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fromNature
3 days ago

Daily briefing: Fusion reactor pushes plasma past crucial limit

Multiple science developments: EAST tokamak surpassed the Greenwald density limit; ISS crew evacuated; AI chatbots produced therapy-like trauma narratives; cellular atlas finds population immune differences.
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fromBig Think
3 hours ago

How to be as innovative as the Wright brothers - no computers required

Confusing low probability with impossibility causes dismissal of feasible innovations, as shown by Lord Kelvin's incorrect declaration that heavier-than-air flight was impossible.
fromNature
17 hours ago

'We're humans - brilliant and a mess': Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales on trust and optimism

The online encyclopedia now holds more than seven million articles and has become a standard guide for anyone seeking information. The Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization in San Francisco, California, runs the project with about 700 employees, but Wikipedia still relies entirely on unpaid volunteers to write and edit its articles: hundreds of thousands of people contribute to the site each month, under a set of community-developed rules to deal with disagreements, cut down self-promotion and generate consensus.
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fromwww.scientificamerican.com
4 hours ago

Flu Season Worsens, AI Models Predict Illness from Sleep, and Woodpeckers Reveal Nature's Secrets

In the U.S., more than 8 percent of all visits to a health care provider in the week that ended December 27 were for respiratory illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's the highest rate the agency has recorded since it began keeping track in 1997. According to the CDC, so far this season the flu has contributed to an estimated 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths, including nine children.
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#nasa
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fromenglish.elpais.com
6 hours ago

From Borges to Jennifer Aniston: Science begins to illuminate the mysteries of memory

Funes could learn languages and recite books from memory. Recalling a single day took him an entire day, as every detail accumulated itself in his mind in its most meticulous insignificance. The poor wretch saw this as a gift, but as his story unfolds, it reveals itself more as a curse, for remembering in such detail prevented him from distinguishing the essential from the superfluous.
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fromNature
17 hours ago

US scientists push back as Trump eyes Greenland

US-based scientists declared solidarity with Greenland after US presidential comments, emphasizing the island's critical role in climate research and global sea-level impacts.
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fromComputerWeekly.com
1 hour ago

Eutelsat extends Airbus contract for further low Earth orbit OneWeb satellites | Computer Weekly

Airbus Defence and Space will build 340 LEO satellites for Eutelsat to maintain operational continuity of the OneWeb constellation.
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fromwww.theguardian.com
1 hour ago

Primates' same-sex sexual behaviour may reinforce bonds amid environmental stress'

Same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates reinforces social bonds and maintains group cohesion amid environmental stress, scarce resources, predation risk, and social competition.
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fromBig Think
10 hours ago

NASA watched this supernova blast expand for 25 years

Kepler's supernova remnant shows asymmetric expansion observed by Chandra over 25 years, with shockwave speeds ranging from 1,800 to 6,200 km/s.
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fromNature
17 hours ago

Ancient 'snowball' Earth had frigidly briny seas

Snowball Earth oceans were extremely cold (around −15 °C) and so highly saline that seawater remained liquid at subfreezing temperatures.
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fromArs Technica
1 day ago

The oceans just keep getting hotter

In 2025 the world's oceans absorbed a record 23 zettajoules of heat, the highest since the 1960s.
#spacex
fromBig Think
23 hours ago

Starts With A Bang podcast #125 - Large-scale structure

We don't merely have the Hubble tension to reckon with, or the fact that different methods yield different values for the expansion rate of the Universe today, but a puzzle over whether dark energy is truly a constant in our Universe, as most physicists have assumed since its discovery back in 1998. While "early relic" methods using CMB or baryon acoustic oscillation data favor a lower value of around 67 km/s/Mpc, "distance ladder" methods instead prefer a higher, incompatible value of around 73 km/s/Mpc.
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fromwww.theguardian.com
1 day ago

Lots of people don't want to do it': Paul Nurse on his controversial second term as Royal Society president

Paul Nurse, a Nobel-winning geneticist, has been reappointed president of the Royal Society amid debate over representation and the academy's traditions.
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fromArs Technica
21 hours ago

That time Will Smith helped discover new species of anaconda

A new species of giant anaconda, the northern green anaconda (Eunectes akayama), was identified in northern South America through genetic analysis.
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fromTheregister
2 days ago

Artificial brains could point way to ultra-efficient supers

Neuromorphic computers can efficiently solve complex partial differential equations while consuming very low power, enabling potential ultra-efficient supercomputing.
Science
fromFuturism
2 days ago

China Builds Wild Gravity Machine

CHIEF1900 is a centrifuge that generates up to 1,900 times Earth's gravity to study extreme-force effects on materials, structures, plants, and cells.
#international-space-station
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fromEngadget
2 days ago

