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1e1e4a9f9c91bcb7353bb9c5517aa0dc923c78761470384c5738cca17fc37542
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2026-01-12T12:15:00+00:00
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How the administration is preparing for the new economic Cold War
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American capital now faces the simplest decision in its history.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5682848-wall-street-and-the-new-economic-cold-war/
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World & Politics
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d5f1778e03a390ad5cc1f4d7b2216fa380e3c84c0be9ab74ffdf4b1f0027b7a9
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2026-01-12T12:08:58+00:00
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Bear ransacks Tennessee candy store for fourth time
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The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating after a bear ransacked a candy store in the town of Gatlinburg.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5683689-bear-ransacks-gatlinburg-candy-store/
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World & Politics
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7a461638d282c80062125cb611596774672b849c64d16a93511b8028cbd609c5
|
2026-01-12T12:08:15+00:00
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Minnesota braces for ‘new normal’ in the wake of Renee Good shooting
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Minnesota's Twin Cities on Sunday braced for what many expect will be a new normal over the next few weeks as the Department of Homeland Security carries out what it called its largest enforcement operation ever.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5683717-protests-minneapolis-ice-shooting/
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World & Politics
| |
d320cd246c10b7812e307ec1fdbd58643b8bb04896ab941d75749022ed05f64a
|
2026-01-12T12:06:26+00:00
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State of Texas: Lawsuit highlights concern over educators’ free speech rights
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The Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers (Texas AFT), which represents more than a million educators, announced Tuesday that it was suing the Texas Education Agency over its investigations into hundreds of educators’ social media posts following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/5683188-state-of-texas-lawsuit-highlights-concern-over-educators-free-speech-rights/
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World & Politics
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fc2205d7eb9d741980e2d41551144cee8f9a16bfad09ad0607538a847047136b
|
2026-01-12T12:00:00+00:00
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The Minnesota tragedy: No one knows and no one wants to learn
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An immigration enforcement officer fatally shot a woman in Minnesota last week, plunging the scandal-plagued state further into civil unrest. With the advent of 24-hour surveillance and the ubiquity of cellphone cameras and crackerjack armchair analysts, it is crucial that our elected leaders, as well as those with platforms to speak, remain cool, calm, and…
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https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/5681569-the-minnesota-tragedy-no-one-knows-and-no-one-wants-to-learn/
|
World & Politics
| |
5d934a8b14339b8bf4c7fd0e3929f02d7518d40aa165bfbd8c2deb360a83ed54
|
2026-01-12T11:53:57+00:00
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Trump-Powell clash intensifies with DOJ probe into Fed chair
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Tensions between Trump and the Federal Reserve chair have reached a fever pitch.
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https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5684238-trump-powell-clash-doj-probe/
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World & Politics
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ef99717f5dd02384f6e4794603f33a396e3d3032969f52d3f8460f75c60c3c78
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
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Supreme Court could dramatically alter US election landscape
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The Supreme Court could reshape U.S. elections for years to come as it hears a number of cases with implications for the country’s political landscape.  In perhaps the most high-stakes example, the country is waiting to see whether the justices weaken a section of the Voting Rights Act. Other rulings expected this year could alter…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5682382-voting-rights-act-supreme-court/
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World & Politics
| |
671f25e7b54b70a328b5011454686e4a5cd6273e73d051b2ad626cda2b1433f5
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
ICE actions near schools lead to protests and closures
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is increasing its activity around public schools, resulting in student protests and canceled classes, including in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer fatally shot a woman last week. Fears of ICE, which had previously been forbidden from school grounds before the Trump administration rescinded that prohibition last year, have led…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5681907-ice-shooting-renee-good-minneapolis-schools/
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World & Politics
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be9a4e00864face0e7d53d4fa4b5190715ea803cbb060299090706a2c5059181
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
This week on The Hill: Lawmakers race to prevent partial government shutdown
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Lawmakers are battling the clock as they work to push through the remaining appropriations bills ahead of the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline. The Senate is expected to take up a minibus appropriations package that would fund the Department of Justice, Department of Commerce, key science agencies and other related entities; the Department of Energy and water…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5682334-lawmakers-battle-funding-bills/
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World & Politics
| |
584f1ec1120b9a93ba2d8ba2e82ff0ca35330c18dee4ab97135d44d4e0fa5d60
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
Florida redistricting threatens to further erode Democrats’ power in state
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Florida Republicans’ decision to move forward with redistricting threatens to further sideline Democrats in a state that’s becoming increasingly red over the years.   Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced last week that he’s calling a special session in April to redraw the Sunshine State’s congressional map, which could offer the GOP as many as five seats in 2026 amid a national redistricting battle.    A…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5682775-florida-republicans-redistricting-threat/
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World & Politics
| |
b248e148a6e27b703cbe140149c9b25ef102edb5e4d246511720bc94fff32b2a
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
GOP senators seek to rein in Trump amid concerns over military escalation in Venezuela
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Several Senate Republicans are seeking to rein in President Trump’s plans for Venezuela amid concerns the president may deploy thousands of U.S. troops to South America. The vote last week to advance a measure to limit Trump’s military authority reflects growing uncertainty among Senate Republicans that they know where the president’s foreign policy agenda is…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5682429-trump-venezuela-foreign-policy-clash/
|
World & Politics
| |
ae17cf9405f62eae30c38dbc639cd2503cf261d2ee21788b590b5a28e7b429e2
|
2026-01-12T04:23:56+00:00
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Bessent says US may lift some Venezuela sanctions this week: Reuters
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Reuters on Friday that the U.S. may lift some sanctions on Venezuela in order to facilitate oil sales. Bessent also said that nearly $5 billion in Venezuela’s frozen International Monetary Fund (IMF) special drawing rights monetary assets could be used to rebuild its economy. The IMF has not engaged with…
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/5684077-treasury-venezuela-oil-sales/
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World & Politics
| |
98e7e03c2210e8c97dca6a8f2fdc461a04fda209bc6f901da10095cee8a2e3e6
|
2026-01-12T03:44:49+00:00
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U-Haul truck driven into crowd at Los Angeles anti-Iranian regime protest
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Two individuals were injured Sunday after a person drove a U-Haul truck into a crowd of demonstrators protesting the Iranian regime in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said Sunday that the incident occurred at roughly 3:30 p.m. local time, in the Westwood neighborhood near the Wilshire Federal Building.  The LAPD said that…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/5684042-iran-protests-uhaul-incident/
|
World & Politics
| |
046db91a626992c706b64fc113212553deca298e573a6f6c06b8998fe1ad891e
|
2026-01-12T02:28:50+00:00
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Trump says US military considering ‘strong options’ on Iran
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President Trump said Sunday the U.S. military is considering “strong options” on Iran as the country’s regime cracks down on growing nationwide protests. When asked on Air Force One whether Iran is crossing a red line, the president told reporters “they’re starting to, it looks like.” “There seemed to be some people killed that aren’t…
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https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5684015-iran-protests-trump-response/
|
World & Politics
| |
846d2564ccc28d57036797ff919a228b1b45b5d9134db9508ff996cc14b53fac
|
2026-01-12T02:02:56+00:00
|
Nikki Glaser cracks CBS News, Epstein jokes during Golden Globes
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Nikki Glaser was cracking jokes about CBS News and the Jeffrey Epstein files within moments of taking the stage for her Golden Globes monologue. “There’s so many A-listers,” Glaser told the audience Sunday at the awards show in Los Angeles. “And by A-listers, I do mean people who are on a list that has been…
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https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/5683986-nikki-glaser-golden-globes-jokes/
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World & Politics
| |
fb4257d1c013873cec7b0c0d8f6a3a0f1dec7ef9f80d33602534513a4ed86368
|
2026-01-12T01:58:49+00:00
|
Stock futures fall after Powell confirms criminal probe into Fed
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Stocks fell in overnight trading Sunday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell confirmed the Trump administration had opened a criminal investigation into the central bank. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 200 points shortly after 8:30 p.m. EST, falling 0.4 percent. S&P 500 futures were down 0.5 percent and Nasdaq futures were down 0.7…
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https://thehill.com/business/5683977-stocks-fall-federal-reserve-investigation/
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World & Politics
| |
0c22f611140a962d336aedbd4e96930122f1bed6957569a0c571ccc268d2565f
|
2026-01-12T01:48:22+00:00
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Trump says he’s ‘inclined’ to keep Exxon Mobil out of Venezuela deals
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President Trump said on Sunday that he is inclined to keep oil giant Exxon Mobil out of deals regarding Venezuela following the CEO’s skeptical response to future investment in the South American country. “I’d probably be inclined to keep Exxon out,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route to Washington, D.C. “I didn’t…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/5683980-trump-comments-exxon-venezuela/
|
World & Politics
| |
ed8daa5fa48c847073e093df5bae124184e0881bd834917352001fc75639a22d
|
2026-01-12T01:11:47+00:00
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Powell confirms DOJ probe into Fed, blasts Trump pressure on rates
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a probe into the Federal Reserve’s ongoing renovation of its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a statement Sunday that the DOJ served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment related to his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee…
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https://thehill.com/business/5683941-doj-probe-federal-reserve/
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World & Politics
| |
3b90387f8d7e4dd6a62a524c9586c1182829a4de45a21d0f9dc96eba3ac75c6b
|
2026-01-11T23:49:44+00:00
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Murphy says US annexation of Greenland ‘would be the end of NATO’
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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said Sunday that the U.S. moving to take Greenland by force would mark the end of NATO. “It would be the end of NATO,” Murphy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked by host Kristen Welker what such a move would result in. The Connecticut Democrat, who serves on the…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5683882-greenland-nato-us-conflict/
|
World & Politics
| |
d6b0111613d62c18dcc6bb46b7c5dd8679543439316d3494c73a5d3506f022e9
|
2026-01-11T22:59:27+00:00
|
Sen. Mullin says officer in Minneapolis ICE shooting ‘had the right to defend’ himself
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Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) defended the federal immigration officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Macklin Good on Wednesday, arguing he was acting in self-defense. Mullin told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer Jonathan Ross “had the right to defend” himself once Macklin Good drove forward.…
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5683794-sen-mullin-officer-minneapolis-ice-shooting-defend-himself/
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World & Politics
| |
2a25c11cba48caacb0921a8a2cb904d318836f0f2f6180f71290872f37b8c6ba
|
2026-01-11T22:28:52+00:00
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Cuba responds to Trump’s demand to cut deal: ‘No one dictates what we do’
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Cuba has responded to President Trump’s demand to cut a deal with the United States, saying, “No one dictates what we do.” “#Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do. Cuba does not aggress; it is aggressed upon by the United States for 66 years, and it does not…
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/5683804-cuba-trump-deal-demands/
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World & Politics
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a29c48740a1b5f99a29f25486efda3a9f21754de694ac1cc4db96b70cc2a2566
|
2026-01-13T05:01:00+00:00
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A Plume of Bright Blue in Melissa’s Wake
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Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025, as a category 5 storm, bringing sustained winds of 295 kilometers (185 miles) per hour and leaving a broad path of destruction on the island. The storm displaced tens of thousands of people, damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 structures, inflicted costly damage on farmland, and left the nation’s forests brown and battered. Prior to landfall, in the waters south of the island, the hurricane created a large-scale natural oceanography experiment. Before encountering land and proceeding north, the monster storm crawled over the Caribbean Sea, churning up the water below. A couple of days later, a break in the clouds revealed what researchers believe could be a once-in-a-century event. On October 30, 2025, the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image (right) of the waters south of Jamaica. Vast areas are colored bright blue by sediment stirred up from a carbonate platform called Pedro Bank. This plateau, submerged under about 25 meters (80 feet) of water, is slightly larger in area than the state of Delaware. For comparison, the left image was acquired by the same sensor on September 20, before the storm. Pedro Bank is deep enough that it is only faintly visible in natural color satellite images most of the time. However, with enough disruption from hurricanes or strong cold fronts, its existence becomes more evident to satellites. Suspended calcium carbonate (CaCO3) mud, consisting primarily of remnants of marine organisms that live on the plateau, turns the water a Maya blue color. The appearance of this type of material contrasts with the greenish-brown color of sediment carried out to sea by swollen rivers on Jamaica’s southern coast. As an intense storm that lingered in the vicinity of the bank, Hurricane Melissa generated “tremendous stirring power” in the water column, said James Acker, a data support scientist at the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center with a particular interest in these events. Hurricane Beryl caused some brightening around Pedro Bank in July 2024, “but nothing like this,” he said. “While we always have to acknowledge the human cost of a disaster, this is an extraordinary geophysical image.” Sediment suspension was visible on Pedro and other nearby shallow banks, indicating that Melissa affected a total area of about 37,500 square kilometers—more than three times the area of Jamaica—on October 30, said sedimentologist Jude Wilber, who tracked the plume’s progression using multiple satellite sensors. Having studied carbonate sediment transport for decades, he believes the Pedro Bank event was the largest observed in the satellite era. “It was extraordinary to see the sediment dispersed over such a large area,” he said. The sediment acted as a tracer, illuminating currents and eddies near the surface. Some extended into the flow field of the Caribbean Current heading west and north, while other patterns suggested the influence of Ekman transport, Wilber said. The scientists also noted complexities in the south-flowing plume, which divided into three parts after encountering several small reefs. Sinking sediment in the easternmost arm exhibited a cascading stair-step pattern. Like in other resuspension events, the temporary coloration of the water faded after about seven days as sediment settled. But changes to Pedro Bank itself may be more long-lasting. “I suspect this hurricane was so strong that it produced what I would call a ‘wipe’ of the benthic ecosystem,” Wilber said. Seagrasses, algae, and other organisms living on and around the bank were likely decimated, and it is unknown how repopulation of the area will unfold. Perhaps most consequentially for Earth’s oceans, however, is the effect of the sediment suspension event on the planet’s carbon cycle. Tropical cyclones are an important way for carbon in shallow-water marine sediments to reach deeper waters, where it can remain sequestered for the long term. At depth, carbonate sediments will also dissolve, another important process in the oceanic carbon system. Near-continuous ocean observations by satellites have enabled greater understanding of these events and their carbon cycling. Acker and Wilber have worked on remote-sensing methods to quantify how much sediment reaches the deep ocean following the turbulence of tropical cyclones, including recently with Hurricane Ian over the West Florida Shelf. Now, hyperspectral observations from NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission, launched in February 2024, are poised to build on that progress, Acker said. The phenomenon at Pedro Bank following Hurricane Melissa provided a singular opportunity to study this and other complex ocean processes—a large natural experiment that could not be accomplished any other way. Researchers will be further investigating a range of physical, geochemical, and biological aspects illuminated by this occurrence. As Wilber put it: “This event is a whole course in oceanography.” NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and ocean bathymetry data from the British Oceanographic Data Center’s General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO). Photo by Jude Wilber. Story by Lindsey Doermann.
