Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

7 PASS 1 REVIEW 5 FIX

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 404, bare page

FIX

HTTP 404, bare page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Bare server default 404 page

The 404 page has no custom styling. Users hitting a broken link see a generic error with no way to navigate back. Add a custom 404 page with your site navigation and a search bar.

404 Page Quality Default 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Custom Styling ✗Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

No web manifest found

No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Favicon & Branding

5 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

5 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

A+

Landmark Structure

18 landmarks

PASS

18 landmarks

<main> landmark present

5 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

A+

Heading Hierarchy

96 headings

PASS

96 headings

Single H1 present

H2 Recent posts in Humans
H3 Beyond Inheritance offers a new view of mutations
H3 Increasing heat can boost malnutrition among children
H3 A vaccine for Lyme disease could be on the horizon
H2 Recent posts in Life
H3 Beyond Inheritance offers a new view of mutations
H3 Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
H3 This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male
H2 Recent posts in Earth
H3 Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
H3 Increasing heat can boost malnutrition among children
H3 An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change
H2 Recent posts in Physics
H3 A strange ‘neutrino force’ helped heal a crack in particle physics
H3 A new measurement reveals gravity is still hard to pin down
H3 Exploding black holes could explain an antimatter mystery
H2 Recent posts in Space
H3 Artemis II ends its historic lunar journey
H3 Exploding black holes could explain an antimatter mystery
H3 Even before splashdown, Artemis II is delivering a scientific treasure trove
H1 Science News INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM SINCE 1921
H2 Featured Stories
H3 Beyond Inheritance offers a new view of mutations
H3 Got pesky, invasive corals? Blast ‘em away with air guns
H3 The Proof in the Code traces efforts to digitally verify mathematical truths
H3 Increasing heat can boost malnutrition among children
H3 This kea parrot is the first-known disabled alpha male
H3 A vaccine for Lyme disease could be on the horizon
H3 An endangered mouse may need a helping hand to adapt to climate change
H2 Trending Stories
H3 Quantum physics can confirm where someone is located
H3 GLP-1 microdosers are chasing longevity
H3 In a rare event, the moon got a massive new crater
H3 For gray whales, San Francisco Bay is becoming a deadly pit stop
H3 Hawaii is turning ocean plastic into roads to fight pollution
H3 Sharks are ingesting drugs in the Bahamas
H3 Why is math harder for some kids? Brain scans offer clues
H3 Smithsonian secrets most likely to blow your mind
H3 Sign up for our newsletter
H2 Spotlight on Health
H3 Know the legal age to buy tobacco products in the U.S.? Many parents don’t
H3 Some GLP-1 drugs are more effective for those with specific gene variants
H3 New mutations help the H5N1 bird flu virus infect cows but not people
H2 Science News Magazine
H3 Math long resisted a digital disruption. AI is poised to change that
H3 How to invent a realistic language for fictional speakers
H3 Smithsonian secrets most likely to blow your mind
H2 From Science News Investors Lab
H3 Smart farts and the underwear all-stars
H3 The silicon dietitian gets a gut check
H3 Cold hard truths on climate change
H2 Featured Media
H3 How to invent a realistic language for fictional speakers
H3 A new measurement reveals gravity is still hard to pin down
H3 Artemis II: NASA’s Orion heads home after a historic loop around the moon
H3 Fossils reveal many complex animals existed before the Cambrian explosion
H3 Artemis II sends humans around the moon for first time since Apollo
H3 Follow Science News
H2 More Stories
H3 Life
H4 Smithsonian secrets most likely to blow your mind
H4 Talking dogs and chatty cats could one day ‘speak’ in our language
H4 An African monkey ate a rope squirrel and came down with mpox
H3 Humans
H4 Have a taste of our favorite food stories from 2025
H4 ‘Black Religion in the Madhouse’ examines psychiatry and race post-Civil War
H4 Ancient southern Africans took genetic evolution in a new direction
H3 Climate
H4 Emperor penguins are marching toward extinction. Antarctica fur seals too
H4 City skylines influence cloud formation above them
H4 Extreme heat is cutting the time people can safely be active outdoors
H3 Astronomy
H4 A rare star in a tiny galaxy preserves a record of the early universe
H4 A strange ‘chirp’ in a brilliant stellar blast points to a magnetar
H4 This inside-out planetary system has astronomers scratching their heads
H3 Physics
H4 Water has a newfound ‘critical point’ that may help explain its quirks
H4 These insects fly with their legs. Physics explains how
H4 A static electricity mystery comes to the surface
H3 Health & Medicine
H4 Breath carries clues to gut health
H4 Fluoride in U.S. drinking water does not reduce IQ, a new study finds
H4 When our minds wander to the body, it may affect mental health
H3 Earth
H4 Earth’s continental plates were moving 3.48 billion years ago
H4 To make a ‘Snowball Earth,’ sci-fi moves fast. Geology is far slower
H4 Metal pollution from a rocket reentry detected for the first time
H3 Science & Society
H4 Snippets of hair may expose chronic stress in war refugees
H4 Pronatalists want more babies. Their solutions aren’t rooted in science
H4 Social media can be addictive, a jury finds. Research hints at a link
H2 Science News
H3 Subscriber Services
H3 More Information
H3 Society for Science
H2 Log in

