Science news this week: Artemis II lifts off, diabetes cured in mice, and smog in China shapes Arctic storms

1. Space

Science news this week: Artemis II lifts off, diabetes cured in mice, and smog in China shapes Arctic storms

News By Nicoletta Lanese published 4 April 2026

April 4, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

This week included a few historic firsts, including the Artemis II mission heading for the moon and scientists curing Type 1 diabetes in mice. (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images and BSIP via Getty Images) Jump to:

• Scientists cured type 1 diabetes in mice
• Life's Little Mysteries
• China's push to reduce air pollution had unexpected results
• Also in science news this week
• Science long read
• Something for the weekend
• Science news in pictures
• Science in motion
• Follow Live Science on social media

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Live Science Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Become a Member in Seconds

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Delivered Daily

Daily Newsletter

Sign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.

Signup +

Once a week

Life's Little Mysteries

Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.

Signup +

Once a week

How It Works

Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and more

Signup +

Delivered daily

Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Signup +

Once a month

Watch This Space

Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.

Signup +

Once a week

Night Sky This Week

Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!

Signup +

Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

The long-awaited launch of NASA's Artemis II mission dominated science news this week, with the excitement peaking Wednesday (April 1) as the space agency's first crewed mission to the moon in over 50 years blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Millions tuned in around the world as the towering Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule rose off the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. EDT. Live Science covered the launch live, with reporters following the action both remotely and directly from Florida's Space Coast.

The liftoff mostly went off without a hitch, though the launch team had to resolve one unusual range issue before takeoff. The four Artemis II crewmembers are now well into their 10-day journey around the moon, during which they'll run tests aimed at building NASA's capacity to execute its planned lunar surface missions. Live Science will be covering highlights from the mission, including its expected reentry on April 10, so stay tuned for updates.

You may like

• NASA announces moon base, Iran war releases staggering carbon, why weed gives people munchies, and Artemis II preps for liftoff.
• Discoveries inside Earth, Artemis II scrub, and an ape that can play pretend
• Live Science Today: Artemis II readies for rollout as auroras paint skies

Back in the realm of Earthbound science, chemists have discovered a method to turn breadcrumbs into hydrogen for use in chemical manufacturing. Archaeologists found the world's oldest evidence of gambling in the form of dice invented by Indigenous people in the western U.S. more than 12,000 years ago. Another archaeological discovery out of Vietnam may challenge the presumed history of syphilis. And a new study suggests that quantum computers don't need to be nearly as powerful as we thought to break the world's most secure encryption algorithms.

Scientists cured type 1 diabetes in mice

Scientists cured type 1 diabetes in mice by creating a blended immune system

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system has learned to attack islet cells in the pancreas and relentlessly destroy them. New research has found a way to eliminate this autoimmune attack without completely erasing the immune system. (Image credit: BSIP via Getty Images)

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks cells that make insulin, leaving the body with too little of the blood-sugar-controlling hormone. Those insulin-making cells can be replaced, but the procedure typically requires patients to undergo lifelong immune suppression, which comes with its own serious health complications.

Now, in a new study, scientists explored a way to transplant insulin-making cells without the need for immunosuppression. So far, the approach has shown promise in lab mice, though much more work is needed to show it works in humans. But in theory, it could pave the way to a cure, experts told Live Science.

Discover more health news

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

—Scientists have discovered an 'Achilles' heel' in deadly superbugs

—Pig semen component could deliver chemotherapy to hard-to-reach eye cancer, mouse study suggests

—Teenager's hives turned out to be caused by rare water allergy

What to read next

• Crew-11 emergency return, Mars Sample Return cancellation, shrinking river deltas, and an ancient wolf mystery.
• Super El Niño looms, an Acropolis fragment resurfaces, a promising cure for Alzheimer's appears, and a hexagonal diamond is made
• 'Spiderwebs' spotted on Mars as NASA's moon program gets a major shakeup, tigers set to return to Kazakhstan, and why 'monogenic' diseases might not be so simple after all.

