LA Post: Top Science stories and news headlines

Health|Science|World

Why do people still get polio in some countries and not in others?

Polio can survive only where it finds kids who aren’t protected by a vaccine.

October 26, 2026

Health|Science|Technology

AI chatbots can be a valuable health resource for older adults – if they embrace ‘informed skepticism’

AI can help you navigate health information, but evaluating the credibility and quality of responses is key.

October 26, 2026

Arts|Education|Health|Science

Spending in-person time with friends is the biggest predictor of whether college students flourish

Helping young people thrive involves supporting healthy relationships, as well as being engaged in work, school and family life.

October 26, 2026

Business|Science|Technology

SpaceX enters $40 billion deal with Apollo for AI chip financing

SpaceX said on Monday an affiliate of Apollo Global Management will buy AI chips and server hardware and lease them to the rockets-to-AI firm, in a deal with total principal

October 26, 2026

Economy|Environment|Science|Technology

50 years later, Amory Lovins’ soft energy path meets electrification

Five decades ago, he charted two paths for energy use in the US. His soft path rightly emphasized efficiency and renewables but underestimated the importance of electricity.

October 26, 2026

Science|Technology

AI is exposing how fragile the web really is. What you can do to stay safe

October 26, 2026

Science|Technology

Data centers are inspiring bipartisanship – for now

A political scientist who studies AI in campaigns explains why data centers have put Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon on the same side ahead of the midterms.

October 26, 2026

Business|Economy|Europe|Science|Technology

Poland eyes more cooperation with Germany in space, Polish minister says

Poland sees a lot of room to deepen cooperation with Germany in the space sector, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said on Monday, underscoring the need to possess

October 26, 2026

The races that will decide control of the US Senate

By Nolan D.

October 12, 2026

Economy|Science|Technology

Anthropic taps a deep well of distrust as it eyes its Australian AI debut

October 26, 2026

Judges skeptical of Trump administration effort to force California to set aside mail ballots

October 25, 2026

Health|Science|World

Ebola scientists to probe Nigeria case origin, Africa CDC says

A team of leading Ebola scientists will travel to Nigeria to help investigate how the country’s first patient in more than a decade got infected, Africa

October 26, 2026

Economy|MidEast|Political|Science|World

Houthis say they attacked Saudi oil pumping stations, Riyadh airport as fighting intensifies

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West crude oil pumping stations and Riyadh airport, as rising hostilities choke oil supplies and

October 26, 2026

Brazil’s Lula wins historic fourth term, Flavio Bolsonaro refuses to concede

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won a historic fourth term on Sunday, the country's electoral

October 25, 2026

Science|Technology

Anthropic's Claude accessed Georgia state vote count data behind paywall

AI model Claude bypassed a paywall and accessed publicly available US state of Georgia aggregate voter counts without human authorization, Anthropic said in a statement on Sunday.

October 25, 2026

Arts|Environment|Science|Technology

Vance no longer a hurricane but as a tropical storm still threatens Mexico's Pacific coast

Tropical Storm Vance is churning off Mexico’s southwest Pacific coast after a day of gradual weakening but is threatening several western states in that country with heavy rain and possible flash flooding

October 25, 2026

Political|Science|Technology|World

Zelenskiy says US fully resumes warnings on ballistic strikes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said US warnings about imminent Russian ballistic missile strikes, critical to Ukraine's air defences, had been fully restored after

October 25, 2026

Health|Science|Travel|World

Uganda imposes 21-day quarantine on citizens returning from Congo

Ugandan citizens returning to the country with a history of travel to Democratic Republic of Congo will be quarantined for 21 days, Health Minister

October 25, 2026

US appeals court appears skeptical of Trump DOJ's lawsuit over California voter rolls

A federal appeals court appeared skeptical on Sunday of a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump's administration that seeks to force California officials to set aside

October 25, 2026

Business|Economy|Finance|Science|Technology

Musk says SpaceX raised $40 billion in debt deal, predicts neocloud shakeout

Elon Musk said on Sunday that SpaceX had closed $40 billion in debt financing for graphics processing units, underscoring the soaring cost of building AI computing capacity.

October 25, 2026

Business|Science|Technology

When will there be a flying car in your garage? Not anytime soon.

October 25, 2026

Science|Technology

Ukraine disputes Elon Musk's claim that its military violated Starlink's terms of service

Ukrainian officials have disputed Elon Musk's claims that their military violated Starlink’s terms by using it for offensive drone strikes

October 25, 2026

French protest groups demand more rallies as Macron faces tough choices

French protest groups and unions called on Sunday for further demonstrations as they sought to maintain pressure on the government

October 25, 2026

Business|Science|Technology|World

Musk accuses Ukraine of violating Starlink’s terms of service following dispute over coverage

October 25, 2026

Arts|Election|Finance|Science

Conservative party wins first election in nearly a century in British Columbia

The opposition Conservative Party won an election in the Canadian province of British Columbia for the first time in nearly 100 years, promising to ramp up liquefied natural gas

October 25, 2026

Science|Technology

To make AI morally good, tech companies are turning to religion. But some say it isn't that simple

Tech companies are increasingly turning to religion for guidance on developing ethical AI models

October 25, 2026

Science|Travel

How to catch the hunter’s moon this weekend — and maybe Saturn, too

October 25, 2026

The midterm election outcomes that could shape Trump's final two years

Americans vote on November 3 in midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.

