Science news this week: Artemis II splashes down, the world's fattest parrot bounces back, and the Shroud of Turin is contaminated

The Earth sets behind the moon and a kakapo parrot with its chicks.

Artemis II splashes down, the kākāpō bounces back, the Shroud of Turin gets weirder, and a functional cure for type 1 diabetes. (Image credit: NASA | Sarah Manktelow/DOC) Jump to:

World's fattest parrot bounces back
Life's Little Mysteries
The Iran war is a climate catastrophe
Also in science news this week
Science Spotlight
Something for the weekend
Science news in pictures
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This week's science news was moonstruck by updates from the Artemis II mission, which saw four astronauts swing around the moon's far side before splashing down safely in the Pacific Ocean.

This nail-biting final stage of the mission, which Live Science covered with minute-by-minute live updates, was a key test of the Orion capsule's heat shield. Despite some concerns, the protective layer held up under scorching heat, and the crewmembers' just under 25,000 mph (40,000 km/h) return made them contenders for the fastest humans in history.

World's fattest parrot bounces back

World's fattest parrot — on the verge of extinction 30 years ago — has record-breaking breeding season

Two yellow and gray parrot chicks sit side by side against a dark background.

The kākāpō recovery program in New Zealand has celebrated its 105th hatching in one season. (Image credit: Sarah Manktelow/DOC)

While people soared around the moon and back, Live Science also spared some time for flightless, portly parrots of New Zealand that are swinging back from the brink of extinction with a record-breaking breeding season.

The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) almost went extinct in the 1990s due to hunting, habitat destruction and the introduction of new predators. But thanks to a major recovery program, the species just celebrated its 105th egg hatching this season ‪—‬ the most in 30 years.

Not all of these chicks will survive to be reintroduced, and their time in the wild will prove challenging — but it's still news that should help the world's heaviest parrot keep its beak up.

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Discover more animals and planet Earth news

—Fossil site in China reveals bevy of complex creatures lived prior to the Cambrian explosion, including a 'Dune'-like sandworm

—'In every continent where humans are present, water bankruptcy is manifesting itself': Exiled Iranian scientist Kaveh Madani on our desperate need to preserve our most precious resource

—California declared war on smog in the 1970s. The knock-on effects were huge.

Life's Little Mysteries

Do the microbes in your gut influence what foods you like?

A woman with straight dark hair wearing a smart watch and tan coat touches the glass on a bakery window, full of sandwiches.

Your microbiome has many unexpected effects. But can it control your cravings? (Image credit: Asia-Pacific Images Studio via Getty Images)

Our gut bacteria affect more than just digestion; they are also linked to our mood, weight, sleep, immune system and even how we smell. But can gut microbes also play a role in which foods we crave?

—If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life's Little Mysteries newsletter

The Iran war is a climate catastrophe

Shroud of Turin, claimed to be Jesus' burial cloth, contaminated with carrot and red coral DNA

A black and white photo of a ripped brown cloth with impressions of a man with a beard wearing a crown in it

The Shroud of Turin contains a rich tapestry of animal and plant DNA, with some signs its fibers came from India. (Image credit: Philippe Lissac via Getty Images)

The Shroud of Turin, which some people claim is the burial cloth of Jesus, received a DNA analysis with intriguing findings, we recently learned.

First, the shroud contains the DNA of multiple people and many other species, including carrots, melons and red coral. Some of this DNA suggests the shroud could have come from India, but other experts disagree.

Overall, the scientific evidence still supports arguments that the Shroud of Turin is a medieval fake, scholars told us.

Discover more archaeology news

—DNA reveals ancestry of man buried in Stone Age monument in Spain, but his religion remains a mystery

—'They could spend 4 or 5 hours per day underwater': How humans adapted to the most challenging environments

—16th-century silver coin discovered near Strait of Magellan marks the spot of a doomed Spanish colony

Also in science news this week

—'RIP, Comet MAPS': Watch the superbright sungrazer become a 'headless wonder' after being ripped apart by the sun

—We went to Finland to hear about the new 'sand battery' that will turn stored renewable energy back into power for the electrical grid

—Western states face above-normal wildfire threats this summer. New maps reveal which areas are most at risk.

—'No one knows what they are': Researchers discover new type of cell that's seen only during pregnancy

—AI 'mirages' mean tools used to analyze medical scans could fabricate their findings

Science Spotlight

'A cure on the horizon': Are we finally close to ending type 1 diabetes?

a photocollage of a young boy with a glucose monitor playing, with a background of cell microscopy

It's a running joke in the diabetes community that a cure for type 1 diabetes is "only five years away." But there may be a kernel of truth in that statement now. (Image credit: Photocollage by Marilyn Perkins; Assets from Tatiana Cheremukhina and STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)

Scientists have proclaimed that a cure for type 1 diabetes is imminent for a while now, but with functional cures now appearing on the horizon, they could finally be right.

Someone who is closely familiar with type 1 diabetes is Live Science's editor-in-chief of premium reporting Tia Ghose, whose sixth grader has the disease. In this Science Spotlight, she wrote a moving deep dive into cutting-edge therapies set to make the daily management of the disease a thing of the past.

Something for the weekend

If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best interviews, crosswords and opinion pieces published this week.

—'They are literally everywhere': The shocking story of how forever chemicals polluted the world [Interview]

—Live Science crossword puzzle #38: Largest non-polar desert in the world — 10 across [Crossword]

—I've witnessed nearly 100 rocket launches. Artemis II was like nothing I've ever experienced. [Opinion]

Science news in pictures

'So much magic': Artemis II shares first images from the far side of the moon, including new 'Earthset' and total eclipse in space

Earth sets from behind the moon.

The Earth sets as the Artemis II crew disappear behind the dark side of the moon. (Image credit: NASA)

NASA released its first batch of photos taken by the Artemis II astronauts during their historic lunar flyby this week, and they are absolutely stunning.

There are so many amazing images from the mission to choose from, but the standout remains the zoomed-out shot of "Earthset," which shows our planet disappearing behind the moon's pockmarked face, an advancing shadow delineating the night side where billions of humans slept.

Want 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 reporting on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp we're also on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky and LinkedIn.

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Ben TurnerActing Trending News Editor

Ben Turner is a U.K. based writer and editor at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist. When he's not writing, Ben enjoys reading literature, playing the guitar and embarrassing himself with chess.

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