NASA makes final preparations for its first crewed moon mission in over 50 years

Artemis 2 aims to launch in February 2026, carrying four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby to test Orion life support systems.
Science
fromTechCrunch
1 day ago

SpaceX gets FCC approval to launch 7,500 more Starlink satellites | TechCrunch

The FCC approved SpaceX to launch 7,500 additional Gen2 Starlink satellites (total 15,000), enabling multi-frequency operation and direct-to-cell service outside the U.S., with launch deadlines.
fromIndependent
2 days ago

Luke O'Neill: Here are the four ages when your brain wiring alters

Shakespeare wrote in his play As You Like It that we humans go through seven ages. The first is the "infant mewling and puking"; next "the whining schoolboy"; then "the lover sighing like a furnace", followed by the soldier "full of strange oaths, seeking the bubble reputation"; then "the justice in fair round belly"; the sixth age is "with spectacles on nose"; and finally there's "second childishness".
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fromFuturism
2 days ago

Scientists Weirded Out by Cosmic Bones in Distant Space

Cloud-9 is a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter-dominated object representing a primordial, failed galaxy fragment and offering a probe into dark matter.
fromTravel + Leisure
2 days ago

13 of the Darkest Places in the U.S. for Incredible Stargazing

Your stargazing experience can differ greatly based on where you are in the world. That's due in part to light pollution, which can drown out all but the brightest stars and satellites in densely populated areas. For truly unforgettable celestial views, you'll need to visit one of the darkest places in the U.S. on a clear night. DarkSky is an Arizona-based nonprofit with the mission "to restore the nighttime environment and protect communities and wildlife from light pollution."
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fromPsychology Today
2 days ago

Why Sensory Overload Isn't About "Too Much"

The brain exerts extra effort interpreting unclear sensory information; predictability reduces sensory strain, and autism and ADHD often involve prolonged higher effort.
Science
fromThe Verge
1 day ago

The FCC is letting SpaceX launch 7,500 more Starlink satellites

The FCC approved 7,500 additional Gen2 Starlink satellites, bringing SpaceX's authorized total to about 15,000 and waiving overlapping-coverage restrictions.
Science
fromwww.dw.com
1 day ago

US research shows what ADHD drugs really do and don't do DW 01/10/2026

ADHD stimulant medications primarily stimulate the brain's reward and wakefulness centers rather than directly enhancing attention circuitry, explaining improved motivation and reduced task effort.
Science
fromNature
3 days ago

Chinese nuclear fusion reactor pushes plasma past crucial limit: what happens next

China's EAST tokamak exceeded the Greenwald density limit, achieving plasma densities 30–65% above previous norms, advancing tokamak fusion performance.
Science
fromWIRED
2 days ago

Meta Is Making a Big Bet on Nuclear With Oklo

Meta is purchasing fuel for an Oklo nuclear plant, marking a rare hyperscaler purchase to support small modular reactor deployment and U.S. nuclear innovation.
Science
fromNature
4 days ago

Daily briefing: Octopus-inspired synthetic 'skin' changes appearance on demand

A synthetic polymer skin can reversibly change color and texture on demand, while ancient hunter-gatherers used plant-derived poisons on arrowheads 60,000 years ago.
fromNature
3 days ago

To infinity and beyond Earth's pale blue dot: Books in brief

This spectacular book of photographs of the Universe is dedicated to the late astronomer and broadcaster Patrick Moore, who introduced the authors to one another. Astrophysicist Derek Ward-Thompson, rock guitarist Brian May - who also holds a PhD in astrophysics - and astrophotographer J.-P. Metsävainio showcase some of the "billions of vast glowing islands in the immensity of what seems like infinite space and time". Several of the photos appear in adjacent pairs, visible in 3D with a stereo-focusing viewer.
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fromFast Company
3 days ago

These molecules are remaking manufacturing

Advances in catalysts and enzymes are transforming plant-based processing into precise, energy-efficient, foundational infrastructure for lower-carbon manufacturing.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

Ocean Temperatures Just Hit a Dire New Record

The world's oceans stored more heat in 2025 than any previous year, accelerating sea-level rise, ecosystem disruption, and extreme weather risks.
#crew-11
fromHigh Country News
3 days ago

Meet the oldest rock in the West - High Country News

For many of us humans, old trees - gnarled oaks or towering redwoods - are sources of psychological comfort. As elders who have weathered earlier times of crisis, they signify continuity and resilience. Their rings bridge present and past and remind us that our "now" is only one of many. But for longer-distance time travel, we must seek out even more ancient ancestors. The ones with the longest memories, full of insights germane to our Anthropocene anxieties, are right here in our midst:
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fromNature
3 days ago

