The 12 Most Amazing Science Stories of 2026

2026 has been a wild year for science. We count down our 12 favorite stories: golden tongues in sealed Egyptian tombs, a Medici murder mystery that may have been malaria, the coldest day on Earth since 2012, a new orange-lipped monkey that roars, more than 110 new deep-sea species, beetles bouncing back in Switzerland, a mystery substance on Titan and Pluto, the first close-up of Earth's quasi-moon, the first mRNA flu vaccine, a Nobel Prize that started in a pond, BepiColombo arriving at Mercury, and Artemis II taking humans around the Moon again. Plus two honorable mentions: sugar in space and China's 66 billion trees. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:41 #12 – Golden tongues of Egypt 1:30 #11 – A Renaissance murder mystery 2:36 #10 – The coldest day in 14 years 3:29 #9 – A brand new monkey 4:20 #8 – 110 new species from one voyage 5:17 #7 – Good news for insects 6:10 #6 – A mystery substance 7:02 #5 – Earth's quasi-moon up close 8:06 #4 – The first mRNA flu shot 9:04 #3 – A Nobel Prize from a pond 9:51 #2 – BepiColombo reaches Mercury 10:38 #1 – Humans return to the Moon 12:02 Bonus – Honorable mentions 12:58 Wrap-Up – Recap KEY FACTS • Artemis II (1–10 April 2026): 4 astronauts, farthest humans from Earth ever (~400,000 km), beating Apollo 13's 1970 record • Concordia station, Antarctica: −84.1°C on 18 July 2026, the coldest on Earth since 2012 • Colobus congoensis, a new monkey species from the DR Congo (PLOS ONE, July 2026) • 110+ new species from the deep Coral Sea (CSIRO, April 2026) • First mRNA flu vaccine approved by the US FDA (August 2026), adults 50+ • Medici Grand Duke Francesco I (d. 1587): ancient DNA points to malaria, not poison (iScience, 2026) Some findings are still debated, and we say so in the video. This is general science news, not medical advice. Ask your doctor about vaccines. SOURCES NASA (Artemis II record, 6 April 2026) and AP (splashdown); Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities via Ground News (gold tongues); CNN (Medici malaria study, iScience); Discover Magazine / Live Science (Concordia −84.1°C); Live Science & PLOS ONE (Colobus congoensis); CSIRO (Coral Sea Frontier voyage); WSL/Agroscope (Neff et al., Nature Ecology & Evolution 2026); NewsBytes (JWST, Titan and Pluto); Space.com (Tianwen-2 and Kamo'oalewa); Healio (FDA approval of mFLUSIVA); nobelprize.org; ESA (BepiColombo); PBS NewsHour (erythrulose, Nature Astronomy); Live Science (Great Green Wall, Geophysical Research Letters). #Science2026 #Science #Space #Discoveries #StickFigures #Explained