An international team of scientists has directly detected erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar, in the G+0.693−0.027 molecular cloud near the center of the Milky Way. Published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the study provides evidence that complex prebiotic molecules can form in deep space, potentially seeding early Earth with the essential building blocks for DNA and … Read more
Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Centre at the CUNY Graduate Centre (CUNY ASRC) have demonstrated a method to simulate superluminal rotation in a laboratory, providing a new mechanism to amplify electromagnetic waves. According to a study published in the journal Nature, the team used time-modulated metamaterials to replicate the physics of black hole super-radiance … Read more
Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a member of the historic Artemis II crew that traveled around the Moon, is retiring from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). According to the CSA, the 50-year-old astronaut will pursue new professional opportunities starting in September 2026 while maintaining his status as a reservist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Why … Read more
The 250th anniversary of American independence is being marked across the United States amid a convergence of extreme heat and political polarization. As celebrations proceed, triple-digit temperatures have forced the adjustment or cancellation of events, while public rhetoric remains divided along ideological lines, according to reports from the Associated Press. How is the nation marking … Read more
A Northrop Grumman Pegasus rocket carrying a specialized three-armed spacecraft successfully launched from the Marshall Islands on Friday, marking the start of a mission to rescue NASA’s Swift Observatory. The mission, commissioned by NASA at a cost of $30 million, aims to capture the aging telescope and boost its orbit to prevent it from burning … Read more
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile has officially launched its decade-long cosmic survey, utilizing the largest digital camera ever built to map the southern sky. According to the Associated Press, this initiative aims to create a comprehensive census of the universe by capturing billions of stars and galaxies, providing data that could unlock mysteries … Read more
NASA has initiated a $30 million salvage operation to rescue the Swift Observatory, an aging telescope currently losing altitude due to intense solar activity. The mission utilizes a robotic spacecraft, named Link, developed by startup Katalyst Space Technologies, to boost the observatory into a higher, more stable orbit. This marks the first American space robot … Read more
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid mission has captured a high-resolution image of the Milky Way’s center, documenting over 60 million stars. According to ESA, this dataset serves as a foundational reference for future exoplanet research, enabling scientists to measure planetary masses by providing a “before and after” look at stars involved in gravitational microlensing … Read more
Astronomers have identified two giant exoplanets with densities lower than cotton candy, making them the lightest known planets of their size. Located 1,110 light-years away in the constellation Volans, these “super-puffs” possess a physical consistency comparable to shaving foam, according to George Dransfield of the University of Oxford. The findings, published in Monthly Notices of … Read more
Astronauts on long-duration space missions may soon produce essential medications on-demand using genetically modified plants, according to a study published in npj Science of Food. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, developed a protocol for growing cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) in plants like Nicotiana benthamiana, allowing for the harvest of therapeutic compounds without … Read more