October 19, 2026

Science|Technology

As the US and China form AI blocs, countries are increasingly torn between them

With the two leading AI powers, the United States and China, forming their own AI blocs, other countries are maneuvering to harness the strengths of both groupings without alienating either and risking losing out

October 25, 2026

New York's archdiocese and survivors of clergy abuse agree to $800 million legal settlement

The Archdiocese of New York and attorneys for about 1,300 parishioners who say they were sexually abused by clergy have agreed to an $800 million settlement of their legal claims

October 24, 2026

How reliant is Ukraine on US support – and could Kyiv carry on without it?

October 24, 2026

Environment|Science

New maps reveal who could see more snow during this year’s super El Niño

October 24, 2026

Business|Science|Technology

Ukraine says Starshield back to normal, Musk says Kyiv violated terms

Ukraine said on Saturday that the Starlink satellite system and its military version Starshield were now fully functional after over a week of restrictions that

October 24, 2026

Science|Technology

Musk says he was behind Starlink speed restriction after service in Ukraine is restored

Ukraine's access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to previous speeds, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

October 24, 2026

Education|Health|Science

Cracking a smile regularly may be good not just for your mood but for your health

Some campuses and workplaces are trying to foster more smiling and positivity, and experts say it can go a long way

October 24, 2026

Science|Technology

Some US transit systems weigh whether to run trains without a human at the controls

As automated vehicles such as robotaxis become more common on American streets, transit systems are debating whether to go driverless as well

October 24, 2026

Business|Health|Science

Johnson & Johnson's prostate cancer drug shrinks tumors in early-stage trial

Johnson & Johnson on Saturday said its experimental once-daily oral prostate cancer drug caused tumors to disappear or shrink in an early-stage trial.

October 24, 2026

Election|Political|Science|Technology

Can electronic voting machines change your vote? Here’s what experts say

October 24, 2026

Arts|Science

Astronomers say van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ may have been inspired by real celestial arrangement

October 24, 2026

Science|Technology

Moonshot curbs hacking ability in new Kimi model as fears grow over AI-powered cyberattacks

Moonshot AI has reduced the cyber-offensive capabilities of its newest model, the Chinese startup said on Saturday, as fears grow that increasingly

October 24, 2026

Arts|Environment|Science|World

Vance intensifies rapidly and could become a major Category 3 hurricane off Mexico's Pacific Coast

The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Vance has rapidly strengthened into a Category 2 storm as it nears Mexico’s Pacific Coast

October 23, 2026

Science|Technology

US has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine, Middle East, sources say

Well before the throttling this month of Ukraine's military access to Elon Musk's satellite communications system, the Biden and Trump

October 23, 2026

Business|Economy|Science|Technology

PHP Foundation 'under-funded' with one full-time staff member, director says

The discovery of two serious flaws in PHP this week set off a global scramble to keep websites safe from hackers, showing just how critical the three-

October 23, 2026

Health|Science

Nigeria Ebola case linked to virus found in Kenya index case, health minister says

Genomic analysis of Nigeria's only confirmed Ebola case shows the virus is closely related to the strain detected in Kenya's index case,

October 23, 2026

Science|Technology

Nuclear power could more than triple by 2060, UN agency says

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency says he expects the use of nuclear power could more than triple by 2060

October 23, 2026

Science|Technology

NASA adopting Apollo’s urgency to build a moon base and land astronauts within two years

NASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years

October 23, 2026

Science|Technology|World

‘The most complicated launch campaign ever’: NASA lays out mad dash to test lunar landers

October 23, 2026

Business|Science|Technology

OpenAI resumes frontier AI training after security overhaul, discloses flaw in widely used software

OpenAI said on Friday it had resumed training of its most advanced AI models after tightening security and barring internet access, and disclosed a flaw in a widely used software

October 23, 2026

Health|Political|Science

US to introduce label for all American-made seafood

Health Secretary Robert F.

October 23, 2026

Wall Street loses ground under pressure from rising oil prices

Stocks fell on Wall Street as the market came under increasing pressure from rising oil prices

October 23, 2026

After previous day's slump, trading is quieter among AI shares

Big AI stocks were mixed on Friday, a day after the biggest decline in the Nasdaq Composite Index in four months, giving investors a welcome

October 23, 2026

Africa|Health|Science|World

Kenya reports second death from Ebola

Kenya has recorded a second Ebola death, the health ministry said late on Friday, adding that the 65-year-old woman had developed symptoms during quarantine and was a close

October 23, 2026

Arts|Entertainment|Science

Ancestors all around – millions of dead people linger in Americans’ memories

The shadow population of deceased relatives is more than three times as large as today’s living population.

