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A DNA Archive Built to Identify Missing Migrants Has Vanished

https://undark.org/2026/04/07/missing-migrants-dna-database/

Published: April 7, 2026 07:32

For a decade, the nonprofit Colibrí Center for Human Rights worked with state agencies and humanitarian organizations to identify migrants whose remains were found on the U.S.-Mexico border, including managing a database of DNA samples from families with…

As Rocket Launches Increase, They May Be Polluting the Skies

https://undark.org/2026/04/06/as-rocket-launches-increase-they-may-be-polluting-the-skies/

Published: April 6, 2026 07:07

Though space pollution is still small compared to the aviation industry, rocket exhaust and debris may be gradually depleting Earth’s protective ozone layer, which is still recovering from the impacts of pollution from the chemical chlorofluorocarbon.

Inside the Effort to Sequence a Thousand Measles Genomes

https://undark.org/2026/04/03/measles-genomes-sequence/

Published: April 3, 2026 07:51

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year, though several experts say the data should have been public sooner. It’s the first time that…

Prediction Markets Make a Bet Against Public Health

https://undark.org/2026/04/02/opinion-prediction-markets-public-health/

Published: April 2, 2026 07:05

Online prediction markets allow users to place bets on the outcomes of all kinds of real-life events, including elections, wars, and economic downturns. Yet the platforms are not regulated like casinos, sportsbooks, or other forms of gambling. That…

Why Swedish Schools Are Bringing Back Books

https://undark.org/2026/04/01/sweden-schools-books/

Published: April 1, 2026 07:21

Sweden was an early adopter of digital education, but in 2023, the Nordic nation decided to pivot. The country is now investing heavily in physical books and returning to pens, pencils, and paper. What’s behind the policy change, and will the U.S. follow…

The Nuclear Safety Protections in Federal Crosshairs

https://undark.org/2026/03/31/federal-nuclear-safety-protections/

Published: March 31, 2026 07:12

Last May, President Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reviving what he called an industry “atrophied” by regulation. Since then, the Department of Energy has been stripping away regulations designed to reduce the amount of radiation exposure…

The Future of Sex as a Biological Variable in Health Research

https://undark.org/2026/03/30/sex-biological-variable/

Published: March 30, 2026 07:02

For the past decade, a National Institutes of Health policy ensured that federally funded biomedical research addressed potential differences between males and females in animal studies. But a 2025 executive order from the White House has sowed confusion…

Book Review: How Genetics Shapes Our Ideas About Vice and Blame

https://undark.org/2026/03/27/book-review-original-sin/

Published: March 27, 2026 07:19

In “Original Sin,” behavioral geneticist Kathryn Paige Harden explores the genetic roots of vice and guilt, and how our DNA shapes our attitudes toward blame, forgiveness, and punishment. Are we born with tendencies that incline us toward criminal acts,…

Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science

https://undark.org/2026/03/26/opinion-science-communication-essential/

Published: March 26, 2026 07:52

Science communication is not a side activity — it is a core part of scientific practice. At a time when academic institutions are under attack and politicians peddle misinformation, scientists must recognize that explaining and defending knowledge is as…

Polygraphs Aren’t Very Accurate. Are There Better Options?

https://undark.org/2026/03/25/lie-detection-polygraph-accuracy/

Published: March 25, 2026 07:21

Despite doubt around the polygraph’s scientific validity, the tool is still used in law enforcement investigations and security clearance applications to potential ill effect. Researchers are developing alternative methods to try to better sniff out the…

On the Border, a Billion-Dollar Buoy Experiment

https://undark.org/2026/03/24/border-buoy-experiment/

Published: March 24, 2026 07:16

The industrial-grade buoys, already being installed in Brownsville, Texas, are meant to prevent unauthorized crossings. But experts warn the buoys could intensify flooding and change the river’s course. And local advocates say the project is just the…

