It’s no secret that plastic and other human trash are a problem for marine life, but our understanding has long focused on the ocean’s surface. Now, a more complete picture is coming into focus, revealing that even some of our planet’s greatest depths have become home to our debris. As described in a study published on September 16, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One, an international team led by Dr. Daniel Lauretta of Argentina’s natural science museum surveyed the Mar Del Plata Submarine Canyon in the southwestern Atlantic, finding that our trash has accumulated in a part of the planet we typically consider pristine.

The study, published in Science Advances, finds that Australopithecus, the group of hominins that includes Little Foot, combined regular tree-climbing with walking on two legs on the ground. However, by about 1.8 million years ago, early members of the genus Homo appear to have shifted much more strongly towards a life on the ground.

Jun Takahashi, MD, PhD, has been awarded the 2026 Ogawa-Yamanaka Stem Cell Prize by Gladstone Institutes. He was selected for pioneering the translation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell biology into regenerative therapies for Parkinson’s disease, culminating in the world’s first clinical approval for iPS cell-derived cell transplantation.

Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) supports a major commercial fishery along the U.S. East Coast and serves as essential prey for fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals, may be less able to sustain fishing pressure than some assessments suggest. A new study finds that a key estimate of deaths from natural causes was substantially overstated, potentially making the population appear more productive than its biology supports.

An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published Sept. 16 in Nature.

A new study in Cell harnesses the world’s first atlas of single-cell genetic data from deep-sea microbes to reveal unexpected diversity, function, and biotechnological potential. 

Edward Chouchani, PhD, principal investigator of the Chouchani Lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was one of 18 scientists named as finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, a significant prize for early-career researchers.

Eighteen early-career scientists have been named Finalists for the 2026 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, competing for three unrestricted $250,000 Laureate prizes

Since 2007, the Awards have invested more than $20 million in over 500 scientists worldwide

The investment has led to the founding of more than 50 companies, five of which are publicly traded and collectively valued at over $40 billion