Humans
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This week, recent changes to the USA's childhood vaccine schedule under RFK Jr. have led to multiple leading national health organizations seeking legal intervention, the most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found challenges where Homo erectus came from, the UN's new High Seas Treaty kicks into action this weekend, seven perfectly preserved mummified cheetahs could be the key to future rewilding success in Saudi Arabia, and if you've ever wondered what life looks like under the North Pole, boy do we have the interview for you.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content."We Need To Do Some Genetics On This": World-First As Entire Woolly Rhino Genome Recovered From Ice Age Wolf Pup's Stomach
Analysis of the entire genome of a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis), recovered from the stomach of an ancient 2-month-old wolf cub, shows the species probably died out very quickly alongside a dramatic shift in climate. Read the full story here
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"This Is Not A Hypothetical Concern": Major US Health Groups Sue To Reverse And Prevent RFK Jr's Vaccine Changes
After months of escalating rhetoric and action against established vaccine policy in the US, Trump and RFK Jr’s Department of Health and Human Services kicked off the new year with sweeping changes to the nation’s childhood vaccine schedule – including the removal of seven vaccines from the rotation entirely. Now, leading national health organizations are seeking legal intervention against them. Read the full story here
2-Million-Year-Old Homo Habilis Skeleton Proves The First Humans Didn’t Look Like Us
Modern humans are the latest in a long line of creatures belonging to the Homo genus, although until now we knew relatively little about the earliest member of our line. Yet the discovery of the most complete Homo habilis skeleton ever found has finally changed that, revealing that this prehistoric ancestor remained surprisingly ape-like in appearance. Read the full story here.
It "Belongs To Everyone And No One": A Huge UN Treaty On International Waters Is About To Kick Into Action
Described as “the biggest conservation victory ever" and “a turning point for humanity,” the landmark United Nations High Seas Treaty kicks into action on Saturday, January 17, 2026. Here’s what it’s all about, and why it is such a big deal. Read the full story here
First Naturally Mummified Cheetah Specimens, Discovered In Arabian Cave, Date Back 100-4,000 Years
Seven naturally preserved mummified cheetahs have been discovered in a cave in Saudi Arabia. The contents of these caves, which also include the remains of 54 more cheetahs as well as prey animals, shed light on the evolutionary history of these animals across an area in which they are now extinct. Read the full story here
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Feature of the week:
“It’s Like Being In A Chandelier”: What Scientists Discovered When They Visited Life Beneath The North Pole
There is a minimum amount of light needed for photosynthesis to be able to support living organisms. It raises interesting questions about how life persists in some of the planet’s most remote, and sometimes darkest, regions. We speak to microbial oceanographer and polar marine ecologist Allison Fong about life under the ice at the North Pole. Read the full story here
More content:
Have you seen our e-magazine, CURIOUS? Issue 42, January 2026, is available now. This month, we asked, “Why Do We Cry?” – check it out for exclusive interviews, book excerpts, long reads, and more.
PLUS, the We Have Questions podcast – an audio version of our coveted CURIOUS e-magazine column – continues. In episode 16, we ask, “How Did Frogs Become A Pregnancy Test For Humans?”
The Big Questions podcast season 5 has now concluded, but here’s one more bonus episode to help see you into 2026: Can Magic Be Used As A Tool In Science? You can catch up on the whole of season 5 here.
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