Science & Technology — July 13, 2026

China lands reusable rocket for first time. The Long March 10B rocket completed its inaugural launch and first-stage booster recovery -- China's first successful reusable orbital rocket landing. The feat intensifies its spaceflight rivalry with the U.S.

Scientific American characterized the flight as a global spaceflight milestone, noting that recovering the booster after an orbital mission is a capability no Chinese rocket had previously demonstrated. According to the outlet, the achievement sharpens the competition between Beijing and Washington in spaceflight, where reusable boosters have become a marker of national capability. The mission combined a first flight of the vehicle with the recovery attempt.

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Scientists grow immature human sperm from stem cells. Researchers created immature human sperm cells from stem cells, nurturing them on a mouse kidney—a step toward treating male infertility.

Nature reported that the cells produced were immature, meaning the work does not yet yield functional sperm and further development would be needed before any clinical use. The outlet described the technique, which relied on tissue from a mouse kidney to support the human cells, as moving researchers incrementally closer to a fertility treatment rather than delivering one, framing it as progress toward addressing infertility in men.

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Tick-borne meat allergies rise across the U.S. Cases of alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially deadly meat allergy triggered by lone star tick bites, are increasing nationwide. Researchers are urging greater public awareness.

Scientific American reported that the syndrome develops after bites from a specific tick species and can provoke severe, potentially fatal allergic reactions to meat. Because the condition is spreading and remains unfamiliar to much of the public, researchers cited by the outlet are calling for broader education so that people can recognize symptoms and understand the risk posed by tick exposure.

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NSF plans cuts to core science programs. The U.S. National Science Foundation proposed clawing back already-distributed research funds to help pay for a White House initiative, threatening core programs on top of an already-squeezed budget.

According to Nature, the proposal is notable because it would recover money that has already been distributed to researchers, not merely trim future awards. The agency's budget was under strain before the plan emerged, the outlet reported, so redirecting funds toward the White House initiative would come at the direct expense of core scientific programs that the foundation supports.

Nature · Read more →