This month's roundup of overlooked science stories includes puzzle-solving raccoons, space reproduction challenges, and a rediscovered Archimedes manuscript page. From urban pests to microgravity mysteries, these discoveries reveal surprising insights about animal intelligence and human biology.

Raccoons have proven themselves to be more than just clever trash pandas, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia. In experiments published in Animal Behavior, captive raccoons demonstrated remarkable problem-solving abilities when presented with puzzle boxes containing marshmallows. The animals showed flexible problem-solving by exploring multiple mechanisms even after finding food, balancing curiosity against potential risks in what researchers call "information foraging."

Meanwhile, scientists at Adelaide University discovered that human reproduction in space faces unexpected challenges. Their study in Communications Biology found that microgravity significantly impairs sperm navigation through simulated reproductive tracts, with a 30 percent reduction in successful fertilization. The disorientation occurs despite normal sperm motility, though adding progesterone can help overcome these effects.

A long-lost page from an Archimedes manuscript has resurfaced at a French museum, offering new opportunities to study ancient mathematical texts. The page, missing since 1906, contains Greek text and geometric diagrams beneath medieval prayers. Conservationists plan to use multispectral and X-ray imaging to reveal the underlying text, continuing the work of uncovering Archimedes' mathematical treatises from the 13th-century palimpsest.