living survivor of Tulsa Race Massacre dies at 111 years old
It Wasn’t Just Drought: Scientists Propose New Theory on the Maya Urban Collapse
Decades-long droughts doomed one of the world's oldest civilizations
New discoveries reveal Tell Abraq's role in ancient Persian Gulf trade
Ancient 'hanging coffin' people in China finally identified — and their descendants still live there today
Celebrated Rutland mosaic depicts 'long-lost' Troy story connecting Roman Britain to the ancient classical world
Sacrificial Complex in the Southern Urals Reveals Nomadic Rituals
Go Behind the Scenes at an Iconic Irish Library as Staff Move 700,000 Historical Treasures Into Storage
The Real History Behind ‘Hamnet’ and the Tragically Short Life of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s Only Son
How the Disappearance of Flight 19, a Navy Squadron Lost in 1945, Fueled the Legend of the Bermuda Triangle
The Ten Best History Books of 2025
Newly Declassified Records Suggest Parents Collaborated With the FBI to Spy on Their Rebellious Teens During the 1960s
The Cherokee Nation debuts new Cherokee language dictionary app
Archaeology
Bronze Age "City of Seven Ravines" unearthed after 3,500 years
There are thousands of aligned holes in Peru. Archaeologists now think they know who made them
Massive pit circle confirmed as Neolithic structure near Durrington Walls henge
'We do not know of a similar case': 4,000-year-old burial in little-known African kingdom mystifies archaeologists
Dozens of Megalithic Tombs and Fortified Settlements Discovered in Southern Spain
Archaeologists Create First 3D Model of Easter Island’s Primary Moai Quarry
First evidence of lost-wax casting for silver in Bronze Age Western Europe uncovered
Oldest mule in western Europe found in early Iron Age burial site
Minoan Architects’ Genius: Landslide Protection Found at Archanes Palace
Secrets of the Seven Wonders
Top 10 Discoveries of 2025
Lost Indigenous settlements described by Jamestown colonist John Smith finally found
Archaeologists have discovered clues about origin of famous Hjortspring boat
Egyptology
Politician demands end to Grand Egyptian Museum ticketing system that leaves locals in ‘secondary category’
2,000-year-old shipwreck may be Egyptian 'pleasure barge' from last dynasty of pharaohs
General Science
New 'Transformer' humanoid robot can launch a shapeshifting drone off its back — watch it in action
When will quantum technologies become part of everyday life?
Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
First confirmed sighting of giant explosion on nearby star
Chinese astronauts 'stuck' on space station to get a new spacecraft after debris strike leaves them without a ride home
Starlink’s method of dodging solar storms may make it slower, for longer
Stars forge elements in new, uncharted ways: Experimental physicist discusses the 'i-process'
Huge red giant star has newfound companion — and it may be a bad neighbor
Why mysterious structures within Earth's mantle hold clues to life here
Medieval Arabic texts help researchers track down explosive star deaths
Have gravitational waves provided the first hint of primordial black holes born during the Big Bang?