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https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/a-plume-of-bright-blue-in-melissas-wake/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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dc7dbd0c464bb071916f133624dbbc95375ab4366fca58b7284281dc25f42810
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2026-01-12T23:25:02+00:00
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NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Watch Crew-12 Launch to Space Station
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Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA’s 12th rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA announced it is targeting no earlier than Thursday, Jan. 15, for a splashdown of its Crew-11 mission. The agency also is working with SpaceX and international partners to advance the launch of Crew-12, which is currently slated for Sunday, Feb. 15. The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, commander, Jack Hathaway, pilot; ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, mission specialist; and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, mission specialist. This will be the second spaceflight for Meir and Fedyaev, and the first for Hathaway and Adenot to the orbiting laboratory. Media accreditation deadlines for the Crew-12 launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program are as follows: All accreditation requests must be submitted online at: NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. For questions about accreditation or special logistical requests, email: ksc-media-accreditat@mail.nasa.gov. Requests for space for satellite trucks, tents, or electrical connections are due by Friday, Jan. 23. For other questions, please contact NASA Kennedy’s newsroom at: 321-867-2468. Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425, o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371. For launch coverage and more information about the mission, visit: Joshua Finch / Jimi RussellHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1100 joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov Steve Siceloff Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov Joseph Zakrzewski Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 Joseph.a.zakrzewski@nasa.gov
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https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-spacex-invite-media-to-watch-crew-12-launch-to-space-station/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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ce58ee0f5752286e06f7732f973e020f32af9c6258be8438723ea78ee98f5844
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2026-01-12T22:43:30+00:00
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A Quarter Century in Orbit: Science Shaping Life on Earth and Beyond
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For more than 25 years, humans have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, conducting research that is transforming life on Earth and shaping the future of exploration. From growing food and sequencing DNA to studying disease and simulating Mars missions, every experiment aboard the orbiting laboratory expands our understanding of how humans can thrive beyond Earth while advancing science and technology that benefit people around the world. The space station gives scientists a laboratory unlike any on Earth. In microgravity, cells grow in three dimensions, proteins form higher-quality crystals, and biological systems reveal details hidden by gravity. These conditions open new ways to study disease and develop treatments. Astronauts and researchers have used the orbiting laboratory to observe how cancer cells grow, test drug delivery methods, and examine protein structures linked to diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. One example is the Angiex Cancer Therapy study, which tested a drug designed to target blood vessels that feed tumors. In microgravity, endothelial cells survive longer and behave more like they do in the human body, giving researchers a clearer view of how the therapy works and whether it is safe before human trials. Protein crystal growth (PCG) is another major area of cancer-related study. The NanoRacks-PCG Therapeutic Discovery and On-Orbit Crystals investigations have advanced research on leukemia, breast cancer, and skin cancers. Protein crystals grown in microgravity produce larger, better-organized structures that allow scientists to determine fine structural details that guide the design of targeted treatments. Studies in orbit have also provided insights about cardiovascular health, bone disorders, and how the immune system changes in space—knowledge that informs medicine on Earth and prepares astronauts for long missions in deep space. By turning space into a research lab, scientists are advancing therapies that benefit people on Earth and laying the foundation for ensuring crew health on future journeys to the Moon and Mars. Feeding astronauts on long-duration missions requires more than packaged meals. It demands sustainable systems that can grow fresh food in space. The Vegetable Production System, known as Veggie, is a garden on the space station designed to test how plants grow in microgravity while adding fresh produce to the crew’s diet and improving well-being in orbit. To date, Veggie has produced three types of lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mizuna mustard, red Russian kale, and even zinnia flowers. Astronauts have eaten space-grown lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, and chili peppers using Veggie and the Advanced Plant Habitat, a larger, more controlled growth chamber that allows scientists to study crops in greater detail. These plant experiments pave the way for future lunar and Martian greenhouses by showing how microgravity affects plant development, water and nutrient delivery, and microbial interactions. They also provide immediate benefits for Earth, advancing controlled-environment agriculture and vertical farming techniques that help make food production more efficient and resilient in challenging environments. Understanding how the human body changes in space is critical for planning long-duration missions. NASA’s Twins Study offered an unprecedented opportunity to investigate nature vs. nurture in orbit and on Earth. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly spent nearly a year aboard the space station while his identical twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, remained on Earth. By comparing the twins before, during, and after the mission, researchers examined changes at the genomic, physiological, and behavioral levels in one integrated study. The results showed most changes in Scott’s body returned to baseline after his return, but some persisted—such as shifts in gene expression, telomere length, and immune system responses. The study provided the most comprehensive molecular view to date of how a human body adapts to spaceflight. Its findings may guide NASA’s Human Research Program for years to come, informing countermeasures for radiation, microgravity, and isolation. The research may have implications for health on Earth as well—from understanding aging and disease to exploring treatments for stress-related disorders and traumatic brain injury. The Twins Study demonstrated the resilience of the human body in space and continues to shape the medical playbook for the Artemis campaign to the Moon and future journeys to Mars. The space station, which is itself an analog for deep space, complements Earth-based analog research simulating the spaceflight environment. Space station observations, findings, and challenges, inform the research questions and countermeasures scientists explore on Earth. Such work is currently underway through CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), a mission in which volunteers live and work inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed Mars habitat for about a year. The first CHAPEA crew completed 378 days in isolation in 2024, testing strategies for maintaining health, growing food, and sustaining morale under delayed communication. NASA recently launched CHAPEA 2, with a four-person crew who began their 378-day simulated Mars mission at Johnson on October 19, 2025. Building on lessons from the first mission and decades of space station research, they will test new technologies and behavioral countermeasures that will help future explorers thrive during long-duration missions, preparing Artemis astronauts for the journey to the Moon and laying the foundation for the first human expeditions to Mars. Staying healthy is a top priority for all NASA astronauts, but it is particularly important while living and working aboard the orbiting laboratory. Crews often spend extended periods of time aboard the orbiting laboratory, with the average mission lasting about six months or more. During these long-duration missions, without the continuous load of Earth’s gravity, there are many changes to the human body. Proper nutrition and exercise are some of the ways these effects may be mitigated. NASA has a team of medical physicians, psychologists, nutritionists, exercise scientists, and other specialized medical personnel who collaborate to ensure astronauts’ health and fitness on the station. These teams are led by a NASA flight surgeon, who regularly monitors each crew member’s health during a mission and individualizes diet and fitness routines to prioritize health and safety while in space. Crew members are also part of the ongoing health and performance research being conducted to advance understanding of long-term spaceflight’s effects on the human body. That knowledge is applied to any crewed mission and will help prepare humanity to travel farther than ever before, including the Moon and Mars. In 2016, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins made history aboard the orbital outpost as the first person to sequence DNA in space. Using a handheld device called the MinION, she analyzed DNA samples in microgravity, proving that genetic sequencing could be performed in low Earth orbit for the first time. Her work advanced in-flight molecular diagnostics, long-duration cell culture, and molecular biology techniques such as liquid handling in microgravity. The ability to sequence DNA aboard the orbiting laboratory allows astronauts and scientists to identify microbes in real time, monitor crew health, and study how living organisms adapt to spaceflight. The same technology now supports medical diagnostics and disease detection in remote or extreme environments on Earth. This research continues through the Genes in Space program, where students design DNA experiments that fly aboard NASA missions. Each investigation builds on Rubins’ milestone, paving the way for future explorers to diagnose illness, monitor environmental health, and search for signs of life beyond Earth. Explore the timeline of space-based DNA sequencing.
