Science news this week: ‘Spiderwebs’ on Mars, tigers’ return to Kazakhstan, and 2,000-year-old skull with permanently blackened teeth

This week's science news has been filled with mind-blowing space discoveries, with the the largest map of chaotic gas clouds at the center of the Milky Way at the head of the pack.New images, captured in stunning detail by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) radio telescope, show 650 light-years of gaseous structures that envelop our galaxy's central black hole. These stunning images could help scientists better understand the evolution of the Milky Way.Elsewhere, astronomers may have spotted a a star collapses directly into a black hole for the first timeand they could soon spot a few more thanks to the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which issued 800,000 alerts in a single day while being semi-operational this week.A little closer to home, a new look at Apollo moon rocks solved a lingering mystery about the Moon's magnetic field; James Webb Space Telescope spotted giant auroras crossing the atmosphere of Uranus; and the Curiosity rover was able to observe Martian “spider webs” containing tiny egg-like structures.This is all a healthy distraction from the disappointing space news here on Earth, like NASA has started rolling back its Artemis II rocket for fixes following a helium leak in its upper stage. On the other hand, the agency also announced a major overhaul of its Artemis programwhich now includes an additional orbital docking mission in 2027 before landing on the Moon in 2028.The Tigers return to Kazakhstan Kazakhstan's tigers will be imported from a closely related subspecies into Russia. (Image credit: WWF Central Asia)Tigers are set to return to their historic Central Asian homelands after more than 70 years of local extinction, with an initiative that plans to bring them back by the end of the year.The Kazakhstan government's ambitious program has transformed the country's Lake Balkhash into plant just under 100,000 tree seedlings to recreate lost tiger habitat.Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.The tigers themselves will likely be imported from Russia, as Siberian tigers were part of the same population as Kazakhstan's Amur tigers until their separation in the 19th century. As for feeding the big cats, the thriving ecosystem offered by the seedlings is already shaping up to be a home for wild boars and Bactrian deer. Although they are quite cute, if left unchecked by a predator, these herbivores could multiply to the point of destabilizing their newly restored ecosystem. SO, go get them, tiger.Discover more news about animals and planet Earth—Scientists discover genetic 'switch' in mice that turns caring fathers into violent bullies—How can deserts form next to oceans?—Incomplete remains of world's 'youngest' impact crater spotted hidden in Chinese forest — Earth from spaceThe little mysteries of life A Viking coin found in Maine in the 1950s has long been the subject of speculation. (Image credit: Maine State Museum Collections (72.73.1/ME 30.42.1))Lobster rolls, Moxie, rocky coasts, Stephen King and… the Scandinavian invaders? Maine is known for many things, but an 11th-century Norse silver coin discovered in the 1950s raises the question of whether it was a landing spot for Viking sailors. But did the Vikings actually reach the Pine State? Or did the piece take another path?—If you liked this, sign up for our newsletter Life's Little MysteriesBlack teeth were a fashion in ancient Vietnam People have been blackening their teeth for centuries in Vietnam. Today, archaeologists have discovered that this practice dates back to the Iron Age. (Image credit: © 2026 Zhang et al., Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences)In some parts of Vietnam, permanently blackened teeth have been fashionable for centuries. The traditional practice is to use a mixture of iron and tannins or chew betel nuts to color the teeth to a jet black shine.Today, archaeologists date this practice back to the Iron Age, 2,000 years ago. Excavations of skeletons from a site in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam have revealed that many individuals from this era also possessed Stygian-colored gnashers. Yet it's unclear exactly why this practice arose – whether as a rite of passage or as a way to hide betel nut stains.Discover more news on archeology—In the Roman Empire, babies were not supposed to be mourned. These rare liquid gypsum burials prove the opposite.—Humans and Neanderthals interbred – but it was mostly Neanderthals and women who mated, study finds—Far fewer people are linked to Genghis Khan than previously thought, new genomic study suggestsAlso in science news this week—Diagnostic dilemma: a parasite never seen in humans was the cause of a woman's lung infection, organ damage and forgetfulness—COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy may reduce risk of preeclampsia—Scientists discover genetic 'switch' in mice that turns caring fathers into violent bullies—A 'thermodynamic computer' can mimic AI neural networks – using orders of magnitude less energy to generate images—Ultrafast quantum chemistry engine could accelerate development of new drugs and materialsScience long reading Scientists believed that many retinal diseases were caused by a single genetic mutation. But the truth turns out to be much more complex. (Image credit: Norman Zeb/Getty Images)The genetic cause of "monogenic" diseases seemed pretty clear to scientists: a mutation in a single gene led to predictable types of inherited diseases that would be diagnosed as genetic disorders. But it turns out that's not true at all.A growing body of research shows that single-gene diseases are not caused by single genetic mutations because many healthy people have them without showing any signs of disease. So what's the problem? Stephanie Pappas, Live Science contributor studied in this long reading.Something for the weekendIf you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best skywatching guides, opinion pieces, and word puzzles released this week.A rare 'planetary parade' will return to the evening sky this week – but you'll have to watch at exactly the right time [Skywatching]How menopause affects the brain – and what we still don't know [Opinion]Chain Word: Can you solve our science word of the day puzzle? [Word puzzle]Scientific news in pictures The Egg Nebula consists of four beams of light passing through pink gas expelled by a star. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, B. Balick (University of Washington))This stunning image from the Hubble Space Telescope, which resembles a cosmic beacon sweeping its beams across wide arcs of space, shows the Egg Nebula, the first, youngest and closest pre-planetary nebula ever discovered.The light in the dust cloud comes from its star, which spewed out its dense dust disk a few hundred years ago. This light now escapes through the polar openings around this dust shield, creating twin beams.Follow Live Science on social mediaWant more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reports on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp, we're here too Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipchart, Instagram, TikTok, Blue sky And LinkedIn.