Science news today spans ecology, geology and technology, with a reminder that politics and public life often shape how scientific developments are received. In the Arctic, Norwegian authorities confirmed Europe’s first recorded case of bird flu in a polar bear after detecting the H5N5 virus in a young bear and a walrus in Svalbard, underscoring how avian influenza is spreading through fragile northern ecosystems. In Australia, geophysics helped expand True North Copper’s Aquila discovery in Queensland, extending the mineralised system to more than 1.5 kilometres and pointing to a larger copper-silver-cobalt target. Defence technology also moved ahead, with Aitech winning a $63 million contract to supply avionics computing for India’s Light Combat Helicopter program. And beyond the lab, the death of former Australian governor-general Peter Hollingworth renewed attention to the uneasy intersection of public service, institutional accountability and legacy.