What are Our favorite science news stories of 2022 Highlights of our most popular and most loved items

A gold vessel from an Avar tombKHM-MUSEUMSVERBAND

Mystery warriors made the fastest migration in ancient history

Not much is known about the Avars, a cryptic people who helped end the Roman Empire and then vanished from history. Now, DNA from their tombs sheds light on where they came from, and just how far and fast they came—a record in ancient human history.

Novelist Kurt Vonnegut, who would have turned 100 this year, called for an ethical reckoning in science. RICHARD MILDENHALL/CAMERA PRESS/REDUX

100 year after his birth, Kurt Vonnegut is more relevant than ever to science

Kurt Vonnegut wasn’t a scientist, but his writings have influenced countless researchers, even years after his death. This staff and reader favorite explores the messages the famed novelist left for the scientific community—and why his presence continues to be 

V. ALTOUNIAN/SCIENCE

The ancient viruses may be protecting the human placenta

Can a virus become domesticated? Suppression isn’t going to curl up on your lap, but after invading our ancient ancestors about 30 million years ago, it appears to have settled down in our genome and become a sort-of friend, one that may be protecting us from other pathogens.

Is technology spying on you? New AI could prevent eavesdropping These days, it seems like every piece of electronic equipment is snooping on us, from smart speakers to smartphones. The same artificial intelligence that enables this eavesdropping may also help prevent it, according to this story. Neural Voice Camouflage creates an audio smokescreen when we talk, outsmarting the artificial intelligence that may be listening in. on conversations.FABIODERBY/ISTOCK Holy $@*%!’ Science captures behind-the-scenes reactions to asteroid-smashing mission Scientists are people, too. They hoot, they holler, and they even lose their mind, as this peek behind the curtains of NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission shows. Are these bumble bees playing with toys? It’s not quite the World Cup, but researchers have observed bumble bees playing with small wooden balls. The insects appear to be rolling the objects around for no other purpose than to have fun. Just one more reason to be nice to one of our favorite pollinators. Weather can affect baby names. A couple of uncommon ones might be about to blow up Beloved elders. Saints. Even movie characters. Baby names have all kinds of sources. This study shows nice weather can play a role as well, potentially even pushing a couple of rare monikers into prominence. Medieval friars have riddled with parasites and England’s 13th-century friars lived a relatively sanitary existence. So why were they more likely to be riddled with parasites than their less hygienic contemporaries? The answer may lie in their surprising gardening practices. reality doesn’t exist until you measure it, the quantum parlor trick confirms It seems that every year a bizarre quantum physics story makes our top 10 list, and 2022 is no exception. This story involves pseudo telepathy, a matching game, and enough quantum weirdness to blow your mind. They