Week in Science: Lofty math problem called Hilbert’s sixth closer to being solved

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April 18—This week, a deep-sea mining project that nobody seems to know about. Plus, bees are facing a new crisis, and the elusive colossal squid caught on video for the first time. Enjoy and find even more top news below. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

Top Stories

Mathematicians Crack 125-Year-Old Problem, Unite Three Physics Theories A breakthrough in Hilbert's sixth problem is a major step in grounding physics in math Jack Murtagh

Suddenly Miners Are Tearing Up the Seafloor for Critical Metals The owners of a controversial mining license have begun extracting valuable metals from the ocean floor Willem Marx

Scientists Rally behind Harvard's Stand against Trump Interference despite Risk to Research The Trump administration has frozen billions in funding to the world's richest university after Harvard refused to acquiesce to its demands Tanya Lewis

Language Differences Control Your Brain's Sentence-Prediction Habits The brain's response to information depends on language's grammatical structure Gayoung Lee

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A Deadly Parasite Threatens Bees and 130 Crops They Help Grow Scientists are racing to stop a tiny mite that could devastate the pollinators and agriculture Hannah Nordhaus

JWST Spots Remains of Alien Planet That Fell into a Star NASA's James Webb Space Telescope provided a closer look at the aftermath of a star that wreaked violence on its planet Meghan Bartels

Why Some Animals Live for Only Days and Others Live for Thousands of Years Scientists are studying why some species live so much longer than others Clara Moskowitz, Mark Belan

This Is the First Colossal Squid Filmed in the Deep Sea—And It's a Baby! A colossal squid was filmed for the first time in its natural habitat near the South Sandwich Islands during a recent expedition, and it turned out to be a baby Ashley Balzer Vigil

Mathematicians' Favorite Shapes Hold the Key to Big Mathematical Mysteries Mathematicians describe the most beautiful and beguiling forms and surfaces they know Rachel Crowell, Violet Frances

The Nontoxic Cleaner That Kills Germs Better Than Bleach—And You Can Use It on Your Skin Hypochlorous acid is safe enough to spray in your eyes yet more effective than bleach. Why isn't it everywhere? Jen Schwartz

The Science Fields and State Hit Hardest by Trump NIH Cuts, in 4 Charts An analysis reveals which fields of science and U.S. states are being hit hardest by National Institutes of Health grant terminations Max Kozlov, Chris Ryan, Nature magazine

Why Are Rare Earth Metals So Precious? China is blocking exports of these vital minerals. What makes them so special? Madhusree Mukerjee

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