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https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/a-quarter-century-in-orbit-science-shaping-life-on-earth-and-beyond/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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cca1a23dc76bcf31b9e6e4d8838aaee0338a5e3be5249515fdc43f7f404fc8d8
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2026-01-12T21:27:56+00:00
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NASA Invites Media to Cover Artemis Mission from Johnson Space Center
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Media accreditation is open to attend Artemis II mission activities at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Johnson is where flight controllers in mission control will manage the test flight after liftoff of the first crewed Moon mission under the agency’s Artemis campaign. Targeted to launch no earlier Friday, Feb. 6, the Artemis II mission will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon and back to test the systems and hardware, which will return humanity to the lunar surface. After launch day, NASA will host daily briefings at Johnson throughout the mission with agency managers and mission experts. The briefings will be streamed on NASA’s YouTube channel. International media without U.S. citizenship must apply to cover the mission in person at Johnson by 5 p.m. CST Friday, Jan. 16. U.S. media must apply by Friday, Jan. 30. Media representatives must apply by contacting the NASA Johnson newsroom at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is available online. Due to high interest, in-person space is limited. Credentialed media will receive a confirmation email if approved. Those who are accredited to attend the Artemis II launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are not automatically accredited to attend events at Johnson and must receive a separate confirmation for activities in-person at NASA Johnson. As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, Artemis will pave the way for new U.S.-crewed missions on the lunar surface in preparation to send the first astronauts to Mars. To learn more about the Artemis II mission, visit: Rachel Kraft / Lauren LowHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov / lauren.e.low@nasa.gov Chelsey BallarteJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-invites-media-to-cover-artemis-mission-from-johnson-space-center/
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Space & Physics
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8a18e00c1a95cdb5f65a8e084d654f9ae749d7668d926bf2d5584fba3d3ee4c0
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2026-01-12T18:41:53+00:00
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2026 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking
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NASA has identified a list of 32 technology shortfalls and invites you to give input on your critical technology needs using this feedback mechanism. Whether you’re part of the space technology community or an interested member of the public, your input is invaluable. By registering and providing your feedback, you could help inform of national space technology priorities. NASA will analyze and aggregate the rankings to produce priority lists for each stakeholder group, which will be made publicly available for continued collaboration. This prioritization framework will guide the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s evaluation of current development efforts to identify necessary adjustments within its existing portfolios. The shortfall prioritization process may inspire new investments or spark innovative partnerships with stakeholders. This initiative also has the potential to unlock emerging commercial opportunities and accelerate growth in the U.S. space economy. Understanding and prioritizing the most important and impactful efforts allows STMD to appropriately direct available resources to best support mission needs for NASA and the nation. Open Date: January 12, 2026 Close Date: February 20, 2026 For more information, visit: https://www.spacetechpriorities.org/
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https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/prizes-challenges-crowdsourcing-program/center-of-excellence-for-collaborative-innovation-coeci/2026-civil-space-shortfall-ranking/
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Space & Physics
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ee306a5c0b8c20f5ff3832efeb5ac52c1dff57c8e3eeeb6e7dd03c42314bf7e1
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2026-01-12T18:32:50+00:00
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NASA Welcomes Portugal as 60th Artemis Accords Signatory
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Portugal is the latest nation to sign the Artemis Accords alongside 59 other countries in a commitment to advancing principles for the responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond with NASA. “Portugal joins a cadre of nations building the framework for safe, transparent, and prosperous activity in space,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in recorded remarks. “This is our generation’s Golden Age of Exploration. Together, we are advancing innovation, driving international collaboration, and discovering the secrets of the universe.” Portugal’s Secretary of State for Science and Innovation Helena Canhão signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country on Jan. 11. “2026 is the year in which humans will return to the Moon. It will mark the beginning of a new era of space exploration, reminiscent of the Portuguese explorers of the past, such as Magellan and his circumnavigation of our planet,” said Hugo Costa, executive director of the recently established Portuguese Space Agency, about the signing. “As a nation that approaches space sustainability with great care and responsibility, Portugal and the Portuguese Space Agency are proud to join the Artemis Accords and contribute to the sustainable, beneficial, and peaceful use of space for all humankind.” A ceremony to recognize the signing was held on Monday in the capital city Lisbon, during a semi-annual meeting between the United States and Portugal to discuss cooperation between the two governments. “This is a meaningful step forward for responsible space exploration,” said U.S. Ambassador to Portugal John J. Arrigo, who participated in the event. “Shared principles like those in the Artemis Accords are essential to ensuring that space remains a domain of stability, safety, and opportunity for all nations.” In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. The accords introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety, transparency, and coordination of civil space exploration on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Signing the Artemis Accords means to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid to those in need, to ensure unrestricted access to scientific data that all of humanity can learn from, to ensure activities do not interfere with those of others, to preserve historically significant sites and artifacts, and to develop best practices for how to conduct space exploration activities for the benefit of all. More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead. Learn more about the Artemis Accords at: Bethany Stevens / Elizabeth ShawHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov
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https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-welcomes-portugal-as-60th-artemis-accords-signatory/
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Space & Physics
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9e2299204272f7968b050ca3169e2450ceef2249cc1476c2b4be057ec7ac38d4
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2026-01-12T17:42:32+00:00
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NASA Stennis Engineer Proud to Serve During NASA’s Return to the Moon
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Richard Wear calls it an honor to be working at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, during a historic time as NASA prepares to send astronauts around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years on the Artemis II mission. “I have not stopped learning in the 15 years that I have been here,” Wear said. As acting chief of the Mechanical Engineering Branch, the Slidell, Louisiana, resident primarily supports testing at the E Test Complex, where NASA and commercial companies carry out propulsion test operations. The complex features four stands with 12 test cells capable of supporting a range of component and engine test activities. The versatility of the complex infrastructure and test team allows it to support projects for commercial aerospace companies, large and small. “The unique high pressure systems bring customers from all over the country,” Wear said. “I am proud to have been a part of testing for our commercial partners over the years, some of which have become successful and recognized across the world.” Education was always a priority in Wear’s household. His mom taught math, and his dad majored in chemistry. It influenced the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, native’s decision to pursue engineering. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama, Wear began his career in 2006 at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans as a contractor for Lockheed Martin. He worked in the thermal analysis group to support the space shuttle external tank program. His role focused on studying how heat moved through the tank’s structure and its thermal protection systems. When NASA needed to fill a thermal analysis role at NASA Stennis in 2010, Wear applied and quickly embraced the challenge. Initially hired to focus on thermal analysis, he soon expanded his expertise to include fluid analysis and thermodynamics. Even in his current supervisory role, Wear continues to contribute technical analysis and support testing. Wear describes NASA Stennis as a “hands-on, get-it-done center” with a culture that is serious, yet fun. As a smaller NASA center, everyone has the chance to make a difference. Wear believes the work environment provides new employees the opportunity to meet developmental goals faster. “I think that is also true for our test customers and tenants,” Wear said. “Sometimes with our customers at the E Test Complex, they are just starting out, so we can guide them to a successful outcome by sharing our knowledge. We want all our employees and customers to be successful and I think that really shows.” The mission-focused culture has shaped Wear’s own career. Since joining NASA Stennis in 2010 as a junior analyst, he advanced to senior analyst, then lead project fluid systems analyst, before being named thermal-fluid subject matter expert in 2018. In 2022, he accepted the deputy chief position in the Mechanical Engineering Branch and has served as acting chief since March 2025. Even in a supervisor role, Wear continues to find inspiration in the teamwork around him. “The focus here is always on the mission, not on whose job it is,” he said. “That true team effort motivates me to do my best every day.” One part of Wear’s role he enjoys is training students. Inspiration came to him during recent interviews with students for the Pathways Internship. The conversations were with several students that have a passion for NASA, its mission, and for space exploration. “Working hard in school and getting good grades is part of it, but I think persistence and attitude plays a huge part,” Wear said. “For example, we have told our prospective Pathways Interns multiple times that attitude is one of the most important parts of getting a job at NASA Stennis after an internship.” Wear recommends all students do their research, figure out what he or she does not know, and then find someone who can help fill the gap. This approach of staying curious and persistent is what put Wear in the right place at the right time as NASA writes a new chapter of space history that will return America to the Moon and beyond.
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https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/richard-wear-proud-to-serve-during-return-to-the-moon/
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Space & Physics
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ec797b0a8f12aa8d88c8408c7e6c8d8dbcf6fb8722b0669b5a8dd68faf150888
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2026-01-12T17:34:43+00:00
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White Dwarf Star (Artist’s Concept)
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A smaller white dwarf star (left) pulls material from a larger star into a swirling accretion disk in this artist’s concept released Nov. 19, 2025, to illustrate the first use of NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarization Explorer) to study a white dwarf star. IXPE spent nearly one week focused on EX Hydrae, a white dwarf star system located in the constellation Hydra, approximately 200 light-years from Earth. Using IXPE’s unique X-ray polarization capability, astronomers examined the star, unlocking the geometry of energetic binary systems. Read more about EX Hydrae and IXPE. Image credit: MIT/Jose-Luis Olivares
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https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/white-dwarf-star-artists-concept/
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Space & Physics
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486050d7025cc734627618b889028f5d99a88b1d9576ff3ab9f229218b30532d
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2026-01-12T15:39:25+00:00
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Últimos preparativos para la primera misión tripulada a la Luna con la campaña Artemis de la NASA
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Read this article in English here. Conforme la NASA se acerca al lanzamiento del vuelo de prueba Artemis II, la agencia pronto llevará por primera vez su cohete Sistema de Lanzamiento Espacial (SLS, por sus siglas en inglés) y la nave espacial Orion a la plataforma de lanzamiento en el Centro Espacial Kennedy de la agencia en Florida para comenzar la integración final, las pruebas y los ensayos para el lanzamiento. La NASA tiene como objetivo comenzar desde el sábado 17 de enero su traslado desde el Edificio de Ensamblaje de Vehículos hasta la Plataforma de Lanzamientos 39B, lo que tardará varias horas. El viaje de casi 6,5 kilómetros (cuatro millas) en el vehículo transportador oruga 2 podría durar hasta 12 horas. Los equipos técnicos están trabajando día y noche para dar por terminadas todas las tareas antes del transporte del cohete. Sin embargo, esta fecha objetivo está sujeta a cambios si fuera necesario tiempo adicional para los preparativos técnicos o debido a las condiciones meteorológicas. “Nos estamos acercando a la misión Artemis II, y tenemos su lanzamiento a la vuelta de la esquina”, dijo Lori Glaze, administradora asociada interina para la Dirección de Misiones de Desarrollo de Sistemas de Exploración de la NASA. “Nos quedan pasos importantes en nuestro camino hacia el lanzamiento, y la seguridad de la tripulación seguirá siendo nuestra principal prioridad en todo momento, a medida que nos acercamos al regreso de la humanidad a la Luna”. Al igual que con todos los nuevos desarrollos de sistemas complejos, los ingenieros han estado solucionando varios problemas en los últimos días y semanas. Durante las comprobaciones finales antes del traslado, los técnicos detectaron que un cable relacionado con el sistema de terminación de vuelo estaba doblado en contra de las especificaciones. El personal técnico lo está reemplazando y hará pruebas con el nuevo cable durante el fin de semana. Además, una válvula relacionada con la presurización de la escotilla de Orion presentó problemas que hicieron necesario llevar a cabo pruebas de demostración de la cuenta regresiva el 20 de diciembre pasado. El 5 de enero, el equipo reemplazó la válvula e hizo pruebas de su funcionamiento que resultaron exitosas. Los ingenieros también trabajaron para resolver fugas en el hardware de soporte en tierra que es necesario para cargar oxígeno gaseoso en Orion a fin de proporcionar aire respirable. Traslado Una vez que el cohete y la nave espacial integrados lleguen a la plataforma de lanzamiento, la NASA comenzará inmediatamente una larga lista de verificación para los preparativos en la plataforma de lanzamiento, incluyendo la conexión de equipos mecánicos de apoyo en tierra, como líneas eléctricas, conductos del sistema de control ambiental de combustible y tomas de surtido de combustible criogénico. Los equipos de personal técnico encenderán todos los sistemas integrados en la plataforma por primera vez para garantizar que los componentes del hardware de vuelo funcionen correctamente entre sí, con el lanzador móvil y con los sistemas de infraestructura terrestre. Una vez que esté todo completado, los astronautas de Artemis II, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover y Christina Koch de la NASA, y el astronauta de la CSA (Agencia Espacial Canadiense) Jeremy Hansen, llevarán a cabo una caminata final en la plataforma. Ensayo general con circulación de combustible y llenado de tanques A finales de enero, la NASA llevará a cabo un ensayo general con circulación de combustible, el cual es una prueba previa al lanzamiento para llenar los tanques de combustible en el cohete. Durante este ensayo general, el personal técnico hace una demostración de la capacidad de cargar más de 700.000 galones de combustible criogénico en el cohete, lleva a cabo una cuenta regresiva para el lanzamiento y practica la extracción segura del combustible del cohete sin tripulación presente en el sitio. Durante el lanzamiento, el equipo de cierre, o de tareas finales, será responsable de asegurar a los astronautas en Orion y cerrar sus escotillas. El personal de cierre también utilizará este ensayo para practicar sus procedimientos de forma segura sin tener tripulación a bordo de la nave espacial. El ensayo general con circulación de combustible incluirá varios “encendidos”, o pruebas de funcionamiento, para demostrar la capacidad del equipo de lanzamiento para detener, reanudar y reiniciar operaciones en varios momentos diferentes de los últimos 10 minutos de la cuenta regresiva, conocida como conteo terminal. La ejecución del primer encendido comenzará aproximadamente en las 49 horas antes del lanzamiento, cuando los equipos encargados de lanzamiento son llamados a sus estaciones, hasta 1 minuto y 30 segundos antes del lanzamiento, seguido de una pausa planificada de tres minutos y luego la reanudación de la cuenta regresiva hasta 33 segundos antes del lanzamiento, el punto en el que el secuenciador de lanzamiento automático del cohete controlará los últimos segundos de la cuenta regresiva. Luego, los equipos técnicos volverán a reiniciar a T-10 minutos y detendrán el conteo, y luego reanudarán los procedimientos hasta 30 segundos antes del lanzamiento como parte de una segunda ejecución. Si bien la NASA ha integrado las lecciones aprendidas con Artemis I en los procedimientos de la cuenta regresiva para el lanzamiento, la agencia hará una pausa para abordar cualquier problema durante la prueba o en cualquier otro momento si surgen retos técnicos. Los ingenieros vigilarán de cerca la carga de combustible de hidrógeno líquido y oxígeno líquido en el cohete, después de los desafíos que se encontraron con la carga de hidrógeno líquido durante los ensayos generales con circulación de combustible de Artemis I. Los equipos técnicos también prestarán mucha atención a la efectividad de los procedimientos recientemente actualizados