Monday, March 23, 2026

Researchers have discovered the world's oldest known cave art—a 67,800-year-old hand stencil in Indonesia—surpassing the previous oldest discovery in the same region by at least 15,000 years and strengthening evidence that humans reached Australia at least 65,000 years ago.^[1]

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a thick atmosphere surrounding an ancient rocky super-Earth called TOI-561 b, a planet once thought too extreme to hold onto any gas; the finding challenges assumptions about which planets can retain atmospheres.^[2]

An experimental pill called enlicitide reduced LDL cholesterol by 60% in a phase three clinical trial, matching the effectiveness of injectable therapies; if approved, the oral medication could help millions of patients who struggle to reach safe cholesterol levels even on statins.^[3]

Beavers may play an unexpected role in tackling climate change by transforming rivers into carbon sinks; a study found that over 13 years, a beaver-engineered wetland in Switzerland stored over a thousand tonnes of carbon—up to ten times more than similar areas without beavers.^[4]

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a comet breaking apart in real time—the first such observation of its kind—when comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) fragmented while the telescope was observing a different target.^[5]

The Roscosmos Progress 94 cargo spacecraft launched successfully from Kazakhstan carrying about three tons of food, fuel, and supplies to the International Space Station's Expedition 74 crew, with docking planned for March 24.^[6]

A hidden freshwater system deep beneath Utah's Great Salt Lake has been revealed using airborne electromagnetic surveys, with scientists finding that freshwater extends much farther under the lake than expected, reaching depths of up to 4 kilometers.^[7]

Scientists have determined how mosquitoes decide where to fly: each insect independently reacts to visual cues and carbon dioxide, zeroing in on humans when both signals align, rather than following other mosquitoes.^[8]

Former FBI Director and special counsel Robert Mueller, who investigated ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, has died at age 81; Mueller had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease last year.^[9]

Britain saw a dominant day at the World Indoor Athletics Championships, with Keely Hodgkinson winning gold in the 800m and Molly Caudery claiming the pole vault title after clearing 4.85 meters to defeat Slovenia's Tina Sutej.^[10]