Can't get motivated? This brain circuit might explain why - and it can be turned off

A neural pathway functions as a 'motivation brake' that suppresses task initiation; suppressing it restores goal-directed behavior in macaques.
Science
fromNature
3 days ago

Disappearing 'planet' reveals a solar system's turbulent times

Debris from two catastrophic collisions in the Fomalhaut system, not a planet, explains observed features and informs planet formation.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
2 days ago

Why Your Brain Puts Off Doing Unpleasant Tasks

A ventral striatum–ventral pallidum circuit in macaque brains acts as a motivation brake, and suppressing it reduces hesitation for unpleasant tasks.
fromFortune
2 days ago

New study finds that late bloomers are more successful than child prodigies | Fortune

You may have a leg up on the child prodigies who made you feel inadequate as a school kid. Despite outliers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a new analysis based on 19 studies involving 34,000 high achievers across multiple disciplines - including Nobel laureates, top chess players, Olympic champions, and elite musicians - found that individuals who achieved peak performance early in life were not always the same people to reach high success in adulthood.
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fromNature
3 days ago

NASA won't bring Mars samples back to Earth: this is the science that will be lost

A bipartisan spending bill cuts the Mars Sample Return programme, likely cancelling plans to bring Perseverance's Martian samples back to Earth.
fromBig Think
3 days ago

Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier

I think the first thing to remember is: We are right at the beginning of this adventure. There's so much excitement that every little signal - every "wiggle" in a spectrum - gets people saying, "Oh! That might be life!" And then, on the other side, other people respond with, "I don't see enough wiggles, so there's probably not even an atmosphere. Dead planet. Move on." Both reactions are too fast.
Science
fromwww.mercurynews.com
2 days ago

Why earthquake swarms happen and what they mean for California

Earthquakes usually strike without warning. But sometimes they come in clusters dozens or even hundreds of small quakes concentrated in one area over days or weeks. Geologists call these clusters earthquake swarms, and while they can be unsettling, scientists say they rarely signal that a major quake is imminent. Unlike the familiar pattern of a single large earthquake followed by aftershocks, swarms consist of many small quakes without a clear mainshock.
Science
fromTheregister
3 days ago

Very tough microbes may help us cement our future on Mars

A global research team has analyzed the prospects for biomineralization on Mars, a process in which bacteria, fungi, and microalgae can create minerals as part of their metabolism, offering a byproduct that could be useful to prospective Martian explorers by providing the raw materials needed to produce aggregates such as concrete. With an extremely thin and mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere, air pressure less than 1 percent of Earth's,
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fromBig Think
3 days ago

Ask Ethan: What does "gravitationally bound" mean in the expanding Universe?

Gravitationally bound systems remain together when mutual gravity overcomes cosmic expansion; only stronger expansion or external influences can separate bound components.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

These Bizarre, Centuries-Old Sharks May Have a Hidden Longevity Superpower

Greenland sharks are a biological anomaly. The animals can grow to more than 20 feet long, weigh more than a ton and can live for nearly 400 years, making the species the longest-living vertebrate on the planeta fact that could help unlock secrets to enhancing longevity. And now, in a study published this week in Nature Communications, scientists dial in to one of the Greenland shark's more remarkable features: it has functioning eyes and, more remarkably, maintains its vision well into senescence.
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fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

A Guide to the Best Skywatching of 2026

2026 features predictable and unique astronomical events, including Jupiter's opposition on January 10, providing bright, all-night viewing opportunities.
Science
fromTravel + Leisure
3 days ago

A Rare Eclipse Streak Starts in 2026 Including the 'Eclipse of the Century'-and These Destinations Will Have the Best Views

Annual total solar eclipses in 2026, 2027, and 2028 will offer unusually long, accessible paths of totality across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Science
fromDefector
3 days ago

Leonardo da Vinci's Legacy Won't Be Found In His DNA | Defector

Researchers potentially recovered DNA from a drawing attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, but the human DNA cannot yet be conclusively attributed to Leonardo.
#poisoned-arrows
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fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

The Weight-Loss Drug RevolutionShots, Pills and the Science behind the Hype

GLP-1 drugs mimic intestinal glucagon-like peptide 1 to boost insulin, alter metabolic signals, and are expanding from diabetes treatment to widespread weight-loss use and new formulations.
Science
fromNature
5 days ago

Daily briefing: How 400-year-old sharks keep their vision sharp

Greenland sharks retain functional vision into extreme old age, offering potential insights into human age-related vision loss.
Science
fromwww.bbc.com
4 days ago

