Science news

20 October 2026

1. 1

   NASA-led study finds Thwaites Glacier could add more to sea level rise by century's end than some previous estimates

   A new study using a computer model developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with the University of California, Irvine, and Dartmouth College, finds Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier could contribute more to sea level rise by the end of the century than some previous estimates. In some simulations, the glacier's contribution was as much as twice current projections. Projecting the glacier's long-term impact has been difficult because of complex processes. The study, published Oct. 12 in Nature Communications, focuses on the transitional zone where ice stops resting on land and begins to float. Unlike models that treat this as a single boundary line, the researchers model these grounding zones, where seawater penetrates several miles beneath grounded ice during tidal cycles. The researchers say this brings warmer water to the ice, accelerating melt and destabilizing the glacier more than a distinct line would allow.

   Key facts

   • Thwaites Glacier could contribute more to sea level rise by century's end than some previous estimates
   • In some simulations, the glacier's contribution was as much as twice current projections
   • The study was published Oct. 12 in Nature Communications
   • Modeling grounding zones matched satellite data from the 1990s four times more closely than models without them
   • The model was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory with UC Irvine and Dartmouth College

   Commentary

   The sharper finding is not that the glacier is unstable, but that the boundary models have been drawing too simply, understating how seawater undermines the ice. The model's fit to decades of satellite records is what makes its higher projections harder to dismiss. Coastal planners should treat earlier sea level estimates for Thwaites as possibly low, pending wider testing of the grounding-zone approach.

   Sources: NASA Science (.gov)

2. 2

   A quantum computing feat brings the 'megaquops' era a step closer

   Science News reports a quantum computing achievement that moves the 'megaquops' era closer. The framing is incremental: progress toward that era, not its arrival. The piece is credited to senior physics writer Emily Conover, whose background is established in the author details above.

   Key facts

   • Science News published the story under the headline 'A quantum computing feat brings the 'megaquops' era a step closer.'
   • Emily Conover is a senior physics writer at Science News.
   • Conover holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago.
   • Conover is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers' Association Newsbrief award.
   • Conover has won the Acoustical Society of America's Science Communication Award.

   Commentary

   The headline frames this as a step rather than an arrival, so the milestone is progress toward a goal, not the goal itself. Judging how much it matters depends on the performance behind the feat, which readers should check in the original reporting before drawing firm conclusions.

   Sources: Science News

3. 3

   Astronomers measure primordial helium from the Universe's first five minutes with 0.5% uncertainty

   An international research team has measured the amount of helium produced in the Universe's first five minutes with unprecedented precision, reducing the uncertainty to 0.5%, which the Astrophysical Journal papers describe as three times more precise than previous estimates. The team, including scientists from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, used 130 hours of observations with the Large Binocular Telescope. Rather than averaging large numbers of galaxies, the researchers studied 15 pristine, small, distant galaxies that have undergone relatively little chemical evolution and so preserve early composition. Using MODS spectrographs developed at Ohio State University, they examined more than 10 helium lines and 15 hydrogen lines together to correct subtle measurement errors. The precise value also let the researchers calculate the number of neutrino families in the early Universe, providing a sharper test of the Standard Model of physics.

   Key facts

   • Helium abundance from the Universe's first five minutes measured with 0.5% uncertainty
   • Result is three times more precise than previous estimates, per the published papers
   • Findings appear in five papers in The Astrophysical Journal, based on 130 hours of Large Binocular Telescope observations
   • Team studied 15 pristine, small, distant galaxies rather than large galaxy samples
   • Measurement was used to calculate the number of neutrino families in the early Universe

   Commentary

   The headline precision is the predictable part; the real advance is methodological, since choosing galaxies that kept their early chemistry removes the extrapolation that limited earlier work. Skillman's remark that such precision rarely arrives on schedule suggests the gain came from instrument design and error correction rather than luck. Because the number is tied to particle physics assumptions, any future disagreement with it would test the Standard Model directly.

   Sources: Science Daily

4. 4

   Researchers identify molecular mechanism behind statin-linked muscle pain

   Scientists at the University of British Columbia and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have identified how statins can cause muscle complications, according to a study published in Nature Communications. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers found that statins interact with the ryanodine receptor (RyR1), a protein that regulates calcium movement in muscle cells. The drugs hold the channel open, causing calcium to leak continuously into areas where it should be controlled, which can injure muscle tissue. The team said the findings could guide development of statins that keep their cholesterol-lowering effect while reducing muscle damage. Lead author Steven Molinarolo said the calcium leak explains muscle pain and, in extreme cases, life-threatening complications. The researchers studied atorvastatin and said similar interactions could occur with other statins, though further research and drug development are still needed.

   Key facts

   • Statins interact with the ryanodine receptor (RyR1), which regulates calcium in muscle cells
   • Three statin molecules occupy a pocket in the calcium channel, holding it open
   • The research was published in Nature Communications
   • The study focused on atorvastatin, a commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drug
   • More than 200 million people worldwide use statins

   Commentary

   The mechanism points to a design target: the calcium leak can be engineered out without touching the cholesterol-lowering action. Yet the study examined one drug, and the researchers themselves say further development is needed before patients see any change.

   Sources: Science Daily

5. 5

   Study finds rule breaking by a few people can spread through groups

   Researchers led by Lucas Molleman of the University of Amsterdam found rule breaking can spread through groups like a small flame. In an online experiment run a week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, participants picked squares for money; seeing a same-party peer break the rules pushed them toward rule breaking, while rule followers rarely inspired imitation. A computer simulation of groups of digital twins showed a few escalating individuals could push whole groups toward wild deviance, though groups including dedicated rule followers settled at a more moderate level. Eugen Dimant of the University of Pennsylvania cautioned that real life includes punishments and social norms the experiment lacked.

   Key facts

   • Findings published October 21 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
   • The online experiment recruited 750 U.S. participants, roughly half Democrats and half Republicans.
   • Farthest-right choices rose from about 23 percent to almost 40 percent after a same-party peer's rule breaking.
   • Just over 4 percent of individuals escalated deviance beyond the previous respondent's level.
   • In simulated groups of 100 digital twins, a few escalators could push everyone toward wild rule breaking.

   Commentary

   What moved is not rule breaking itself but its dependence on identity: it spread only from a same-party peer, suggesting group loyalty, not mere example, licenses deviance. Because the experiment removed punishment, the risk it shows is likely an upper bound for groups where enforcement operates. The open question is how many enforcers a group needs before a few escalators stop mattering.

   Sources: Science News