Stories by Saima S. Iqbal

In a new book, a science journalist recounts the story of a lifesaving treatment for infection that scientists broadly dismissed until recently

Infants who experienced rationing had a meaningfully lower risk of diabetes and hypertension decades later

Why do some Labrador retrievers overeat? Do cats and dogs dream like humans do? Is your cat actually obsessed with you? In 2024 we got answers to these and other questions about our beloved furry friends

RFK, Jr., and other potential and current government officials have spread shaky health claims about fluoridated water. Scientists explain the evidence behind its safety and benefits

Generative AI could saddle the planet with heaps more hazardous waste

Jonny Kim—a former Navy SEAL and emergency medicine resident—is now a NASA astronaut who will soon launch to the International Space Station as flight engineer for the crew of Expedition 72/73

New rolling, hopping robots navigate via fungus

In a new book, a long-time foreign correspondent examines the underappreciated links between climate change and violent conflict

Supermassive black holes can expel jets of material so vast and powerful that they may shape the large-scale structure of the cosmos

Bacteria can degrade particularly tough PFAS varieties

Flawed implementation of a global eradication strategy brought poliovirus to Gaza, and wartime conditions let the infection spread

The year 2024 could easily shape up to be the hottest ever measured, climate scientists say

Dark matter may be lighter in mass than once hoped

A new study suggests that waves of aging-related changes occur at two distinct points in our life

An easy-to-access rapid test could lower barriers to detecting syphilis, which is surging nationwide

Coronal mass ejections from the sun sparked dazzling auroras that were visible from the ground and from space

With the detection of a long-predicted “neutrino fog,” the search for particles of dark matter has entered a new age of both possibility and peril

Several athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have come down with COVID, but they are still allowed to compete

The U.S. sorely needs a coordinated national research strategy, says Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences

The amount of water and electrolytes needed for proper hydration vary from person to person

For the first time, researchers have reconstructed the 3D structure of ancient genetic material, in this case from a 52,000-year-old mammoth

When scientists exposed people to the virus that causes COVID, only a subset got sick. Studying them could offer clues to immunity