Inside the sub-zero lair of the world's most powerful computer

Quantum computing hardware, exemplified by Google's Willow, could determine economic, financial, and national-security dominance in the 21st century.
fromThe Atlantic
4 days ago

Inside Donald Trump's Attack on NASA's Science Missions

On Mars, in the belly of a rover named Perseverance, a titanium tube holds a stone more precious than any diamond or ruby on Earth. The robot spotted it in 2024 along the banks of a Martian riverbed and zapped it with an ultraviolet laser. It contained ancient layers of mud, compressed into shale in the 3.5 billion years since the river last coursed across the red planet.
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fromIrish Independent
3 days ago

'You are going to accomplish incredible things in the years to come,' Stripe co-founder tells young scientists

Patrick Collison returned to the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, met students across 550 projects, and Stripe now sponsors the event.
Science
fromArs Technica
4 days ago

Former Google CEO plans to singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement

Eric and Wendy Schmidt are funding four new telescopes, including the space-based Lazuli, signaling a resurgence of private telescope philanthropy.
Science
fromNextgov.com
3 days ago

Sens. Young, Cantwell introduce National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization

Reauthorizes the National Quantum Initiative through 2034, funds federal quantum research centers and programs, and coordinates international and public-private quantum R&D and workforce development.
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fromwww.nature.com
4 days ago

Author Correction: Structural insights into BCDX2 complex function in homologous recombination

Figure kymographs and several Source Data columns were duplicated during preparation; the figures and Source Data have been corrected and relabelled, with main conclusions unchanged.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
4 days ago

Lazuli, a Billionaire-Funded Private Space Telescope, Signals a New Strategy for Astronomy

A privately funded three-meter space telescope, Lazuli Space Observatory, aims to study exoplanet atmospheres, transient events, exploding stars, and dark energy within the decade.
fromNextgov.com
4 days ago

Lawmakers expected to reintroduce quantum initiative authorization

The National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act has been drafted and is expected to be introduced this week after struggling to gain traction in previous years following the original National Quantum Initiative's expiration in late 2023, two people familiar with the matter told Nextgov/FCW. Reintroduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Todd Young, R-Ind., the new bill comes as quantum technology, particularly quantum computing, is expected to pose a significant threat to current cryptographic security schemes.
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fromNews Center
4 days ago

Understanding the Link Between Nucleotide Metabolism and Chromatin Assembly - News Center

PRPS enzymes coordinate nucleotide synthesis and early histone maturation, synchronizing DNA replication and chromatin assembly through dual metabolic and regulatory roles.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

This Newly Discovered Asteroid, Almost Half a Mile Wide, Just Set a New Space Record

A 710-meter asteroid rotates once in under two minutes, the fastest known spin for >500m asteroids, implying exceptional material strength.
Science
fromTheregister
4 days ago

Ultimate camouflage tech mimics octopus in scientific first

Synthetic thin-film skin mimics natural camouflage by independently controlling texture and color via electron-beam patterning, water-induced swelling, and optical gold layers.
Science
fromNature
4 days ago

Huge Chinese cell atlas reveals surprising immune variation among peoples

Multi-omic atlas of immune cells from 428 Chinese individuals reveals population-specific immune-cell functions and genetic associations distinct from European and Japanese cohorts.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

Can You Tell What This Monkey Is Thinking from Its Face?

Both medial and lateral cortex jointly generate facial expressions, with lateral cortex encoding rapid movements and medial cortex operating at a slower tempo.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
4 days ago

Scientists Catch Jellyfish and Sea Anemones Behaving in Surprisingly Human Ways

The animals do, however, have neuronsnerve cells that appear interconnected throughout their body. And now a new study shows that how these animals sleep is surprisingly similar to humans, suggesting that sleep may have evolved before even the most primitive brains. The findings, published on Tuesday in Nature Communications, also help answer one of science's prevailing mysteries: Why do animals sleep?
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fromFuturism
4 days ago

Astronaut on Space Station Suffers Medical Issue

Illness or injury aboard the ISS can critically affect mission operations and crew safety, prompting delays or early mission termination.
Science
fromTravel + Leisure
3 days ago

I Kayaked to a Forgotten Island Once Traded for Manhattan-and Found One of the Last True Frontiers in the World

Run island and the Banda Sea showcase extraordinary biodiversity, storied nutmeg history, and enduring appeal to explorers, blending pristine nature with local village life.
Science
fromFuturism
4 days ago