para limitar la cantidad de nitrógeno gaseoso que se acumula en el espacio que está entre el módulo de tripulación de Orion y las escotillas del sistema de cancelación de lanzamiento, lo que podría representar un problema para el personal de cierre. Es posible que se requieran ensayos generales con circulación de combustible adicionales para garantizar que el vehículo esté completamente revisado y apto para el vuelo. De ser necesario, la NASA podría trasladar al cohete SLS y la nave Orion de vuelta al Edificio de Ensamblaje de Vehículos para realizar trabajos adicionales antes del lanzamiento después del ensayo general con circulación de combustible. Próximos pasos para el lanzamiento Después de un exitoso ensayo general con circulación de combustible, la NASA convocará una revisión de aptitud para el vuelo en la cual el equipo de gestión de la misión evaluará la aptitud de todos los sistemas, incluyendo el hardware de vuelo, la infraestructura y el personal de lanzamiento, vuelo y recuperación antes de comprometerse con una fecha de lanzamiento. Aunque la ventana para el lanzamiento de Artemis II se podría iniciar tan pronto como el viernes 6 de febrero, el equipo de gestión de la misión evaluará la aptitud para el vuelo después del ensayo general con toda la nave espacial, la infraestructura de lanzamiento, y la tripulación y el personal de operaciones antes de seleccionar una fecha para el lanzamiento. A fin de determinar las posibles fechas de lanzamiento, los ingenieros identificaron las restricciones clave necesarias para cumplir la misión y mantener a salvo a la tripulación dentro de Orion. Los períodos de lanzamiento resultantes son los días o las semanas en los que la nave espacial y el cohete pueden cumplir los objetivos de la misión. Estos períodos de lanzamiento explican la compleja mecánica orbital relacionada con el lanzamiento en una trayectoria precisa hacia la Luna mientras la Tierra rota sobre su eje y la Luna orbita la Tierra cada mes en su ciclo lunar. Esto da como resultado un patrón de alrededor de una semana de oportunidades de lanzamiento, seguido de tres semanas sin oportunidades de lanzamiento. Existen varios parámetros principales que establecen la disponibilidad del lanzamiento dentro de estos períodos. Debido a su trayectoria única en relación con las misiones de alunizaje posteriores, estas limitaciones clave son exclusivas del vuelo de prueba de la misión Artemis II. Los períodos a continuación muestran la disponibilidad de llevar a cabo el lanzamiento hasta abril de 2026. Los planificadores de la misión mejoran estos períodos en función de un análisis actualizado más o menos dos meses antes de que estos comiencen, y ellos están sujetos a cambios. Período de lanzamiento del 31 de enero al 14 de febrero Período de lanzamiento del 28 de febrero al 13 de marzo Período de lanzamiento del 27 de marzo al 10 de abril Además de las oportunidades de lanzamiento basadas en la mecánica orbital y los requisitos de desempeño, también existen restricciones sobre qué días dentro de un período de lanzamiento pueden ser viables en función de la reposición de productos básicos, las condiciones meteorológicas y las operaciones de otros usuarios en el cronograma del Área Este. Como regla general, se pueden hacer hasta cuatro intentos de lanzamiento dentro de la semana aproximada de oportunidades que existen dentro de un período de lanzamiento. Mientras la agencia se prepara para su primera misión tripulada más allá de la órbita terrestre en más de 50 años, la NASA espera aprender durante los procesos, tanto en tierra como en vuelo, y dejará que la aptitud y el desempeño de sus sistemas indiquen el momento en que la agencia está lista para el lanzamiento. Como parte de una edad de oro de innovación y exploración, el vuelo de prueba de Artemis II, el cual tendrá una duración aproximada de 10 días, es el primer vuelo tripulado para la campaña Artemis de la NASA. Este es otro paso hacia nuevas misiones tripuladas de Estados Unidos en la superficie de la Luna, lo que llevará a una presencia sostenida en la Luna que ayudará a la agencia a prepararse para enviar a los primeros astronautas estadounidenses a Marte. Encuentra más información sobre la campaña Artemis de la NASA en el siguiente sitio web (en inglés):
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https://www.nasa.gov/es/ultimos-preparativos-para-la-primera-mision-tripulada-a-la-luna-con-la-campana-artemis-de-la-nasa/
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Space & Physics
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afd68633a6380edd8b1ccd2a2b850ac02af14717a31cb00d92af404e542f4f41
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2026-01-12T15:13:02+00:00
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Complement-ARIE NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge
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Recent technological advances have set the stage for a renewed focus on human-based solutions called new approach methodologies (NAMs) that can complement, and in some cases replace, animal models in research and regulatory testing. These NAMs generally span advanced cell-tissue-organoid (in vitro), computational modeling (in silico), and cell-free biochemical analysis (in chemico) techniques, with each type of NAM offering different advantages. A combination and integration of multiple NAMs elements into a synergistic approach that augments gaps and/or deficiencies in individual NAMs approaches is a “combinatorial NAM” and could ultimately allow for improved predictions of human clinical response. Although many combinatorial NAMs are still early in development, not validated and standardized, nor available to the market broadly, combinatorial NAMs can potentially transform the way biomedical research, drug development, and clinical trials are conducted. To accelerate development and validation of combinatorial NAMs for human-based scientific and regulatory purposes, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund’s Complement-Animal Research In Experimentation (Complement-ARIE) program in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is launching the Reduction to Practice (RTP) Challenge. This challenge invites innovative combinatorial NAMs solutions from multidisciplinary teams who can successfully demonstrate implementation of their human-based solution in a practical and usable form within a 3-year period. Solvers will have the chance to win up to $1,430,000 in cumulative cash prizes and have their solution provided validation and/or qualification support by the Complement-ARIE Validation and Qualification Network (VQN). This Challenge is open to the public. Award: $7,000,000 in total prizes Open Date: Phase 1 – September 30, 2025, Phase 2 – July 2, 2026; Phase 3 – August 1, 2027 Close Date: Phase 1 – March 1, 2026 For more information, visit: https://www.herox.com/Complement-ARIE-RTP
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https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/prizes-challenges-crowdsourcing-program/center-of-excellence-for-collaborative-innovation-coeci/complement-arie-nams-reduction-to-practice-challenge/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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f209d20dad72acc63ed5fcd5730ea5cf19ff2cf4c9774f8f670276d971d11caa
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2026-01-12T14:51:17
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A new valve for quantum matter: Steering chiral fermions by geometry alone
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A collaboration between Stuart Parkin's group at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle (Saale) and Claudia Felser's group at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden has realized a fundamentally new way to control quantum particles in solids. Writing in Nature, the researchers report the experimental demonstration of a chiral fermionic valve—a device that spatially separates quantum particles of opposite chirality using quantum geometry alone, without magnetic fields or magnetic materials.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-valve-quantum-chiral-fermions-geometry.html
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Space & Physics
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f3e7ae260146db6536b4dbefdc9114eb5a9696f1f27da1a96a0c656960c829b5
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2026-01-12T13:07:41
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Researchers harness nonlinear Compton scattering to create sharper, multicolor gamma-ray beams
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Researchers from Skoltech, MEPhI, and the Dukhov All-Russian Research Institute of Automation have proposed a new method to create compact gamma-ray sources that are simultaneously brighter, sharper, and capable of emitting multiple "colors" of gamma rays at once.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-harness-nonlinear-compton-sharper-multicolor.html
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Space & Physics
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88ba329439af25fed3f923985619bc347fdfeb50e44045582b596db5913daf62
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2026-01-11T13:20:01
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Physicists create resilient 3D solitons in the lab
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For the first time, physicists in Italy have created a 'lump soliton': an extremely stable packet of light waves which can travel through 3D space, and even interact with other solitons without losing its shape.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-physicists-resilient-3d-solitons-lab.html
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Space & Physics
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b70bd9ac87d97b424dc204e80bc668d8fc3ee7c78726c1f4b12521adec5c0b51
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2026-01-10T06:10:04
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Radio waves enable energy-efficient AI on edge devices without heavy hardware
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As drones survey forests, robots navigate warehouses and sensors monitor city streets, more of the world's decision-making is occurring autonomously on the edge—on the small devices that gather information at the ends of much larger networks.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-radio-enable-energy-efficient-ai.html
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Space & Physics
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ae845c2a614d6ebc6c9b594a07028b4845cbce3c00e9d0286d87bdc3a35aa213
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2026-01-09T12:52:27
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Superconducting detector captures hot spots with submicron resolution
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A research team from Osaka Metropolitan University proposed using a current-biased kinetic inductance detector with submicron 400 megapixels to image hot spots induced by a localized external stimulus over a 15 × 15 mm2 area. The team utilized a delay-line technique to trace the propagation of internal signals for a pair of signals arising from each hot spot.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-superconducting-detector-captures-hot-submicron.html
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Space & Physics
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67ed8bea6641c2170de09ff3dad2efac665a12c6624c744ed6ac5097416ef4a3
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2026-01-09T12:39:24
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Laser pulse 'sculpting' unlocks new control over particle acceleration
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In high-intensity laser–matter interactions, including laser-induced particle acceleration, physicists generally want to work with the highest possible focused laser peak power, which is the ratio of energy per unit area to pulse duration. Therefore, for the same pulse energy and focus, the highest peak intensity can be achieved with the shortest pulse duration.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-laser-pulse-sculpting-particle.html
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Space & Physics
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5be83e5dbf327933fcdb24a9b66a2ef22b8ec11015eef3ce94923e6fe9320b23
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2026-01-09T11:55:24
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Engines of light: New study suggests we could increase useful energy obtained from sunlight
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Physicists from Trinity College Dublin believe new insights into the behavior of light may offer a new means of solving one of science's oldest challenges—how to turn heat into useful energy.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-energy-sunlight.html
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Space & Physics
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99bc9433a032ba13a01a3828a86cebf82189b24fec72819c318995634e18fbf3
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2026-01-09T09:44:36
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An ultra-fast quantum tunneling device for the 6G terahertz era
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A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled a quantum device, capable of ultra-fast operation, a key step toward realizing technologies like 6G communications. This innovation overcomes a major hurdle that has long limited the durability of such devices under high electrical fields.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultra-fast-quantum-tunneling-device.html
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Space & Physics
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c695f71c22ca4f3992cb38d2a5179eca8b8cbb43aba9b62b976c7706e607a3b7
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2026-01-09T09:12:30
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How does glass 'shake' and why does it start flowing when pushed hard enough?
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Glassy materials are everywhere, with applications far exceeding windowpanes and drinking glasses. They range from bioactive glasses for bone repair and amorphous pharmaceuticals that boost drug solubility to ultra-pure silica optics used in gravitational-wave detectors. In principle, any substance can become glass if its hot liquid is cooled fast enough to avoid forming an ordered crystal.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-glass-hard.html
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Space & Physics
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41685364fae0c3f7a4c51fe72920ffd67c566f37e6f6bd9e552a33d91141c3fb
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2026-01-08T16:37:26
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Quantum-enhanced interferometry amplifies detection of tiny laser beam shifts and tilts
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A quantum trick based on interferometric measurements allows a team of researchers at LMU to detect even the smallest movements of a laser beam with extreme sensitivity.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-quantum-interferometry-amplifies-tiny-laser.html
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Space & Physics
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c09687896bc74777276cbcc29d1486672c19345257d9329067d1862036db7505
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2026-01-08T14:42:38
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Quantum phenomenon enables a nanoscale mirror that can be switched on and off
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Controlling light is an important technological challenge—not just at the large scale of optics in microscopes and telescopes, but also at the nanometer scale. Recently, physicists at the University of Amsterdam published a clever quantum trick that allows them to make a nanoscale mirror that can be turned on and off at will.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-quantum-phenomenon-enables-nanoscale-mirror.html
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Space & Physics
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d58824692f4fbb80978d07b1cc00d162793bb2c279941d9cebc5047196e6e011
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2026-01-08T14:00:08
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Replication efforts suggest 'smoking gun' evidence isn't enough to prove quantum computing claims
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A group of scientists, including Sergey Frolov, professor of physics at the University of Pittsburgh, and co-authors from Minnesota and Grenoble have undertaken several replication studies centered around topological effects in nanoscale superconducting or semiconducting devices. This field is important because it can bring about topological quantum computing, a hypothetical way of storing and manipulating quantum information while protecting it against errors.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-replication-efforts-gun-evidence-isnt.html
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Space & Physics
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fd43a599bd512477884c20b5817d3ac4a907f985ae35f6f1dce8d6529206f789
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2026-01-08T14:00:04
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Unexpected oscillation states in magnetic vortices could enable coupling across different physical systems
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Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) have uncovered previously unobserved oscillation states—so-called Floquet states—in tiny magnetic vortices. Unlike earlier experiments, which required energy-intensive laser pulses to create such states, the team in Dresden discovered that a subtle excitation with magnetic waves is sufficient.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-unexpected-oscillation-states-magnetic-vortices.html
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Space & Physics
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21371121877d2eae1a731a7d91800d057050028491cb9741df9e1061fab7717e
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2026-01-08T13:13:27
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Self-configuring optical devices automatically learn how to sort out light
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Light can be sculpted into countless shapes. Yet building optical devices that can simultaneously manipulate many different optical patterns at once is extremely complicated, and remains a major challenge in modern photonics.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-configuring-optical-devices-automatically.html
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Space & Physics
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3a83cbfb0d16521820a7e8c19ef5dcd94c86af39ad022bdbfe81b1dc19db199f
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2026-01-08T12:20:01
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Entanglement enhances the speed of quantum simulations, transforming long-standing obstacles into a powerful advantage
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Researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have made a significant discovery regarding quantum entanglement. This phenomenon, which has long been viewed as a significant obstacle in classical quantum simulations, actually enhances the speed of quantum simulations. The findings are published in Nature Physics in an article titled "Entanglement accelerates quantum simulation."