Life's Little Mysteries

What would happen to Earth if the sun suddenly vanished?

A very long solar filament that had been snaking around the sun erupted with a flourish on Dec. 6, 2010. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/SOHO)

Life on Earth literally revolves around the sun's light and energy — but what would happen if our companion star suddenly winked out of existence? Live Science contributor Jesse Steinmetz tackles the question of what a suddenly sunless Earth might be like and which organisms might survive in such a cold, dark place.

—If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life's Little Mysteries newsletter

China's push to reduce air pollution had unexpected results

China's huge push to reduce air pollution had an unexpected consequence in the Arctic

New research revealed China's actions to clean up its air pollution impacted other areas of the globe. (Image credit: Getty Images / Stringer)

China launched an effort to clean up its air in 2013, and in the decade or so since, the country has lowered its sulfate aerosol emissions by about 75%. A new study took a look at the global impact of that impressive feat, showing that the loss of smog over China likely spared the Arctic from sea-ice-damaging cyclones. The smog previously detoured storms across the North Pacific, funneling them into the Arctic, where they would destroy ice in the Bering Sea.

However, it's not all good news: Aerosols cool the planet, so their disappearance can ultimately unmask greenhouse-gas-driven warming that was once offset by pollution's cooling effect. In short, it's a complicated picture that will take more research to fully understand.

Discover more planet Earth news

—Extreme wildfires, droughts and storms could happen even under moderate global warming, study finds

—Scientists discover potentially huge freshwater reservoir hidden beneath Great Salt Lake

—Earth's energy imbalance is much more extreme than climate models show ‪—‬ but scientists aren't sure why

Also in science news this week

—'It blew my mind': Long-lost ice-age ecosystem, including fossils of lion-size armadillo and giant ground sloth, discovered in Texas 'water cave'

—Farting comet seen reversing its spin for the first time ever —‬ and it may soon 'self-destruct'

—Tasmanian tigers discovered in Indigenous rock art in Australia, suggesting these marsupials lived there much longer than thought

—Rare 'sungrazer' comet MAPS will shine superbright on Saturday ‪—‬ if it survives a dangerous encounter with our star

—A new tweak to Einstein's relativity could transform our understanding of the Big Bang

Science long read

Astronauts can face 'nearly lethal doses' of solar radiation — so why launch Artemis II during the sun's peak of activity? Space scientist Patricia Reiff explains.

Artemis II's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are ready to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA's Artemis II mission will not only help the space agency prepare for its future trips to the lunar surface but also offer a unique opportunity to study the impacts of deep space on human health. With the sun having recently passed its peak in activity, called solar maximum, could the four-person crew face even more risk from radiation than they would otherwise?

To unpack the effects of space weather on the human body, Live Science trending news writer Patrick Pester spoke with Patricia Reiff, a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University in Houston. Counterintuitively, she explained that solar maximum may be a better time for the Artemis II mission than you might assume.

Something for the weekend

If you're looking for something a little longer to read over the weekend, here are some of the best analyses, crosswords and opinion pieces published this week.

—'Not how you build a digital mind': How reasoning failures are preventing AI models from achieving human-level intelligence [Analysis]

—Homo habilis is the earliest named human. But is it even human? [Analysis]

—Live Science crossword puzzle #37: The seventh planet from the sun — 2 down [Crossword]

Science news in pictures

Scientists mapped all the nerves of the clitoris for the first time

The main sensory nerve of the clitoris, the dorsal nerve, is labeled in yellow. Veins and other tissues are shown in different colors. (Image credit: Ju Young Lee et al., 2026)

Scientists recently unveiled the first 3D map of the clitoral nerves, which renders the tissues at micron-scale resolution. The effort involved CT scans stitched together from X-rays that used an extremely bright light source, called a synchrotron. Prior to this research, other scientists had studied the general structure of the clitoris using MRI and tallied up the 10,000 or so nerves in the organ. But the 3D map provides new insights into the nerves' structures that could be incredibly useful for surgeons to reference.