Chinese Moon Astronauts Emerge From Month-Long Journey Into Deep Cave

Twenty-eight Chinese astronauts completed month-long underground cave isolation training to simulate lunar-landing conditions, practicing mapping, monitoring, long-distance communication, and psychological resilience.
fromThe Verge
4 days ago

The first privately funded space-based telescope is in the works

Lazuli's design features a 3.1-meter mirror, which would make it larger than NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (but smaller than the James Webb Space Telescope). It will also be equipped with a wide-field camera, a broadband integral-field spectrograph, and a coronagraph. Those instruments will be used to study everything from exoplanets to supernovae, but Schmidt Sciences also envisions Lazuli being used for "rapid response" purposes, such as quickly swiveling to gather data on objects spotted by other telescopes.
Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
4 days ago

Humans Made Poisoned Arrowheads Thousands of Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

Researchers have found traces of what appears to be plant-derived poison on tiny stone arrowheads from South Africa dated to 60,000 years ago. The finding pushes back the origin of this revolutionary hunting technology by tens of thousands of years. Scientists have long been fascinated by the development of poisoned hunting weapons. For one thing, they would have seriously leveled up our ancestors' foraging game.
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Science
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 days ago

Archeologists Just Found a 2,000-Year-Old Battle Trumpet That May Be Linked to Queen Boudica

A roughly 2,000-year-old Iron Age carnyx was discovered in West Norfolk, likely linked to Celtic resistance against Rome and possibly to Boudica's Iceni.
Science
fromwww.npr.org
3 days ago

These dogs can learn new words just by eavesdropping

Some dogs learn new object names by overhearing brief human interactions and using human social cues and gaze to map words to hidden, out-of-sight objects.
fromSitePoint Forums | Web Development & Design Community
4 days ago

Nen dung vat lieu chong tham nha ve sinh loai nao e at hieu qua tot?

Để chống thấm nhà vệ sinh đạt hiệu quả bền lâu, việc lựa chọn vật liệu phù hợp là yếu tố then chốt. Tùy theo hiện trạng công trình, khu vực thi công và mức độ tiếp xúc nước thường xuyên, các vật liệu như chống thấm gốc xi măng cải tiến, màng chống thấm lỏng, keo polyurethane hoặc giải pháp chống thấm ngược sẽ mang lại hiệu quả khác nhau.
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fromFortune
5 days ago

Fusion power nearly ready for prime time as Commonwealth builds first pilot for limitless, clean energy with AI help from Siemens, Nvidia | Fortune

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is building SPARC to demonstrate commercial fusion power and partnering with Siemens and Nvidia to deliver clean, consistent gigawatts for AI data centers.
Science
fromNature
5 days ago

A troubleshooting guide to your flat-pack planet

Sandbox Corporation ships customizable planets but faces delivery delays, service-area limits, and planetary configuration errors while offering limited compensation and upcoming wormhole delivery.
Science
fromNature
6 days ago

Daily briefing: Animals without brains sleep too - hinting at why we sleep at all

Jellyfish exhibit sleep-like states remarkably similar to human sleep despite lacking a brain.
Science
fromTheregister
5 days ago

Historic NASA test towers face their final countdown

NASA will demolish 25 historic test structures at Marshall Space Flight Center, including implosion of two test stands on Jan. 10, 2026.
Science
fromArs Technica
5 days ago

Here are the launches and landings we're most excited about in 2026

Multiple major crewed and unmanned missions, including Artemis II and Starship refueling demos, are likely to launch in 2026 with significant progress toward Moon return.
Science
fromNature
5 days ago

A mysterious ancient fingerprint and a lemon-shaped planet - the stories you've missed

A 4,400-kilometre undersea fibre-optic cable can detect seismic waves by measuring light reflections from glass impurities along its length.
fromwww.nature.com
5 days ago

Systematic analyses of lipid mobilization by human lipid transfer proteins

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) maintain the specialized lipid compositions of organellar membranes1,2. In humans, many LTPs are implicated in diseases3, but for the majority, the cargo and auxiliary lipids facilitating transfer remain unknown. We have combined biochemical, lipidomic and computational methods to systematically characterize LTP-lipid complexes4 and measure how LTP gains of function affect cellular lipidomes. We identified bound lipids for approximately half of the hundred LTPs analyzed, confirming known ligands, while discovering new ones across most LTP families.
fromNature
5 days ago

Octopus-inspired 'synthetic skin' changes colour and texture on demand

Bumps or grooves of a range of sizes - from the sub-micrometre scales of visible-light wavelengths up to millimetres - affect how a surface scatters light. This can make a material more or less dull, or change its colour when observed from different angles. Molluscs, such as octopuses and cuttlefish, use tiny muscles embedded in their skin to produce these effects for camouflage or communication.
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