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-entanglement-quantum-simulations-obstacles-powerful.html
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Space & Physics
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00751ab07020b8caf685bf2b692b3e7a6f82170c431a88aac7ff6695264f5406
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2026-01-08T12:05:57
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A new way to view shockwaves could boost fusion research
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At the heart of our sun, fusion is unfolding. As hydrogen atoms merge to form helium, they emit energy, producing the heat and light that reach us here on Earth. Inspired by our nearby star, researchers want to create fusion closer to home. If they can crack the engineering challenges underlying the process, they would create an abundant new source of power to eclipse all others.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-view-shockwaves-boost-fusion.html
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Space & Physics
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ff37a38d24cc0569ba210c8f4fae59593b138aee532cf02214edf77802d7c6b4
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2026-01-07T16:40:03
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THz spectroscopy system bypasses long-standing tradeoff between spectral and spatial resolution
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Terahertz (THz) radiation, which occupies the frequency band between microwaves and infrared light, is essential in many next-generation applications, including high-speed wireless communications, chemical sensing, and advanced material analysis.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-thz-spectroscopy-bypasses-tradeoff-spectral.html
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Space & Physics
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8e3d8941b7a7dab4502d563695fe56c4aecc67755e9db114de6f8d1a653d55a2
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2026-01-07T16:20:24
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Optics research uses dim light to produce bright LEDs
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Researchers at Princeton and North Carolina State University have developed a technique that substantially improves the ability to convert low-energy light into a high-energy version. The method has immediate applications in lighting and displays.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-optics-dim-bright.html
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Space & Physics
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039ab55da4163325963b328ea6e493bde98f8337a36b549e837d0ef2c72b7498
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2026-01-07T15:41:38
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Synchronizing ultrashort X-ray pulses for attosecond precision
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Scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have, for the first time, demonstrated a technique that synchronizes ultrashort X-ray pulses at the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL. This achievement opens new possibilities for observing ultrafast atomic and molecular processes with attosecond precision.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-synchronizing-ultrashort-ray-pulses-attosecond.html
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Space & Physics
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c65876cd272a4623c92c0df102760ebec331b479fb9943a91cb61f99e729d5cd
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2026-01-07T13:11:27
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New evidence for a particle system that 'remembers' its previous quantum states
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In the future, quantum computers are anticipated to solve problems once thought unsolvable, from predicting the course of chemical reactions to producing highly reliable weather forecasts. For now, however, they remain extremely sensitive to environmental disturbances and prone to information loss.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-evidence-particle-previous-quantum-states.html
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Space & Physics
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c79e7c46821a605ebeef47a0f2e1b76403a60049594b50aaa204476753d87bfc
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2026-01-07T13:08:18
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Making the invisible visible: Space particles become observable through handheld invention
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You can't see, feel, hear, taste or smell them, but tiny particles from space are constantly raining down on us.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-invisible-visible-space-particles-handheld.html
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Space & Physics
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ce0d235f0900a4fe319b3753a362f64c9f1e1bc07e7716f34f72867c44a0d1aa
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2026-01-07T11:52:24
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Scientists use string theory to crack the code of natural networks
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For more than a century, scientists have wondered why physical structures like blood vessels, neurons, tree branches, and other biological networks look the way they do. The prevailing theory held that nature simply builds these systems as efficiently as possible, minimizing the amount of material needed. But in the past, when researchers tested these networks against traditional mathematical optimization theories, the predictions consistently fell short.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-scientists-theory-code-natural-networks.html
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Space & Physics
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e9d0ed5515529f649e2118820e8db497a873f196420c50e51092159d574b0c7d
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2026-01-07T11:30:02
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Going further with fusion, together
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At 4 a.m., while most of New Jersey slept, a Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) physicist sat at his computer connected to a control room 3,500 miles away in Oxford, England. Years of experience running fusion experiments in the U.S. helped guide the U.K. team through delicate adjustments as they worked together to coax particles of plasma—the fourth state of matter—to temperatures that match those found at the heart of the sun.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-fusion.html
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Space & Physics
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e5dcc400ec4368370aeabd87890d7b966844326cd314b10e6e750ea9a555164c
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2026-01-07T11:20:01
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Antiferromagnetic metal exhibits diode-like behavior without external magnetic field
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Antiferromagnetic (AF) materials are made up of atoms or molecules with atomic spins that align in antiparallel directions of their neighbors. The magnetism of each individual atom or molecule is canceled out by the one next to it to produce zero net magnetization.
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https://phys.org/news/2026-01-antiferromagnetic-metal-diode-behavior-external.html
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Space & Physics
| |
c6d9de12f51bb00a8633a0611fa81639c43428cc229d7bc2b5010400150481a4
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2026-01-12T08:28:51
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A new crystal makes magnetism twist in surprising ways
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Florida State University scientists have engineered a new crystal that forces atomic magnets to swirl into complex, repeating patterns. The effect comes from mixing two nearly identical compounds whose mismatched structures create magnetic tension at the atomic level. These swirling “skyrmion-like” textures are prized for their low-energy behavior and stability. The discovery could help drive advances in data storage, energy-efficient electronics, and quantum computing.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112001039.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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84c0b672c64ad699f944f6967b62f131cfe4c53cf9c46e0a307a459ddb7c48c4
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2026-01-12T00:10:35
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Physicists thought this mystery particle could explain everything. See what happened
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Scientists at Fermilab’s MicroBooNE experiment have ruled out the existence of the elusive sterile neutrino, a particle proposed for decades to explain puzzling neutrino behavior. Their high-precision measurements showed neutrinos behaving exactly as expected—without any sign of a hidden fourth type. While this closes off a popular theory, it marks a turning point for the field, pushing researchers toward new ideas and more powerful experiments. The result also lays critical groundwork for the massive upcoming DUNE experiment.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260112001035.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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1c2ac7b88433512e1c96a9020cc1c34167ca24cfb9968ba3a26245181fecc1df
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2026-01-11T07:47:33
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A new theory of gravity could explain cosmic acceleration without dark energy
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The accelerating expansion of the universe is usually explained by an invisible force known as dark energy. But a new study suggests this mysterious ingredient may not be necessary after all. Using an extended version of Einstein’s gravity, researchers found that cosmic acceleration can arise naturally from a more general geometry of spacetime. The result hints at a radical new way to understand why the universe keeps speeding up.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260110211221.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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32450a54436247ef21c46ae24257e807fd12d7b36a73192ae684bb37b9b3fe92
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2026-01-08T07:37:11
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Scientists tried to break Einstein’s speed of light rule
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Einstein’s claim that the speed of light is constant has survived more than a century of scrutiny—but scientists are still daring to test it. Some theories of quantum gravity suggest light might behave slightly differently at extreme energies. By tracking ultra-powerful gamma rays from distant cosmic sources, researchers searched for tiny timing differences that could reveal new physics. They found none, but their results tighten the limits by a huge margin.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225544.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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c959e63ea6307571224ac1d866fff678e6ed6efba242978df2cc0337a86e96d2
|
2026-01-08T21:47:28
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An old jeweler’s trick could change nuclear timekeeping
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A team of physicists has discovered a surprisingly simple way to build nuclear clocks using tiny amounts of rare thorium. By electroplating thorium onto steel, they achieved the same results as years of work with delicate crystals — but far more efficiently. These clocks could be vastly more precise than current atomic clocks and work where GPS fails, from deep space to underwater submarines. The advance could transform navigation, communications, and fundamental physics research.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225542.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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690fc1d1868ae63200dc8f8ad75d0de2393957ffd6dea191ded73e85fabbbb63
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2026-01-08T07:10:25
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A quantum discovery that breaks the rules of heating
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When scientists repeatedly drove a strongly interacting quantum system with laser “kicks,” they expected it to heat up and grow chaotic. Instead, the atoms abruptly stopped absorbing energy and locked into a stable pattern of motion. This strange effect arises from quantum coherence, which prevents the system from thermalizing despite constant forcing. The results overturn classical intuition and offer new insight into how quantum systems can resist disorder.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225539.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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d1ca3a671b498ca0eac9956efb1d0910f98d080e380585b678044ea35c11815f
|
2026-01-08T08:44:48
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Scientists are closing in on the Universe’s biggest mystery
|
Nearly everything in the universe is made of mysterious dark matter and dark energy, yet we can’t see either of them directly. Scientists are developing detectors so sensitive they can spot particle interactions that might occur once in years or even decades. These experiments aim to uncover what shapes galaxies and fuels cosmic expansion. Cracking this mystery could transform our understanding of the laws of nature.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260107225530.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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e8666c96c65ee6912ee3cc4dba810986af3d19d9316ca005a5f703a2d76a2aa7
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2026-01-07T20:27:45
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Physicists built a perfect conductor from ultracold atoms
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Researchers at TU Wien have discovered a quantum system where energy and mass move with perfect efficiency. In an ultracold gas of atoms confined to a single line, countless collisions occur—but nothing slows down. Instead of diffusing like heat in metal, motion travels cleanly and undiminished, much like a Newton’s cradle. The finding reveals a striking form of transport that breaks the usual rules of resistance.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260106224635.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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6ba6d7204d3b1c0ee81bf5f4bce6b6707aa57968d8b52f67b4c6dac9dece32f7
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2026-01-07T21:08:42
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Less than a trillionth of a second: Ultrafast UV light could transform communications and imaging
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Researchers have built a new platform that produces ultrashort UV-C laser pulses and detects them at room temperature using atom-thin materials. The light flashes last just femtoseconds and can be used to send encoded messages through open space. The system relies on efficient laser generation and highly responsive sensors that scale well for manufacturing. Together, these advances could accelerate the development of next-generation photonic technologies.