Where There’s Wildfire Smoke, There’s Poor Mental Health

https://undark.org/2026/03/23/wildfire-smoke-mental-health/

Published: March 23, 2026 07:46

For those who have experienced wildfires, the traumatic imprint they can leave is clear. But scientists still have numerous questions about how the human brain responds to these events, and, today, economists, epidemiologists, and neurologists are working…

The Problem With Promoting ‘Gold Standard Science’

https://undark.org/2026/03/20/opinion-gold-standard-science/

Published: March 20, 2026 09:00

Federal agencies have increasingly branded some of their research and policy work as “gold standard science” in response to an executive order issued in May 2025. But using a simplified label risks misleading the public about how scientific evidence is…

AI Slop Is Infiltrating Online Children’s Content

https://undark.org/2026/03/20/ai-slop-children/

Published: March 20, 2026 07:00

Nonsensical AI-generated videos, sometimes depicting dangerous behaviors like children walking down the middle of a busy street, or an infant eating whole grapes, are being posted at an rapid clip on YouTube. Child development experts are alarmed by how…

Interview: Sylvia Fogel on Rethinking Autism Research

https://undark.org/2026/03/19/interview-sylvia-fogel-autism/

Published: March 19, 2026 14:00

Sylvia Fogel, the new head of a government committee that advises the secretary of Health and Human Services on autism-related issues and federal activities, including research and social services, believes autism research priorities must change to improve…

Rifling Through the Evidence: Uncertainty in Firearms Analysis

https://undark.org/2026/03/18/ballistic-analysis-methodology/

Published: March 18, 2026 07:28

A recent paper unpacking and expanding a small pocket of data from a 2022 analysis on firearms analysts has reignited a debate over black box ballistics studies. The debate comes at a time when many high-profile shootings involve ballistic comparisons that…

Why Insect Farming Startups Are Going Bankrupt

https://undark.org/2026/03/17/insect-farming-bankrupt/

Published: March 17, 2026 07:10

In spite of the initial hype surrounding the bug farming boom, the insect agriculture industry has learned just how difficult it is to compete with the incumbent, larger animal-based meat industry — and that, perhaps, it never really made sense to try…

Stuck in the Weeds: An Invasive Plant Meets Bureaucracy

https://undark.org/2026/03/16/arundo-donax-bureaucracy/

Published: March 16, 2026 07:59

Arundo donax bedevils waterways in at least 25 states, spreading through a form of asexual reproduction that results in vast thickets of genetic clones. A long line of scientists, land managers, environmentalists, government officials, nonprofit workers,…

Excerpt: How George Washington Weaponized Smallpox Inoculation

https://undark.org/2026/03/13/excerpt-washington-smallpox/

Published: March 13, 2026 17:09

George Washington’s understanding of smallpox — a scourge during the Revolutionary War — and his willingness to employ inoculation as a weapon to fight the British during an epidemic in Boston, helped pave the way for the colonies to become the United…

Why Environmental Tipping Points Don’t Have to Spell Doom

https://undark.org/2026/03/12/opinion-environmental-tipping-points/

Published: March 12, 2026 07:48

Environmental tipping points are real, but not all of them are instant, irreversible catastrophes, as commonly portrayed. Research in the Amazon shows that forests can recover even after severe disturbances such as wildfire. Sustained conservation efforts…

State Bills on Environmental Regulations Raise Burden of Proof

https://undark.org/2026/03/11/state-sound-science-bills/

Published: March 11, 2026 07:12

Versions of a “Sound Science” bill, proffered by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, require environmental regulations to show “direct causal link” to “manifest bodily harm,” not just increased risk of disease. Scientists say that’s all but impossible. Yet the…

Why the FDA Is Embracing Old Math for New Drugs

https://undark.org/2026/03/10/fda-bayesian-guidelines/

Published: March 10, 2026 07:51

Most clinical trials today are analyzed with something called frequentist statistics. But many statisticians say an alternative approach, Bayesian statistics, could cut costs and get good drugs to market more quickly. The FDA recently opened the door for…