Satellite captures the first detailed look at a massive tsunami
Astronomers Have Found 6,000 Exoplanets—but This Could Be the First Known Exomoon
Close brush with two hot stars millions of years ago left a mark just beyond our solar system
China’s Shijian spacecraft separate after pioneering geosynchronous orbit refueling tests
Electric discovery on Mars! Scientists find tiny lightning bolts coming from Red Planet dust clouds
Russia accidentally destroys its only working launch pad as astronauts lift off to ISS
Evidence of rain-driven climate on Mars found in bleached rocks scattered in Jezero crater
What to know about the 3I/ATLAS comet and why people keep talking about aliens
Scientists found tryptophan, the ‘sleepy’ amino acid, in an asteroid. Here’s what it means
ESA Member States Pledge Record Level of Funding
Hong Kong's Mission to Watch the Moon Get Bombarded
First Private Space Telescope Launches Successfully
Satellite boom is a 'growing threat' to space telescopes: NASA study
How a medieval Oxford friar used light and color to find out what stars and planets are made of
Space junk strike on China's astronaut capsule highlights need for a space rescue service, experts say
Nearby super-Earth emerges as a top target in the search for life
The Lost Planet that Created the Moon Came From the Inner Solar System
'We were genuinely astonished': This moss survived 9 months outside the International Space Station and could still grow on Earth
Deep-sea mining tests impact over a third of seabed animals – scientists
Ancient Literature Suggests India’s Savannas Are Much Older Than Previously Thought
Electric discovery on Mars! Scientists find tiny lightning bolts coming from Red Planet dust clouds
NASA astronaut and LA native Jonny Kim returns to Earth after 245 days onboard ISS
In a major new report, scientists build rationale for sending astronauts to Mars
Newly Discovered ‘Hybrid’ Phase of Matter Blurs the Line Between Solid and Liquid
Chinese astronauts inspect debris-damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft during spacewalk
This 7-hour cosmic explosion is the longest gamma-ray burst ever seen. Could it be from an elusive class of black hole?
Black hole spotted blasting winds at 130 million mph: "A scale almost too big to imagine"
Voyager 1 will reach one light-day from Earth in 2026. Here’s what that means
Have Astronomers Found the True ‘Star of Bethlehem’?
Ghostly solar neutrinos caught transforming carbon atoms deep underground
Tiny Robot Lost Under Antarctic Ice for 8 Months Comes Back With Rare Data
Earth's crust hides enough 'gold' hydrogen to power the world for tens of thousands of years, emerging research suggests
The James Webb Space Telescope just found the oldest supernova ever seen
Environment, Climate Change and Alternative Energy Sources
Coastal ocean acidification advancing faster than expected, threatening local economies
By 2030, how much will data centers contribute to fossil fuel emissions? Scientists mapped it
New graphene breakthrough supercharges energy storage
New construction material absorbs CO₂ and sets quickly for sustainable building
Amazon rainforest is transitioning to a 'hypertropical' climate — and trees won't survive that for long
Biological, Genetics and Medical Sciences
The mysterious black fungus from Chernobyl that may eat radiation
Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find
Membrane 'neighborhood' helps transporter protein regulate cell signaling
Study finds virus 'socializing' influences effectiveness of antiviral drugs
Gene editing creates compact goldenberry plants suitable for large-scale farming
New deep-sea species discovered during mining test
Amputees often feel disconnected from their bionic hands. AI could bridge the gap
Antarctica’s Only Bug Is Eating Something It Really Shouldn’t
Orcas team up with dolphins to hunt salmon, study finds
Other
'The Second World' shows how humanity makes mistakes in futuristic society
Additional Informational
The Nuremberg Trials
Canada Deepens Space Ties with Europe Through Historic Investment
Jinlin crater, Guangdong Province, China: Impact origin confirmed
Chemical evidence of ancient life detected in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks
Adaptive tracking with antagonistic pleiotropy results in seemingly neutral molecular evolution
How a 21-Year-Old Helped Bring Nazis to Justice
International Science Council Newsletter
Choices on Kristallnacht- Video
Cart-Ruts – A Global Archaeological Mystery
Announcing the Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism
Sugars, ‘Gum,’ Stardust Found in NASA’s Asteroid Bennu Samples
A Stranger in Our Midst?
NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science
WHOI Ocean Insights Newsletter
International Science Council Newsletter
Off the Grid: Prophetstown, Indiana
Search for Life Should Be Top Science Priority for First Human Landing on Mars, Says New Report
NASA Teams Work MAVEN Spacecraft Signal Loss
Saturn's moon Enceladus top target for ESA
What is comet 3I/ATLAS?
NASA Selects 2 Instruments for Artemis IV Lunar Surface Science
Preserving the Sacred Ground of Emmett Till's Story
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