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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/01/260101160849.htm
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Space & Physics
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svg
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c17e4d6df1acd66857ab5f82277b15d6714a7f735641adca52f2269353b9b4b7
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2026-01-12T11:00:54+00:00
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Can entrepreneurship be taught? An engineer’s viewpoint
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I am intrigued by entrepreneurship. Is it something we all innately possess – or can entrepreneurship be taught to anyone (myself included) for whom it doesn’t come naturally? Could we all – with enough time, training and support – become the next Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson or Martha Lane Fox? In my professional life as an engineer in industry, we often talk about the importance of invention and innovation. Without them, products will become dated and firms will lose their competitive edge. However, inventions don’t necessarily sell themselves, which is where entrepreneurs have a key influence. So what’s the difference between inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs? An inventor, to me, is someone who creates a new process, application or machine. An innovator is a person who introduces something new or does something for the first time. An entrepreneur, however, is someone who sets up a business or takes on a venture, embracing financial risks with the aim of profit. Scientists and engineers are naturally good inventors and innovators. We like to solve problems, improve how we do things, and make the world more ordered and efficient. In fact, many of the greatest inventors and innovators of all time were scientists and engineers – think James Watt, George Stephenson and Frank Whittle. But entrepreneurship requires different, additional qualities. Many entrepreneurs come from a variety of different backgrounds – not just science and engineering – and tend to have finance in their blood. They embrace risk and have unlimited amounts of courage and business acumen – skills I’d need to pick up if wanted to be an entrepreneur myself. Engineers are encouraged to take risks, exploring new technologies and designs; in fact, it’s critical for companies seeking to stay competitive. But we take risks in a calculated and professional manner that prioritizes safety, quality, regulations and ethics, and project success. We balance risk taking with risk management, spotting and assessing potential risks – and mitigating or removing them if they’re big. Courage is not something I’ve always had professionally. Over time, I have learned to speak up if I feel I have something to say that’s important to the situation or contributes to our overall understanding. Still, there’s always a fear of saying something silly in front of other people or being unable to articulate a view adequately. But entrepreneurs have courage in their DNA. So can entrepreneurship be taught? Specifically, can it be taught to people like me with a technical background – and, if so, how? Some of the most famous innovators, like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, James Dyson and Benjamin Franklin, had scientific or engineering backgrounds, so is there a formula for making more people like them? Let’s start by listing the skills that most engineers have that could be beneficial for entrepreneurship. In no particular order, these include: However, there are mindset differences between engineers and entrepreneurs that any training would need to overcome. These include: Such skills may not always come naturally to engineers and scientists, but they can be incorporated into our teaching and learning. Some great examples of how to do this were covered in Physics World last year. In addition, there is a growing number of UK universities offering science and engineering degrees combined with entrepreneurship. The message is that whilst some scientists and engineers become entrepreneurs, not all do. Simply having a science or engineering background is no guarantee of becoming an entrepreneur, nor is it a requirement. Nevertheless, the problem-solving and technical skills developed by scientists and engineers are powerful assets that, when combined with business acumen and entrepreneurial drive, can lead to business success. Of course, entrepreneurship may not suit everybody – and that’s perfectly fine. No-one should be forced to become an entrepeneur if they don’t want to. We all need to play to our core strengths and interests and build well-rounded teams with complementary skillsets – something that every successful business needs. But surely there’s a way of teaching entrepeneurism too? The post Can entrepreneurship be taught? An engineer’s viewpoint appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/can-entrepreneurship-be-taught-an-engineers-viewpoint/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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4a748510fdb8180a26ef6c74a50d4c3da96d32f25a1c63d8580604bc7d4d7e6e
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2026-01-12T08:00:00+00:00
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Shapiro steps spotted in ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases
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Shapiro steps – a series of abrupt jumps in the voltage–current characteristic of a Josephson junction that is exposed to microwave radiation – have been observed for the first time in ultracold gases by groups in Germany and Italy. Their work on atomic Josephson junctions provides new insights into the phenomenon, and could lead to a standard for chemical potential. In 1962 Brian Josephson of the University of Cambridge calculated that, if two superconductors were separated by a thin insulating barrier, the phase difference between the wavefunctions on either side should induce quantum tunneling, leading to a current at zero potential difference. A year later, Sidney Shapiro and colleagues at the consultants Arthur D. Little showed that inducing an alternating electric current using a microwave field causes the phase of the wavefunction on either side of a Josephson junction to evolve at different rates, leading to quantized increases in potential difference across the junction. The height of these “Shapiro steps” depends only on the applied frequency of the field and the electrical charge. This is now used as a reference standard for the volt. Researchers have subsequently developed analogues of Josephson junctions in other systems such as liquid helium and ultracold atomic gases. In the new work, two groups have independently observed Shapiro steps in ultracold quantum gases. Instead of placing a fixed insulator in the centre and driving the system with a field, the researchers used focused laser beams to create potential barriers that divided the traps into two. Then they moved the positions of the barriers to alter the potentials of the atoms on either side. “If we move the atoms with a constant velocity, that means there’s a constant velocity of atoms through the barrier,” says Herwig Ott of RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau in Germany, who led one of the groups. “This is how we emulate a DC current. Now for the Shapiro protocol you have to apply an AC current, and the AC current you simply get by modulating your barrier in time.” Ott and colleagues in Kaiserslautern, in collaboration with researchers in Hamburg and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), used a Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of rubidium-87 atoms. Meanwhile in Italy, Giulia Del Pace of the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy at the University of Florence and colleagues (including the same UAE collaborators) studied ultracold lithium-6 atoms, which are fermions. Both groups observed the theoretically-predicted Shapiro steps, but Ott and Del Pace explain that these observations do not simply confirm predictions. “The message is that no matter what your microscopic mechanism is, the phenomenon of Shapiro steps is universal,” says Ott. In superconductors, the Shapiro steps are caused by the breaking of Cooper pairs; in ultracold atomic gases, vortex rings are created. Nevertheless, the same mathematics applies. “This is really quite remarkable,” says Ott. Del Pace says it was unclear whether Shapiro steps would be seen in strongly-interacting fermions, which are “way more interacting than the electrons in superconductors”. She asks, “Is it a limitation to have strong interactions or is it something that actually helps the dynamics to happen? It turns out it’s the latter.” Del Pace’s group applied a variable magnetic field to tune their system between a BEC of molecules, a system dominated by Cooper pairs and a unitary Fermi gas in which the particles were as strongly interacting as permitted by quantum mechanics. The size of the Shapiro steps was dependent on the strength of the interparticle interaction. Ott and Del Pace both suggest that this effect could be used to create a reference standard for chemical potential – a measure of the strength of the atomic interaction (or equation of state) in a system. “This equation of state is very well known for a BEC or for a strongly interacting Fermi gas…but there is a range of interaction strengths where the equation of state is completely unknown, so one can imagine taking inspiration from the way Josephson junctions are used in superconductors and using atomic Josephson junctions to study the equation of state in systems where the equation of state is not known,” explains Del Pace. The two papers are published side by side in Science: Del Pace and Ott. Rocío Jáuregui Renaud of the Autonomous University of Mexico is impressed, especially by the demonstration in both bosons and fermions. “The two papers are important, and they are congruent in their results, but the platform is different,” she says. “At this point, the idea is not to give more information directly about superconductivity, but to learn more about phenomena that sometimes you are not able to see in electronic systems but you would probably see in neutral atoms.” The post Shapiro steps spotted in ultracold bosonic and fermionic gases appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/shapiro-steps-spotted-in-ultracold-bosonic-and-fermionic-gases/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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ade9e15d9a3bb3f9c09e4f2ffa4b64332e201e246e5007f6d885074c4be16315
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2026-01-09T14:43:34+00:00
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Watching how grasshoppers glide inspires new flying robot design
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While much insight has been gleaned from how grasshoppers hop, their gliding prowess has mostly been overlooked. Now researchers at Princeton University have studied how these gangly insects deploy and retract their wings to inspire a new approach to flying robots. Typical insect-inspired robot designs are often based on bees and flies. They feature constant flapping motion, yet that requires a lot of power so the robots either carry heavy batteries or are tethered to a power supply. Grasshoppers, however, are able to jump and glide as well as flap their wings and while they are not the best gliding insect, they have another trick as they are able to retract and unfurl their wings. Grasshoppers have two sets of wings, the forewings and hindwings. The front wing is mainly used for protection and camouflage while the hindwing is used for flight. The hindwing is corrugated, which allows it to fold in neatly like an accordion. A team of engineers, biologists and entomologists, analysed the wings of the American grasshopper, also known as the bird grasshopper, due to its superior flying skills. They took CT scans of the insects and then used the findings to 3D-print model wings. They then attached the wings to small frames to create grasshopper-inspired gliders finding that their performance was on par with that of actual grasshoppers. They also tweaked certain wing features such as the shape, camber and corrugation, finding that a smooth wing actually produced gliding that was more efficient and repeatable than one with corrugations. “This showed us that these corrugations might have evolved for other reasons,” notes Princeton engineer Aimy Wissa, who adds that “very little” is known about how grasshoppers deploy their wings. The researchers say that further work could result in new ways to extend the flight time for insect-sized robots without the need for heavy batteries of tethering. “This grasshopper research opens up new possibilities not only for flight, but also for multimodal locomotion,” adds Lee. “By combining biology with engineering, we’re able to build and ideate on something completely new.” The post Watching how grasshoppers glide inspires new flying robot design appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/watching-how-grasshoppers-glide-inspires-new-flying-robot-design/
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Space & Physics
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svg
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8cbb27445c7d0b2e11a085b27707582a0296c7858d74556a2ab804fd2d3d5be8
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2026-01-09T12:00:03+00:00
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Cracking the limits of clocks: a new uncertainty relation for time itself
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What if a chemical reaction, ocean waves or even your heartbeat could all be used as clocks? That’s the starting point of a new study by Kacper Prech, Gabriel Landi and collaborators, who uncovered a fundamental, universal limit to how precisely time can be measured in noisy, fluctuating systems. Their discovery – the clock uncertainty relation (CUR) – doesn’t just refine existing theory, it reframes timekeeping as an information problem embedded in the dynamics of physical processes, from nanoscale biology to engineered devices. The foundation of this work contains a simple but powerful reframing: anything that “clicks” regularly is a clock. In the research paper’s opening analogy, a castaway tries to cook a fish without a wristwatch. They could count bird calls, ocean waves, or heartbeats – each a potential timekeeper with different cadence and regularity. But questions remain: given real-world fluctuations, what’s the best way to estimate time, and what are the inescapable limits? The authors answer both. They show for a huge class of systems – those described by classical, Markovian jump processes (systems where the future depends only on the present state, not the past history – a standard model across statistical physics and biophysics) – there is a tight achievable bound on timekeeping precision. The bound is controlled not by how often the system jumps on average (the traditional “dynamical activity”), but by a subtler quantity: the mean residual time, or the average time you’d wait for the next event if you start observing at a random moment. That distinction matters. The study introduces CUR, a universal, tight bound on timekeeping precision that – unlike earlier bounds – can be saturated and the researchers identify the exact observables that achieve this limit. Surprisingly, the optimal strategy for estimating time from a noisy process is remarkably simple: sum the expected waiting times of each observed state along the trajectory, rather than relying on complex fitting methods. The work also reveals that the true limiting factor for precision isn’t the traditional dynamical activity, but rather the inverse of the mean residual time. This makes the CUR provably tighter than the earlier kinetic uncertainty relation, especially in systems far from equilibrium. The team also connects precision to two practical clock metrics: resolution (how often a clock ticks) and accuracy (how many ticks before it drifts by one tick.) In other words, achieving steadier ticks comes at the cost of accepting fewer of them per unit of time. This framework offers practical tools across several domains. It can serve as a diagnostic for detecting hidden states in complex biological or chemical systems: if measured event statistics violate the CUR, that signals the presence of hidden transitions or memory effects. For nanoscale and molecular clocks – like biomolecular oscillators (cellular circuits that produce rhythmic chemical signals) and molecular motors (protein machines that walk along cellular tracks) – the CUR sets fundamental performance limits and guides the design of optimal estimators. Finally, while this work focuses on classical systems, it establishes a benchmark for quantum clocks, pointing toward potential quantum advantages and opening new questions about what trade-offs emerge in the quantum regime. Landi, an associate professor of theoretical quantum physics at the University of Rochester, emphasizes the conceptual shift: that clocks aren’t just pendulums and quartz crystals. “Anything is a clock,” he notes. The team’s framework “gives the recipe for constructing the best possible clock from whatever fluctuations you have,” and tells you “what the best noise-to-signal ratio” can be. In everyday terms, the Sun is accurate but low-resolution for cooking; ocean waves are higher resolution but noisier. The CUR puts that intuition on firm mathematical ground. Looking forward, the group is exploring quantum generalizations and leveraging CUR-violations to infer hidden structure in biological data. A tantalizing foundational question lingers: can robust biological timekeeping emerge from many bad, noisy clocks, synchronizing into a good one? Ultimately, this research doesn’t just sharpen a bound; it reframes timekeeping as a universal inference task grounded in the flow of events. Whether you’re a cell sensing a chemical signal, a molecular motor stepping along a track or an engineer building a nanoscale device, the message is clear: to tell time well, count cleverly – and respect the gaps. The research is detailed in Physical Review X. The post Cracking the limits of clocks: a new uncertainty relation for time itself appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/cracking-the-limits-of-clocks-a-new-uncertainty-relation-for-time-itself/