October 23, 2026

Detained migrants have no constitutional right to bond hearings, US court rules

A US appeals court ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration is not required under the US Constitution to give detained immigrants a chance to

October 23, 2026

Environment|Health|Science

Birth control for rats? PETA suggests solution for Philadelphia's rat issue

October 23, 2026

Police officer who shot and killed 1-year-old boy in Mississippi has resigned, Senatobia mayor says

The police officer who shot and killed a 1-year-old boy in Mississippi when he fired into a moving vehicle while responding to a shoplifting call has resigned

October 23, 2026

Arts|Health|Science

South African runners don cheeky attire for annual race to spotlight prostate cancer

A crowd of South African men ran through the streets of Johannesburg in purple swim briefs to raise awareness about prostate cancer

October 23, 2026

Science

With hurricane off Mexico sharing name with Vice President JD Vance, the social media memes fly

Vice President JD Vance is traveling the U.S. supporting Republican candidates, while another Vance is on a whirlwind tour off Mexico's Pacific Coast

October 23, 2026

Smith & Nephew orthopaedics deal talks with J&J fail over CEO choice, source says

Smith & Nephew held talks to merge with Johnson & Johnson's orthopaedics division but the discussions collapsed over who would run the enlarged group, a

October 23, 2026

Arts|Economy|Environment|Science|Technology

Oil prices jump $3 on Houthi attacks, oil spill, highest settlement since April

Oil prices settled more than $3 higher on Friday, their highest in nearly six months after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns over further

October 23, 2026

Science|Technology

PHP is in the foundation of 70% of websites – here’s what it is and why a flaw in the software is a major hacking threat

A cybersecurity researcher explains how a flaw in widespread software makes millions of websites vulnerable to hackers – and underscores the role of AI in attacking and defending the internet.

October 23, 2026

Why the 26 secretary of state races this November matter more than they did before Trump’s drive to assert federal authority over elections

Secretaries of state are at the center of growing conflict over how election authority should be divided between states and the federal government. There are 26 elections for the job this November.

October 16, 2026

Business|Economy|Finance|Science|Technology

Data center spending to more than double to $2.1 trillion by 2028, BofA says

Global data center spending is expected to hit $1 trillion in 2026 and more than double to $2.1 trillion by 2028, BofA Global Research

October 23, 2026

Arts|Entertainment|Health|Lifestyle|Science

Arkansas teen continues late mother's legacy of raising cancer research funds

October 23, 2026

Business|Finance|Science|Technology

AT&T, T-Mobile tighten AI guardrails as autonomous networks remain years away

Telecom giants AT&T and T-Mobile are investing to safeguard customer data and network infrastructure from new cybersecurity threats as AI

October 23, 2026

First Quantum readies Argentina tax-break plans for $5.3 billion Taca Taca copper project

First Quantum Minerals plans to apply before year-end for Argentina's large-investment incentive regime for its Taca Taca copper project, Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on

October 23, 2026

Health|Science|US|World

US CDC says measles cases rise to 4,588 as outbreak continues

The US CDC on Friday reported 4,588 measles cases in the country as of October 22, up 178 from a week earlier, as an outbreak of the highly contagious disease continues.

October 23, 2026

Environment|Science

Meet D. rex, the newly crowned giant fungus ‘king’ that measures almost 2 feet tall

October 23, 2026

Business|Economy|Science|Technology

Barclays is latest to redirect spending toward AI as it trims its workforce

The cost of building out the infrastructure needed to satisfy booming demand for artificial intelligence is changing the way major companies allocate resources

October 23, 2026

From death row to a botched execution and back: A timeline of Christa Pike’s case

October 23, 2026

Arts|Finance|Science

SLB signals stronger 2027 on Middle East rebound, beats estimates

SLB on Friday beat Wall Street estimates for third-quarter profit on strong demand for its oilfield equipment in North America and signaled an upbeat 2027 as Middle

October 23, 2026

Business|Science|Technology

Apple's foldable iPhone hits stores with $2,000 price tag and scarce supply

Apple's first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, hit stores around the world on Friday with a price tag of about

October 22, 2026

Business|Economy|Science|Technology

Why AI data centers are powering a boom in fuel-cell demand

Fuel cells are gaining traction among US hyperscalers racing to build data centers for the AI boom but struggling with grid constraints to

October 23, 2026

Environment|Science|Technology

US designates helium as a critical material, citing its importance for semiconductors

The U.S. government has designated helium as a critical material because it’s indispensable for making semiconductors that are essential to energy generation, and the global supply is at risk of disruption

October 23, 2026

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