Alt Text Quality

All 33 images OK

PASS

All 33 images OK

7 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

3 decorative image(s) correctly marked

23 image(s) with good alt text

33 images 23 good alt text 3 decorative

Issue	Count
too long	7 image(s)

A+

Form Accessibility

All 2 controls labeled

PASS

All 2 controls labeled

2 control(s) properly labeled

2 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#zephr-form-identifier-u7cyx	email	Email	for/id
#email	email	E-mail Address*	for/id

Link & Button Quality

360 links, 13 buttons — all OK

PASS

360 links, 13 buttons — all OK

2 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: ; https://ads.freestar.com/?utm_campaign=branding&utm_medium=stickyFooter&utm_s…

358 link(s) with descriptive text

360 links

0 empty

0 generic text

2 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
	Freestar	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://ads.freestar.com/?utm_campaign=b…	Freestar.com	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

371 links and buttons have descriptive text

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

; https://ads.freestar.com/?utm_campaign=branding&utm_medium=stickyFooter&utm_s…

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

A+

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA

PASS

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

20 pass

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Science News INDEPEN…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent posts in Huma…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent posts in Life	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent posts in Eart…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent posts in Phys…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Recent posts in Spac…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Featured Stories	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Trending Stories	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Spotlight on Health	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Science News Magazin…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Featured Media	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 More Stories	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Science News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Log in	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Sign up for our news…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Follow Science News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Subscriber Services	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 More Information	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Society for Science	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title Science News \| The l…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 90/100 — 3 failing, 26 passed

PASS

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

ARIA

Focusable descendents within an `[aria-hidden="true"]` element prevent those interactive elements from being available to users of assistive technologies like screen readers. Learn how `aria-hidden` affects focusable elements.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
▶ `div.featured-media__pull___xKxud > article.featured-media-secondary__wrapper___h9di9 > figure.figure > a.featured-media-secondary__thumbnail___lwApK`
▶ `div.grouping > article.featured-media-secondary__wrapper___h9di9 > figure.figure > a.featured-media-secondary__thumbnail___lwApK`

These are opportunities to improve the usage of ARIA in your application which may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
SUBSCRIBE NOW `div.site-wrapper > div#page > div.newsletter-global-subscribe__container___fVkwE > a.newsletter-global-subscribe__link___XvwhK`
SUBSCRIBE `div.magazine-feature__issue-container___hXrMk > div.magazine-highlight__wrapper___18H0P > div.magazine-highlight__list-wrapper___HMj-P > a.magazine-highlight__subscribe___xYsG3`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
OCEANS `div.featured-articles__secondary___9DM9Y > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
MATH `div.featured-articles__secondary___9DM9Y > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
HEALTH & MEDICINE `div.featured-articles__ternary___jra8W > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
ANIMALS `div.featured-articles__ternary___jra8W > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
HEALTH & MEDICINE `div.featured-articles__ternary___jra8W > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
ANIMALS `div.featured-articles__ternary___jra8W > article.featured-secondary__wrapper___6uFWZ > div.featured-secondary__content___aGbcp > a.featured-secondary__eyebrow___QtjXw`
202.785.2255 `footer.site-footer__container___2d5EZ > div.site-footer__legal___kX-Or > address.site-footer__address___4unOl > a.site-footer__phone___J4dMi`
Terms of Service `div.site-footer__wrapper___-h1gI > footer.site-footer__container___2d5EZ > div.site-footer__legal___kX-Or > a.site-footer__page___4E9r6`
Privacy Policy `div.site-footer__wrapper___-h1gI > footer.site-footer__container___2d5EZ > div.site-footer__legal___kX-Or > a.site-footer__page___4E9r6`

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●Form elements have associated labels

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

●Links have a discernible name

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●Identical links have the same purpose.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.