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Space & Physics
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9ba36701e677011a707df543e7ae02dc706fa03af91ed40fe14d8a8737994484
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2026-01-09T10:00:59+00:00
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Bidirectional scattering microscope detects micro- and nanoscale structures simultaneously
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A new microscope that can simultaneously measure both forward- and backward-scattered light from a sample could allow researchers to image both micro- and nanoscale objects at the same time. The device could be used to observe structures as small as individual proteins, as well as the environment in which they move, say the researchers at the University of Tokyo who developed it. “Our technique could help us link cell structures with the motion of tiny particles inside and outside cells,” explains Kohki Horie of the University of Tokyo’s department of physics, who led this research effort. “Because it is label-free, it is gentler on cells and better for long observations. In the future, it could help quantify cell states, holding potential for drug testing and quality checks in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.” The new device combines two powerful imaging techniques routinely employed in biomedical applications: quantitative phase microscopy (QPM) and interferometric scattering (iSCAT). QPM measures forward-scattered (FS) light – that is, light waves that travel in the same direction as before they were scattered. This technique is excellent at imaging structures in the Mie scattering region (greater than 100 nm, referred to as microscale in this study). This makes it ideal for visualizing complex structures such as biological cells. It falls short, however, when it comes to imaging structures in the Rayleigh scattering region (smaller than 100 nm, referred to as nanoscale in this study). The second technique, iSCAT, detects backward-scattered (BS) light. This is light that’s reflected back towards the direction from which it came and which predominantly contains Rayleigh scattering. As such, iSCAT exhibits high sensitivity for detecting nanoscale objects. Indeed, the technique has recently been used to image single proteins, intracellular vesicles and viruses. It cannot, however, image microscale structures because of its limited ability to detect in the Mie scattering region. The team’s new bidirectional quantitative scattering microscope (BiQSM) is able to detect both FS and BS light at the same time, thereby overcoming these previous limitations. The BiQSM system illuminates a sample through an objective lens from two opposite directions and detects both the FS and BS light using a single image sensor. The researchers use the spatial-frequency multiplexing method of off-axis digital holography to capture both images simultaneously. The biggest challenge, says Horie, was to cleanly separate the signals from FS and BS light in the images while keeping noise low and avoiding mixing between them. Horie and colleagues, Keiichiro Toda, Takuma Nakamura and team leader Takuro Ideguchi, tested their technique by imaging live cells. They were able to visualize micron-sized cell structures, including the nucleus, nucleoli and lipid droplets, as well as nanoscale particles. They compared the FS and BS results using the scattering-field amplitude (SA), defined as the amplitude ratios between the scattered wave and the incident illumination wave. “SA characterizes the light scattered in both the forward and backward directions within a unified framework,” says Horie, “so allowing for a direct comparison between FS and BS light images.” Spurred on by their findings, which are detailed in Nature Communications, the researchers say they now plan to study even smaller particles such as exosomes and viruses. The post Bidirectional scattering microscope detects micro- and nanoscale structures simultaneously appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/bidirectional-scattering-microscope-detects-micro-and-nanoscale-structures-simultaneously/
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Space & Physics
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471323c0193b25b746f21bca34118ca01e85696a0a3cfa92c3d298e9e07c3bfd
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2026-01-08T14:34:50+00:00
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Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity
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This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Alex May, whose research explores the intersection of quantum gravity and quantum information theory. Based at Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, May explains how ideas being developed in the burgeoning field of quantum information theory could help solve one of the most enduring mysteries in physics – how to reconcile quantum mechanics with Einstein’s general theory of relativity, creating a viable theory of quantum gravity. This interview was recorded in autumn 2025 when I had the pleasure of visiting the Perimeter Institute and speaking to four physicists about their research. This is the last of those conversations to appear on the podcast. The first interview in this series from the Perimeter Institute was with Javier Toledo-Marín, “Quantum computing and AI join forces for particle physics”; the second was with Bianca Dittrich, “Quantum gravity: we explore spin foams and other potential solutions to this enduring challenge“; and the third was with Tim Hsieh, “Building a quantum future using topological phases of matter and error correction”. This episode is supported by the APS Global Physics Summit, which takes place on 15–20 March, 2026, in Denver, Colorado, and online. The post Quantum information theory sheds light on quantum gravity appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/quantum-information-theory-sheds-light-on-quantum-gravity/
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Space & Physics
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3d8197390db92eb21255d30a5eabfb223579fe197020af780760c6d0f7c5df05
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2026-01-08T13:43:26+00:00
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Chess960 still results in white having an advantage, finds study
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Chess is a seemingly simple game, but one that hides incredible complexity. In the standard game, the starting positions of the pieces are fixed so top players rely on memorizing a plethora of opening moves, which can sometimes result in boring, predictable games. It’s also the case that playing as white, and therefore going first, offers an advantage. In the 1990s, former chess world champion Bobby Fischer proposed another way to play chess to encourage more creative play. This form of the game – dubbed Chess960 – keeps the pawns in the same position but randomizes where the pieces at the back of the board – the knights, bishops, rooks, king and queen – are placed at the start while keeping the rest of the rules the same. It is named after the 960 starting positions that result from mixing it up at the back. It was thought that Chess960 could allow for more permutations that would make the game fairer for both players. Yet research by physicist Marc Barthelemy at Paris-Saclay University suggests it’s not as simple as this. He used the open-source chess program called Stockfish to analyse each of the 960 starting positions and developed a statistical method to measure decision-making complexity by calculating how much “information” a player needs to identify the best moves. He found that the standard game can be unfair, as players with black pieces who go second have to keep up with the moves from the player with white. Yet regardless of starting positions at the back, Barthelemy discovered that white still has an advantage in almost all – 99.6% – of the 960 positions. He also found that the standard set-up – rook, knight, bishop, queen, king, bishop, knight, rook – is nothing special and is presumably an historical accident possibly as the starting positions are easy to remember, being visually symmetrical. “Standard chess, despite centuries of cultural evolution, does not occupy an exceptional location in this landscape: it exhibits a typical initial advantage and moderate total complexity, while displaying above-average asymmetry in decision difficulty,” writes Barthelemy. For a more fair and balanced match, Barthelemy suggests playing position #198, which has the starting positions as queen, knight, bishop, rook, king, bishop, knight and rook. The post Chess960 still results in white having an advantage, finds study appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/chess960-still-results-in-white-having-an-advantage-finds-study/
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Space & Physics
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d7af14bf3e5a4262394740643128512b5f22665ef09a161e3273e4a435150af0
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2026-01-08T10:00:25+00:00
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Tetraquark measurements could shed more light on the strong nuclear force
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The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Collaboration has made the first measurements of the quantum properties of a family of three “all-charm” tetraquarks that was recently discovered at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The findings could help shed more light on the properties of the strong nuclear force, which holds protons and neutrons together in nuclei. The result could help us better understand how ordinary matter forms. In recent years, the LHC has discovered tens of massive particles called hadrons, which are made of quarks bound together by the strong force. Quarks come in six types: up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom. Most observed hadrons comprise two or three quarks (called mesons and baryons, respectively). Physicists have also observed exotic hadrons that comprise four or five quarks. These are the tetraquarks and pentaquarks respectively. Those seen so far usually contain a charm quark and its antimatter counterpart (a charm antiquark), with the remaining two or three quarks being up, down or strange quarks, or their antiquarks. Identifying and studying tetraquarks and pentaquarks helps physicists to better understand how the strong force binds quarks together. This force also binds protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei. Physicists are still divided as to the nature of these exotic hadrons. Some models suggest that their quarks are tightly bound via the strong force, so making these hadrons compact objects. Others say that the quarks are only loosely bound. To confuse things further, there is evidence that in some exotic hadrons, the quarks might be both tightly and loosely bound at the same time. Now, new findings from the CMS Collaboration suggest that tetraquarks are tightly bound, but they do not completely rule out other models. In their work, which is detailed in Nature, CMS physicists studied all-charm tetraquarks. These comprise two charm quarks and two charm antiquarks and were produced by colliding protons at high energies at the LHC. Three states of this tetraquark have been identified at the LHC. These are: X(6900); X(6600); and X(7100), where the numbers denote their approximate mass in millions of electron volts. The team measured the fundamental properties of these tetraquarks, including their quantum numbers: parity (P); charge conjugation (C); angular momentum, and spin (J). P determines whether a particle has the same properties as its spatial mirror image; C whether it has the same properties as its antiparticle; and J, the total angular momentum of the hadron. These numbers provide information on the internal structure of a tetraquark. The researchers used a version of a well-known technique called angular analysis, which is similar to the technique used to characterize the Higgs boson. This approach focuses on the angles at which the decay products of the all-charm tetraquarks are scattered. “We call this technique quantum state tomography,” explains CMS team member Chiara Mariotti of the INFN Torino inItaly. “Here, we deduce the quantum state of an exotic state X from the analysis of its decay products. In particular, the angular distributions in the decay X -> J/ψJ/ψ, followed by J/ψ decays into two muons, serve as analysers of polarization of two J/ψ particles,” she explains. The researchers analysed all-charm tetraquarks produced at the CMS experiment between 2016 and 2018. They calculated that J is likely to be 2 and that P and C are both +1. This combination of properties is expressed as 2++. “This result favours models in which all four quarks are tightly bound,” says particle physicist Timothy Gershon of the UK’s University of Warwick, who was not involved in this study. “However, the question is not completely put to bed. The sample size in the CMS analysis is not sufficient to exclude fully other possibilities, and additionally certain assumptions are made that will require further testing in future.” Gershon adds, “These include assumptions that all three states have the same quantum numbers, and that all correspond to tetraquark decays to two J/ψ mesons with no additional particles not included in the reconstruction (for example there could be missing photons that have been radiated in the decay).” Further studies with larger data samples are warranted, he adds. “Fortunately, CMS as well as both the LHCb and the ATLAS collaborations [at CERN] already have larger samples in hand, so we should not have to wait too long for updates.” Indeed, the CMS Collaboration is now gathering more data and exploring additional decay modes of these exotic tetraquarks. “This will ultimately improve our understanding how this matter forms, which, in turn, could help refine our theories of how ordinary matter comes into being,” Mariotti tells Physics World. The post Tetraquark measurements could shed more light on the strong nuclear force appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/tetraquark-measurements-could-shed-more-light-on-the-strong-nuclear-force/
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Space & Physics
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01c75c6344407d26fa92cc68af25103a63bc38fca58c07cc847323cf37176f3b
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2026-01-07T16:00:12+00:00
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Reinforcement learning could help airborne wind energy take off
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When people think of wind energy, they usually think of windmill-like turbines dotted among hills or lined up on offshore platforms. But there is also another kind of wind energy, one that replaces stationary, earthbound generators with tethered kites that harvest energy as they soar through the sky. This airborne form of wind energy, or AWE, is not as well-developed as the terrestrial version, but in principle it has several advantages. Power-generating kites are much less massive than ground-based turbines, which reduces both their production costs and their impact on the landscape. They are also far easier to install in areas that lack well-developed road infrastructure. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, wind speeds are many times greater at high altitudes than they are near the ground, significantly enhancing the power densities available for kites to harvest. There is, however, one major technical challenge for AWE, and it can be summed up in a single word: control. AWE technology is operationally more complex than conventional turbines, and the traditional method of controlling kites (known as model-predictive control) struggles to adapt to turbulent wind conditions. At best, this reduces the efficiency of energy generation. At worst, it makes it challenging to keep devices safe, stable and airborne. In a paper published in EPL, Antonio Celani and his colleagues Lorenzo Basile and Maria Grazia Berni of the University of Trieste, Italy, and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) propose an alternative control method based on reinforcement learning. In this form of machine learning, an agent learns to make decisions by interacting with its environment and receiving feedback in the form of “rewards” for good performance. This form of control, they say, should be better at adapting to the variable and uncertain conditions that power-generating kites encounter while airborne. Our interest originated from some previous work where we studied a fascinating bird behaviour called thermal soaring. Many birds, from the humble seagull to birds of prey and frigatebirds, exploit atmospheric currents to rise in the sky without flapping their wings, and then glide or swoop down. They then repeat this cycle of ascent and descent for hours, or even for weeks if they are migratory birds. They’re able to do this because birds are very effective at extracting energy from the atmosphere to turn it into potential energy, even though the atmospheric flow is turbulent, hence very dynamic and unpredictable. In those works, we showed that we could use reinforcement learning to train virtual birds and also real toy gliders to soar. That got us wondering whether this same approach could be exported to AWE. When we started looking at the literature, we saw that in most cases, the goal was to control the kite to follow a predetermined path, irrespective of the changing wind conditions. These cases typically used only simple models of atmospheric flow, and almost invariably ignored turbulence. This is very different from what we see in birds, which adapt their trajectories on the fly depending on the strength and direction of the fluctuating wind they experience. This led us to ask: can a reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm discover efficient, adaptive ways of controlling a kite in a turbulent environment to extract energy for human consumption? We offer a proof of principle that it is indeed possible to do this using a minimal set of sensor inputs and control variables, plus an appropriately designed reward/punishment structure that guides trial-and-error learning. The algorithm we deploy finds a way to manoeuvre the kite such that it generates net energy over one cycle of operation. Most importantly, this strategy autonomously adapts to the ever-fluctuating conditions induced by turbulence. The main point of RL is that it can learn to control a system just by interacting with the environment, without requiring any a priori knowledge of the dynamical laws that rule its behaviour. This is extremely useful when the systems are very complex, like the turbulent atmosphere and the aerodynamics of a kite. The virtual environment that we use in our paper to train the kite controller is very simplified, and in general the gap between simulations and reality is wide. We therefore regard the present work mostly as a stimulus for the AWE community to look deeper into alternatives to model-predictive control, like RL. On the physics side, we found that some phases of an AWE generating cycle are very difficult for our system to learn, and they require a painful fine-tuning of the reward structure. This is especially true when the kite is close to the ground, where winds are weaker and errors are the most punishing. In those cases, it might be a wise choice to use other heuristic, hard-wired control strategies rather than RL. Finally, in a virtual environment like the one we used to do the RL training in this work, it is possible to perform many trials. In real power kites, this approach is not feasible – it would take too long. However, techniques like offline RL might resolve this issue by interleaving a few field experiments where data are collected with extensive off-line optimization of the strategy. We successfully used this approach in our previous work to train real gliders for soaring. We would like to explore the use of offline RL to optimize energy production for a small, real AWE system. In our opinion, the application to low-power systems is particularly relevant in contexts where access to the power grid is limited or uncertain. A lightweight, easily portable device that can produce even small amounts of energy might make a big difference in the everyday life of remote, rural communities, and more generally in the global south. The post Reinforcement learning could help airborne wind energy take off appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/reinforcement-learning-could-help-airborne-wind-energy-take-off/
