Week in Science: "Cocaine sharks" discovered off coast of Brazil

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July 26—This week, "dark oxygen" coming from 13,000-feet below the ocean's surface, how SpaceX's Dragon vehicle will destroy the International Space Station, and the first U.S. species has gone extinct from sea-level rise. All that and more below. --Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Top Stories

'Dark Oxygen' Discovered Coming from Mineral Deposits on Deep Seafloor Baffling new results show that rocklike mineral deposits in the deep sea can produce oxygen Allison Parshall

What to Know about Project 2025's Dangers to Science Project 2025 would jeopardize federal scientists' independence and undermine their influence Ben Guarino; Andrea Thompson; Tanya Lewis; Lauren J. Young

It's Going to Hit 90 Degrees in Alaska This Week Temperatures in Fairbanks, Alaska, are predicted to reach a record-tying 90 degrees Fahrenheit because of a prolonged, unusually late heat wave Andrea Thompson

500-Million-Year-Old 'Alien Fish Taco' Was among First Creatures with Jaws A bizarre fossil of a Cambrian creature that looked like an "alien fish taco" reveals how a single group with jaws came to account for around 90 percent of all animal species on Earth Ashley Balzer Vigil

Nope—It's Never Aliens Claims of alien starships visiting Earth always fall short, but people still fall for them Phil Plait

How SpaceX Will Turn a Workhorse Vehicle into a Hulking Destroyer of Space Stations SpaceX will supercharge its Dragon capsule to send the International Space Station to a watery retirement Meghan Bartels

Cleaning Up Paris's Poop River for the Olympics  The Seine will be the stage for the Paris 2024 Olympics' Opening Ceremony—and for its marathon swimming events. But this urban waterway is challenging to keep clean. Rachel Feltman; Allison Parshall; Anaissa Ruiz Tejada; Kelso Harper; Fonda Mwangi

Meet the First U.S. Species to Go Extinct from Sea-Level Rise A tall cactus found only in Florida's Key Largo is the U.S.'s first species to go extinct from sea-level rise Ayurella Horn-Muller; Grist

Sharks in Brazil Test Positive for a Surprising Contaminant: Cocaine Cocaine has been detected in sharks for the first time, but scientists aren't sure of the impact Stephanie Pappas

China Makes History with First-Ever Samples from the Moon's Far Side China's Chang'e 6 mission has successfully returned samples from the moon's far side, opening a new phase of the nation's lunar space race with the U.S. Leonard David; Lee Billings

Trump's Massive Deportation Plan Echoes Concentration Camp History Trump's language about immigrants "poisoning" the U.S. repeats past rhetoric that led to civilian detention camps, with horrific, tragic results Andrea Pitzer, contract writer

One of Earth's Most Elusive Whales Washes up on New Zealand Beach Scientists hope the incredibly rare beaching of a spade-toothed whale will help them learn more about this persistently elusive species Kate Graham-Shaw

Between Twister and Twisters, Tornado Science Has Improved a Lot in Three Decades Three decades of tornado science research is now at play in the new summer flick Twisters Max Springer, intern writer

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