Category Science

Webb’s mid-infrared images of Apep reveal a rare triple-star system producing vast carbon-rich dust spirals from colliding stellar winds. The two Wolf–Rayet stars and a distant supergiant create layered shells that record centuries of activity and enrich the galaxy with elements vital for future stars and planets.

A new isotopic study reveals that Theia—the Mars-sized body that struck Earth 4.5 billion years ago to form the Moon—likely originated in the inner Solar System, close to Earth’s birthplace. By comparing heavy-element isotope ratios in lunar rocks, Earth samples, and meteorites, researchers found identical signatures, showing both worlds formed from the same inn...

When LIGO and Virgo detected GW231123 in late 2023, it appeared to show two black holes merging in the so-called mass gap, where theory predicted none should exist. But new simulations indicate that rapidly spinning, strongly magnetized massive stars can collapse into black holes without exploding entirely. This process sheds enough mass to leave behind black holes of...

NASA is preparing an unprecedented mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a key gamma-ray burst monitor launched in 2004 but now rapidly losing altitude. Partnering with Katalyst Space Technologies, NASA will send a robotic servicer on a Pegasus XL rocket to rendezvous with Swift, inspect it, and raise it to a stable orbit. The effort preserves vital GRB ...

Scientists at Georgia Tech have created an AI technique that pre-trains exoskeleton controllers using existing human motion datasets, removing the need for lengthy lab-based retraining. The system predicts joint behavior and assistance needs, enabling controllers that work as well as hand-tuned versions. This advance accelerates prototype development and could improve...

Researchers from the Allen Institute and Japan’s University of Electro-Communications have built one of the most detailed mouse cortex simulations ever created. Using Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer, the team modeled around 10 million neurons and 26 billion synapses, recreating realistic structure and activity. The virtual cortex offers a new platform for studying br...

UC San Diego engineers have developed a soft, AI-enabled wearable patch that can interpret gestures with high accuracy even during vigorous or chaotic movement. The armband uses stretchable sensors, a custom deep-learning model, and on-chip processing to clean motion signals in real time. This breakthrough could enable intuitive robot control for rehabilitation, indus...

Researchers in China have set a new 27.2 percent efficiency record for perovskite solar cells by fixing chlorine-ion clumping, a major barrier to performance. Their simple potassium-based method creates a uniform film and boosts long-term stability, marking a major step toward commercial adoption and more reliable low-cost solar energy.

A new image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captures its glowing tails and a distant barred spiral galaxy, creating a dramatic cosmic overlap. Astronomers say the comet’s unusual features remain natural despite online speculation. With its closest Earth approach in December, researchers are preparing for sharper spacecraft images expected to reveal even more detail.

Scientists mapped the path of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with ten times greater accuracy using images from ESA’s Mars orbiter. The breakthrough shows how observations from different points in space can improve future planetary defense. The data, the first of its kind from another planet’s orbit, offers a powerful new tool for tracking fast-moving cosmic objects.