Concentric rocky rings adorned with ancient artwork wear a magma 'hat' in the Sahara — Earth from space

Mount Arkanu is a massif made up of concentric rocky rings topped with a large hat-like formation. The entire structure is over 15 miles wide. (Image credit: NASA/ISS program)

A photo snapped in 2025 by an astronaut shows concentric mountain ridges in the Libyan desert. Known as Mount Arkanu (sometimes spelled Arkenu), the colossal structure was once thought to be an ancient impact crater. But recent research suggests it actually formed from magma repeatedly rising toward the surface and intruding into the surrounding rock. Mount Arkanu bears ancient artworks depicting human figures, along with cattle and other tethered animals, such as giraffes.

Science in motion

NASA's Artemis II crew launches to the moon

NASA's Artemis II Crew Launches To The Moon (Official Broadcast) - YouTube Watch On

If you couldn't watch the Artemis II launch live Wednesday, don't fret! NASA's coverage of the event can be found on the agency's YouTube channel. (And for detailed explanations of the science you're seeing, check out Live Science's live coverage.)

Besides witnessing the epic moment of liftoff, you can learn about NASA astronaut's wide array of prelaunch rituals, the menus the crew will tuck into on their venture, and the mission's official mascot, Rise, designed by 8-year-old Lucas Ye of California. The coverage also digs into all the details of how the Artemis II mission will proceed now that the astronauts have exited Earth's atmosphere.

Follow Live Science on social media

Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel for the latest discoveries as they happen. It's the best way to get our expert reporting on the go, but if you don't use WhatsApp we're also on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky and LinkedIn.

TOPICS China Science news this week Nicoletta LaneseSocial Links NavigationChannel Editor, Health

Nicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, she also remains heavily involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Space NASA announces moon base, Iran war releases staggering carbon, why weed gives people munchies, and Artemis II preps for liftoff.    Planet Earth Discoveries inside Earth, Artemis II scrub, and an ape that can play pretend    Space Live Science Today: Artemis II readies for rollout as auroras paint skies    Space Crew-11 emergency return, Mars Sample Return cancellation, shrinking river deltas, and an ancient wolf mystery.    Planet Earth Super El Niño looms, an Acropolis fragment resurfaces, a promising cure for Alzheimer's appears, and a hexagonal diamond is made    Technology 'Spiderwebs' spotted on Mars as NASA's moon program gets a major shakeup, tigers set to return to Kazakhstan, and why 'monogenic' diseases might not be so simple after all.    Latest in Space Space Exploration I've witnessed nearly 100 rocket launches. Artemis II was like nothing I've ever experienced.    Space Exploration 'Trust us; you look amazing': Artemis II crewmembers share first message from space    Space Exploration Artemis II officially leaves Earth's orbit on the way to the moon    Space Exploration In photos: Artemis II's historic launch for the moon    Space Exploration Chinese satellite with robotic 'octopus arm' passes key refueling test in orbit — making longer-lived space assets more likely    Space Exploration Artemis II blasts off: Humans are on their way back to the moon    Latest in News Space Exploration 'Trust us; you look amazing': Artemis II crewmembers share first message from space    Anatomy Scientists mapped all the nerves of the clitoris for the first time    Space Exploration Artemis II officially leaves Earth's orbit on the way to the moon    Physics & Mathematics New tweak to Einstein's relativity could transform our understanding of the Big Bang    Space Exploration In photos: Artemis II's historic launch for the moon    Chemistry Chemists discover groundbreaking reaction that turns breadcrumbs into hydrogen    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Are allergies genetic?
2. 2'Trust us; you look amazing': Artemis II crewmembers share first message from space
3. 3Homo habilis is the earliest named human. But is it even human?
4. 4Scientists mapped all the nerves of the clitoris for the first time
5. 5Rare 'sungrazer' comet MAPS could appear brighter than ever on Saturday: What to know