Perseverance Spots Its Most Compelling Mars Biosignatures Yet

NASA’s rover has drilled clay-rich mudstone in Neretva Vallis, a dried river channel that once fed Jezero Crater, and found organic carbon plus tiny “poppy seeds” and “leopard spots” enriched with iron phosphate and iron sulfide—patterns that on Earth can result from microbes processing organic matter. Scientists stress non-biological processes could also explain the chemistry, and definitive answers require Earth-lab analysis. It’s the rover’s 25th sampled rock (30 total in tubes), but Mars Sample Return remains on hold as cheaper options are explored. NASA’s science chief called the find the “closest we’ve come” to evidence of ancient life, while outside experts urged caution given possible false positives. (AP)

Gene-Edited “Hypoimmune” Cells Hint at Shot-Free Diabetes Care

Researchers implanted CRISPR-edited pancreatic islet cells into a person with type 1 diabetes, where they produced insulin for months without immunosuppressive drugs. The cells were engineered (via CRISPR-Cas12b) to evade immune detection—so-called “hypoimmune” cells—and were placed in the patient’s forearm muscle. The first-in-human procedure, detailed in a recent medical-journal report, showed insulin secretion responsive to glucose and no serious adverse events, though it involved just one participant at a low cell dose; insulin therapy continued. The team aims to apply immune-camouflage edits to stem cells to create renewable insulin-secreting cells. Independent groups have questioned whether the approach reliably prevents rejection, and larger trials are planned. (WIRED)

Senate Sets Hearing on CDC Turmoil as New Jersey Widens COVID Vaccine Access

A Senate HELP Committee hearing on September 17 will question recently fired CDC director Susan Monarez and former chief medical officer Debra Houry amid disputes over vaccine policy. The committee’s chair said the session aims at “radical transparency” around recent actions. Separately, New Jersey issued an executive and standing order to simplify COVID-19 vaccination this season: anyone ≥6 months can receive the updated dose; pharmacists may vaccinate those ≥3 years without prescriptions (younger children via clinicians). The moves follow federal decisions narrowing approvals and recommendations, which have caused confusion. A new federal “Make America Healthy Again” strategy emphasizing children’s health drew pushback from infectious-disease experts for sections that question vaccine schedules and mandates. (CIDRAP)

NASA Dismisses Claim That Interstellar Comet Could Be Artificial

A hypothesis proposing that Comet 3I/ATLAS—only the third known interstellar visitor—might be alien-made was rebutted by agency scientists, who say observations show it behaving like a natural comet. The object, up to ~5.6 kilometers wide and traveling ~130,000 mph, will pass no closer to Earth than about 170 million miles while making close approaches to Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. Officials note comets often display unpredictable brightening and other quirks, and that anomalies do not imply artificial origin. The debate stems from arguments about an unusual trajectory and a possibly weak tail; the agency counters that the totality of evidence points to a normal cometary body. (The Guardian)

Laser Dating Pins Dinosaur Egg at 85.9 Million Years

Scientists directly dated a fossilized dinosaur egg from Shiyan, China, to ~85.9 million years using in-situ uranium-lead analyses of eggshell minerals vaporized by lasers. The approach avoids relying on surrounding rock layers, which can be offset in time from the egg’s deposition. Advocates say the method could tighten timelines for many fossils previously bracketed only indirectly. Critics caution that diagenesis—post-burial chemical alteration—might skew isotopic ratios, and urge further tests to confirm eggshell mineral integrity before broad adoption. The egg is part of a nesting cluster of 28; authors report minimal volcanic disturbance and good preservation, but plan additional validation work. (Nature)

Tiny Triassic Snaggletooth Pushes Lepidosaur Origins Back Millions of Years

A palm-size fossil from England’s Middle Triassic coast reveals Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae, a tiny, snaggletoothed reptile identified as an early lepidosaur—the lineage that later exploded into lizards, snakes, and New Zealand’s tuatara. Excavated near Sidmouth in 2015, the 10-centimeter animal was too delicate to extract, so researchers used high-resolution X-rays to build a 3D model of its skull. Anatomy places it among lepidosaurs and pushes their fossil record back 3–7 million years to ~241–244 million years ago. Odd traits abound: no teeth on the palate, a non-kinetic rear skull unlike modern lizards, and outsized triangular teeth, hinting at a diet of tough, large insects. The find suggests lepidosaurs had already diversified during post-extinction Triassic recoveries, though some paleontologists question whether it truly predates contenders like Megachirella. (Science)