Stand Up for Science

The MacArthur Foundation has announced its new class of Fellows, the so-called 'genius grants', and this year's list includes researchers whose work combines science with social justice. Among the honorees are scientists applying their research to issues of equity, highlighting the foundation's emphasis on work that bridges scholarship and community impact.

Richard L. Wagner Jr. has been awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's 2026 Foster Medal, one of the lab's highest honors. The award recognizes distinguished contributions to the laboratory's mission, which centers on nuclear security and national defense science. Details of his specific achievements were not immediately available, but the recognition underscores his standing within the national security research community.

A landmark genomic study, reported by researchers at UNC Charlotte, has uncovered the evolutionary origins of bats, tracing the lineage back roughly 65 million years. By analysing genome data, scientists aim to resolve long-standing questions about how bats evolved flight and echolocation. The findings are drawing attention in the biology community for shedding new light on one of mammals' most distinctive orders.

Researchers say they have solved the long-standing mystery of how plants sense touch, according to a science news release. The finding explains the mechanism plants use to respond to physical contact, with potential implications for plant biology and agriculture. Details of the research team and findings have not yet been widely reported.