11 February 2026

Today’s Visualized examines a new way to use mass spectroscopy. But first, catch up on the latest science news, including a tooth-staining trend 2000 years ago and the genes that turn turnips into bok choy.

Microbiology | Science Advances

My, what big gut phages you have!

Although bacteria tend to take center stage in discussions of the microbiome, the human gut also hosts a variety of viruses, including many that infect bacteria. Some, known as huge or jumbo phages, are truly enormous—boasting double-stranded genomes more than 200 kilobase pairs long.

In a new study, scientists analyzed more than 10,000 huge viral genomes collected from human guts, soil, ocean, and other habitats. They identified a dominant group of jumbo gut phages, nicknamed Jug, that comprise about 1.1% of viral genetic material found in human gut samples and appear to infect bacteria belonging to Bacteroides and Phocaeicola —two common members of the human microbiome. After analyzing samples from human and animal guts, researchers identified more than 1500 Jug phage genomes, suggesting that these viruses are widespread and hop between species. Jug phages are also highly active and turn on some unusual genes, including one that helps move calcium across membranes and has not previously been detected in bacteria-infecting viruses.

Other experiments suggest that Jug phages can be transmitted between humans and are sensitive to changes in diet. Together, the team reported, these findings suggest that Jug phages “play an active role” in regulating the gut microbiome and exert influence over human health.

Read the paper

Anthropology | News from Science

My, what black teeth you have!

An ancient skull in northern Vietnam reveals chemical signals associated with intentional, iron-based tooth blackening. Nguyen Viet

Teeth whitening is a multi-million-dollar industry, but 2000 years ago in certain parts of Southeast Asia, teeth blackening was all the rage. A study out this month in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences reveals the method ancient people in Vietnam used to turn their chompers black as midnight.

Historians have long known that in some ancient Vietnamese cultures, darkened teeth were a sign of beauty (and some modern people continue this practice), but how exactly they accomplished this feat—and whether it was done on purpose, or was a side effect of chewing psychoactive betel nuts—presented a puzzle.

The new work suggests betel nuts aren’t the answer, as the staining doesn’t quite match the ancient samples. What does match, however, is a paste made from jet-black pigment derived from a combination of iron and sulfur. The timing of the blackening trend also coincides with ironworking innovations that were occurring in Vietnam some 2000 years ago. Anthropological archaeologist Shannon Tushingham said the work shines a light on the “ deep cultural significance ” of a practice that has too often been misunderstood by the Western world. “I am heartened by the growth of such culturally informed science,” she said.

Read the full story

GenEtics | Science

My, what diverse genomes you have!

Living organisms are diverse from the inside out. If photographs and tissue samples can capture external diversity within a species, studying internal diversity relies on a pangenome approach: an amalgamation of genes from different individuals. For plants, scientists have focused on building pangenomes for simple, popular crops, leaving many species under-sampled.

Researchers set out to build a pangenome for the species Brassica rapa, whose subspecies include turnips, Chinese cabbage, and bok choy. To do so, they combined genomes from 1720 genetic sequences across individuals from seven subspecies. Last week in Science, the team reported finding 6992 new genes , including one that controlled how the leaf head forms, which is a key distinction between Chinese cabbage, turnip, and a Chinese leafy green called choy sum. The authors propose that B. rapa’s immense genetic diversity could explain how the species quickly diversified during cultivation.

Constructing plant pangenomes can help researchers breed and domesticate important species, write the authors. In a related Perspective, plant biologists Pamela and Douglas Soltis predict that “it will soon no longer be unusual to find extensive genetic variation within species … and the focus will turn to understanding the nature and function of this diversity.”

read the SCIENCE PAPER

Read the Perspective

SPONSORED

Personalized CRISPR therapy delivered at record speed. Danaher helps turn bold ideas into faster breakthroughs in human health

SEE HOW

Visualized

three leaves with different fluorescent patterns

Using ultra-thin films that enhance the sensitivity of mass spectrometry imaging, scientists were able to precisely map the presence of several different pesticides in a whole plant.. Xu et al./Science Advances (2026)

Only you get to decide who you truly are, but a mass spectrometer can tell you what you’re made of. And while conventional techniques involve injecting samples into a device to be analyzed, mass spectrometry imaging can identify what molecules are present in a sample simply by scanning its surface—creating a detailed map showing where specific chemicals are located.

Now, scientists have taken this powerful analytical tool to the next level. The work, reported in Science Advances, uses ultra-thin films made from a porous polymer, which are combined with gold nanoparticles and tiny tubes of titanium dioxide. Samples can be pressed, stamped, or mounted onto the nanofilm before being scanned. Then, when the mass spectrometer’s laser strikes the sample, the different components present within the nanofilm help increase the number of molecules that transform into charged ions, producing stronger detectable signals and hence sharper maps.

Using this new platform, researchers were able to precisely map the location of several different pesticides in a whole plant. They also scanned and imaged human fingerprints, as well as thin sections of rat brains. “Our system demonstrates universal adaptability to multitissue molecular mapping,” the team writes, noting that, because the nanofilm technique works with most laser-based mass spectrometers, it is also “accessible to general laboratories engaged in mammalian and plant science applications.”

Read the paper

Et Cetera

Monkey see, monkey jealous

Researchers observing baboons in Namibia have noticed that siblings often compete for their mother’s attention, suggesting that our distant cousins also feel jealousy. “This group of researchers has really pushed the envelope about what we know about relationships between individuals,” said one primatologist, adding: “It’s totally relatable.”

Proceedings of the Royal society B Paper | Read more at The New York Times

A ‘technology-driven’ election

Since becoming Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025, Sanae Takaichi has pledged to make her homeland “a technology-driven nation.” That ambition has the science community cheering a landslide victory by Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party in parliamentary elections this week. “We believe that the decisive victory in this election will enable her (to realize her) bold science promotion policies,” Nobel laureate Ryoji Noyori wrote in an email to Science.

Read more at ScienceInsider

Antibiotics for appendicitis?

A decade ago, doctors gave more than 250 people antibiotics instead of an appendectomy for acute appendicitis. More than half of them have yet to need the procedure. “You don’t have to operate,” one expert noted. “The majority can be treated without appendectomy, and it is safe for the patients” in the long-term.

JAMA Paper | Read more at Science News

The most uncomfortable part for me is that I no longer think that scientific research will resolve the crises that we face. Worse, I have come to think that it sometimes contributes to decision-making delays.

Nature World View | 3 February 2026 | Jean Colcombet

Last but not least

I kind of love the fact that snapping shrimp have their own little helmets.

Christie Wilcox, Editor, ScienceAdviser

With contributions from Phie Jacobs, Michael Price, and Hannah Richter

Do you have a burning science question you can’t seem to find a good answer for? Submit it to Ask Science! Selected questions will receive responses from Science editors right here in ScienceAdviser.

Have feedback on this newsletter? Let us know what you think using this form or drop us a note at ScienceAdviser@aaas.org.

Want more? Catch up on past issues of ScienceAdviser.

If you were forwarded this newsletter by a friend, you can subscribe for free here.

To ensure ScienceAdviser lands in your inbox, consider taking a moment to add scienceadviser@aaas.sciencepubs.org as a trusted sender or contact in your email client. These instructions provide more information on whitelisting ScienceAdviser based on email client.