Science news this week: ‘Cloud People’ tomb found in Mexico, pancreatic cancer breakthrough, and the AI swarms poised to take over social media
This week’s science news focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of technological progress, with a study warning about next-generation AI ‘swarms’ it could soon take over social media.
Signs of bots on social media are already evident, with more than half of the written text online produced by large language models as of 2025. What scientists are warning about with this next generation of bots is different: Trained to pose as real humans and flock in droves as if they were part of an organic movement, they will adaptively target human users, spread false narratives, and influence opinion.
The mysterious tomb of the ‘Cloud People’ is Mexico’s ‘most important archaeological discovery’ in a decade
The discovery of a 1,400-year-old Zapotec tomb in Oaxaca, southern Mexico, was hailed this week by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo as the country’s most important archaeological discovery in a decade.
Built by the Zapotec culture, who believed their ancestors descended from the clouds and their spirits returned to heaven after death, the ancient tomb is adorned with intricate carvings that include a carving of an owl with a man’s head in its beak – owls being symbols of death and the afterlife in Zapotec culture.
Authorities first learned of the grave’s presence in response to an anonymous report of looting at the site. And although some information about this centuries-old civilization was lost to thieves, the tomb now joins a dozen other Zapotec tombs discovered in Oaxaca over the past decade.
Discover more news on archeology
—Sophisticated 160,000-year-old stone tools discovered in China may not have been made by Homo sapiens
—Portable wooden tools from Greece, 430,000 years old, are the oldest on record – and they predate modern humans
—5,000-year-old rock art from ancient Egypt depicts ‘terrifying’ conquest of the Sinai Peninsula
The little mysteries of life
The Earth’s axial rotation is as certain as day after night, but what about that of the Sun? It turns out that yes, our star rotates, although measurements of its rotation are complicated by several factors, including its different layers and its rotation in the same direction as the orbit of our planet.
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Pancreatic cancer breakthrough in mice
In a major study announced this week, scientists at Spain’s National Cancer Research Center in Madrid announced a triple combination therapy that was found to be remarkably effective in eliminating pancreatic cancer in mice.
This announcement is important for many reasons: Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest common forms of the disease, with its aggressive, stealth-growing tumors quickly becoming resistant to chemotherapy.
To seek a more effective form of treatment, the researchers behind the new study inhibited a mutated gene responsible for 90% of pancreatic cancers diagnosed in humans using three drugs, two of which already have regulatory approval in the United States. The results were durable tumor regression without significant side effects in all mice in the study, paving the way for development of the therapy for humans.
Discover more health news
—South Carolina measles outbreak nears 790 cases, making it largest in decades
—IVF hormones could one day be administered with painless ‘microneedle’ patch, early studies suggest
—UK has lost measles elimination status again
Also in science news this week
—Shark attacks in Hawaii increase in October and scientists think they know why
—50-year-old NASA plane crashes in flames on Texas airstrip, removing it from Artemis II mission
—‘Doomsday Clock’ approaches 4 seconds to midnight as unregulated AI and ‘mirror life’ threaten humanity
—More than 43,000 years ago, Neanderthals spent centuries collecting animal skulls in a cave; but archaeologists don’t know why
—‘Previously unimaginable’: James Webb Telescope breaks its own record again by discovering the most distant galaxy known in the universe
Science long reading
In the United States, thousands of dams are at risk of failing, which could have major consequences for public health and the economy.
That’s according to new satellite images revealing dozens of faults emerging from the shifting ground beneath structures, including Texas’ largest dam. But what is the role of climate change in this phenomenon? What are the potential consequences? And can we do anything to stop it? Live Science studied in this news analysis.
Something for the weekend
If you’re looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best opinion pieces, crosswords, and skywatching guides published this week.
—Giving AI the ability to monitor its own thought process could help it think like humans [Opinion]
—Live Science Crossword #27: The Explosion That Created the Universe — 5 Down [Crossword]
—The Snow Moon will “swallow” one of the brightest stars in the sky this weekend: where and when to watch it [Skywatching]
Science in motion
It may not seem like much, but this blur could be a harbinger of an impending revolution in cosmology.
Captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the light seen here comes from the ancient galaxy MoM-z14, just 280 million years after the Big Bang, making it the most distant galaxy confirmed to date.
And the detection is not only exciting because it broke JWST’s own record, but also because MoM-z14 appears to be much brighter and more developed than its extremely young age should allow. That means his study, and others like it, promise to trigger a fundamental rewriting of how the universe evolved.
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