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Space & Physics
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3668f13bdebf7fefd96128c4cffdd8c4facf8758ba511bd0a76fefeae7957876
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2026-01-07T13:00:19+00:00
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Organic LED can electrically switch the handedness of emitted light
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Circularly polarized (CP) light is encoded with information through its photon spin and can be utilized in applications such as low-power displays, encrypted communications and quantum technologies. Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) produce CP light with a left or right “handedness”, depending on the chirality of the light-emitting molecules used to create the device. While OLEDs usually only emit either left- or right-handed CP light, researchers have now developed OLEDs that can electrically switch between emitting left- or right-handed CP light – without needing different molecules for each handedness. “We had recently identified an alternative mechanism for the emission of circularly polarized light in OLEDs, using our chiral polymer materials, which we called anomalous circularly polarized electroluminescence,” says lead author Matthew Fuchter from the University of Oxford. “We set about trying to better understand the interplay between this new mechanism and the generally established mechanism for circularly polarized emission in the same chiral materials”. The CP light handedness of an organic emissive molecule is controlled by its chirality. A chiral molecule is one that has two mirror-image structural isomers that can’t be superimposed on top of each other. Each of these non-superimposable molecules is called an enantiomer, and will absorb, emit and refract CP light with a defined spin angular momentum. Each enantiomer will produce CP light with a different handedness, through an optical mechanism called normal circularly polarized electroluminescence (NCPE). OLED designs typically require access to both enantiomers, but most chemical synthesis processes will produce racemic mixtures (equal amounts of the two enantiomers) that are difficult to separate. Extracting each enantiomer so that they can be used individually is complex and expensive, but the research at Oxford has simplified this process by using a molecule that can switch between emitting left- and right-handed CP light. The molecule in question is a helical molecule called (P)-aza[6]helicene, which is the right-handed enantiomer. Even though it is just a one-handed form, the researchers found a way to control the handedness of the OLED, enabling it to switch between both forms. The researchers designed the helicene molecules so that the handedness of the light could be switched electrically, without needing to change the structure of the material itself. “Our work shows that either handedness can be accessed from a single-handed chiral material without changing the composition or thickness of the emissive layer,” says Fuchter. “From a practical standpoint, this approach could have advantages in future circularly polarized OLED technologies.” Instead of making a structural change, the researchers changed the way that the electric charges are recombined in the device, using interlayers to alter the recombination position and charge carrier mobility inside the device. Depending on where the recombination zone is located, this leads to situations where there is balanced or unbalanced charge transport, which then leads to different handedness of CP light in the device. When the recombination zone is located in the centre of the emissive layer, the charge transport is balanced, which generates an NCPE mechanism. In these situations, the helicene adopts its normal handedness (right handedness). However, when the recombination zone is located close to one of the transport layers, it creates an unbalanced charge transport mechanism called anomalous circularly polarized electroluminescence (ACPE). The ACPE overrides the NCPE mechanism and inverts the handedness of the device to left handedness by altering the balance of induced orbital angular momentum in electrons versus holes. The presence of these two electroluminescence mechanisms in the device enables it to be controlled electrically by tuning the charge carrier mobility and the recombination zone position. The research allows the creation of OLEDs with controllable spin angular momentum information using a single emissive enantiomer, while probing the fundamental physics of chiral optoelectronics. “This work contributes to the growing body of evidence suggesting further rich physics at the intersection of chirality, charge and spin. We have many ongoing projects to try and understand and exploit such interplay,” Fuchter concludes. The researchers describe their findings in Nature Photonics. The post Organic LED can electrically switch the handedness of emitted light appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/organic-led-can-electrically-switch-the-handedness-of-emitted-light/
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Space & Physics
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a9d4efa1b79e39dd131935aeb3b5eb500503b1a9a2f8e501ff42f35e16fa006d
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2026-01-07T11:00:48+00:00
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Francis Crick: a life of twists and turns
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Physicist, molecular biologist, neuroscientist: Francis Crick’s scientific career took many turns. And now, he is the subject of zoologist Matthew Cobb’s new book, Crick: a Mind in Motion – from DNA to the Brain. Born in 1916, Crick studied physics at University College London in the mid-1930s, before working for the Admiralty Research Laboratory during the Second World War. But after reading physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s 1944 book What Is Life? The Physical Aspect of the Living Cell, and a 1946 article on the structure of biological molecules by chemist Linus Pauling, Crick left his career in physics and switched to molecular biology in 1947. Six years later, while working at the University of Cambridge, he played a key role in decoding the double-helix structure of DNA, working in collaboration with biologist James Watson, biophysicist Maurice Wilkins and other researchers including chemist and X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin. Crick, alongside Watson and Wilkins, went on to receive the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery. Finally, Crick’s career took one more turn in the mid-1970s. After experiencing a mental health crisis, Crick left Britain and moved to California. He took up neuroscience in an attempt to understand the roots of human consciousness, as discussed in his 1994 book, The Astonishing Hypothesis: the Scientific Search for the Soul. When he died in 2004, Crick’s office wall at Salk Institute in La Jolla, US, carried portraits of Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein, as Cobb notes on the final page of his deeply researched and intellectually fascinating biography. But curiously, there is not a single other reference to Einstein in Cobb’s massive book. Furthermore, there is no reference at all to Einstein in the equally large 2009 biography of Crick, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life’s Secrets, by historian of science Robert Olby, who – unlike Cobb – knew Crick personally. Nevertheless, a comparison of Crick and Einstein is illuminating. Crick’s family background (in the shoe industry), and his childhood and youth are in some ways reminiscent of Einstein’s. Both physicists came from provincial business families of limited financial success, with some interest in science yet little intellectual distinction. Both did moderately well at school and college, but were not academic stars. And both were exposed to established religion, but rejected it in their teens; they had little intrinsic respect for authority, without being open rebels until later in life. The similarities continue into adulthood, with the two men following unconventional early scientific careers. Both of them were extroverts who loved to debate ideas with fellow scientists (at times devastatingly), although they were equally capable of long, solitary periods of concentration throughout their careers. In middle age, they migrated from their home countries – Germany (Einstein) and Britain (Crick) – to take up academic positions in the US, where they were much admired and inspiring to other scientists, but failed to match their earlier scientific achievements. In their personal lives, both Crick and Einstein had a complicated history with women. Having divorced their first wives, they had a variety of extramarital affairs – as discussed by Cobb without revealing the names of these women – while remaining married to their second wives. Interestingly, Crick’s second wife, Odile Crick (whom he was married to for 55 years) was an artist, and drew the famous schematic drawing of the double helix published in Nature in 1953. Although Cobb misses this fascinating comparison with Einstein, many other vivid stories light up his book. For example, he recounts Watson’s claim that just after their success with DNA in 1953, “Francis winged into the Eagle [their local pub in Cambridge] to tell everyone within hearing distance that we had found the secret of life” – a story that later appeared on a plaque outside the pub. “Francis always denied he said anything of the sort,” notes Cobb, “and in 2016, at a celebration of the centenary of Crick’s birth, Watson publicly admitted that he had made it up for dramatic effect (a few years earlier, he had confessed as much to Kindra Crick, Francis’s granddaughter).” No wonder Watson’s much-read 1968 book The Double Helix caused a furious reaction from Crick and a temporary breakdown in their friendship, as Cobb dissects in excoriating detail. Watson’s deprecatory comments on Franklin helped to provoke the current widespread belief that Crick and Watson succeeded by stealing Franklin’s data. After an extensive analysis of the available evidence, however, Cobb argues that the data was willingly shared with them by Franklin, but that they should have formally asked her permission to use it in their published work – “Ambition, or thoughtlessness, stayed their hand.” In fact, it seems Crick and Franklin were friends in 1953, and remained so – with Franklin asking Crick for his advice on her draft scientific papers – until her premature death from ovarian cancer in 1958. Indeed, after her first surgery in 1956, Franklin went to stay with Crick and his wife at their house in Cambridge, and then returned to them after her second operation. There certainly appears to be no breakdown in trust between the two. When Crick was nominated for the Nobel prize in 1961, he openly stated, “The data which really helped us obtain the structure was mainly obtained by Rosalind Franklin.” As for Crick’s later study of consciousness, Cobb comments, “It would be easy to dismiss Crick’s switch to studying the brain as the quixotic project of an ageing scientist who did not know his limits. After all, he did not make any decisive breakthrough in understanding the brain – nothing like the double helix… But then again, nobody else did, in Crick’s lifetime or since.” One is perhaps reminded once again of Einstein, and his preoccupation during later life with his unified field theory, which remains an open line of research today. The post Francis Crick: a life of twists and turns appeared first on Physics World.
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https://physicsworld.com/a/francis-crick-a-life-of-twists-and-turns/
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Space & Physics
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91b673e711aaf65dd742b47d07f59f289660beb8a8fe055e4ec8dd076a1586c4
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2026-01-13T00:13:56+00:00
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SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites into orbit from Florida (video)
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
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https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-6-98-b1085-ccsfs-asog
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Space & Physics
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6b56fe11e4c0759c1ece0e87f4d8fb21a535fec3d9adacea4e25d087ec5dbf7d
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2026-01-12T23:00:00+00:00
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Former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly sues Pentagon, Pete Hegseth over censure campaign
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Former NASA astronaut and current U.S. Senator Mark Kelly is fighting back, suing the Pentagon for its plan to censure him over comments he made in a video late last year.
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https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/former-nasa-astronaut-mark-kelly-sues-pentagon-pete-hegseth-over-censure-campaign
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Space & Physics
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c5258d2a05195bd34bb126464274d0edcd57479afe971014c63208998a30cf7a
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2026-01-12T22:00:00+00:00
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Experts push back against cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project
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Exploration advocates are pushing back against the planned cancellation of NASA's Mars sample return project, saying it could potentially find evidence of Red Planet life.
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/experts-push-back-against-cancellation-of-nasas-mars-sample-return-project
|
Space & Physics
| |
7c0b14b0fc9af6da84c087175c3f43a400dd198bcbe3b097173c9d4d8a077cd4
|
2026-01-12T21:36:27+00:00
|
'It is bittersweet': Crew-11 astronaut hands over control of ISS ahead of 1st-ever medical evacuation
|
The astronauts are scheduled to leave in a matter of days.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/it-is-bittersweet-crew-11-astronaut-hands-over-control-of-iss-ahead-of-1st-ever-medical-evacuation
|
Space & Physics
| |
dbdd101264f9762d114442fe935ff8a11c5023b8082e8211591aa8c5e1595662
|
2026-01-12T21:00:00+00:00
|
Will budget cuts force NASA to withdraw from Europe's next Venus mission?
|
"We are in constant contact with NASA."
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/venus/will-budget-cuts-force-nasa-to-withdraw-from-europes-next-venus-mission
|
Space & Physics
| |
02a4446086ecf0e51d244d3cacfdb5b4125559a76a6628a87d976ec24cc3d6f9
|
2026-01-12T19:00:00+00:00
|
How Earth's orbit might help us find oil reserves within the planet
|
Scientists studying Jurassic rocks in China found that cyclical changes in Earth's orbit affected not only the climate, but also the development of shale oil reserves.
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/how-earths-orbit-might-help-us-find-oil-reserves-within-the-planet
|
Space & Physics
| |
98673dbe7d11ae349939431931675903e9c6229241cb4d5ccbc83553fee0fb69
|
2026-01-12T18:00:00+00:00
|
'Stranger Things' and 5 other places Einstein-Rosen Bridges have wormed their way into sci-fi
|
From the Upside Down through the Devil's Anus and beyond. Here are 6 times these theoretical wormholes turned up in sci-fi shows and movies.
|
https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/stranger-things-and-5-other-places-einstein-rosen-bridges-have-wormed-their-way-into-sci-fi
|
Space & Physics
| |
d0bfd0769b724dc66e95f7be9af58747d470c85b16865ecd5c0395e81652b08d
|
2026-01-12T17:00:00+00:00
|
Mystery shockwave around dead star stuns astronomers: 'We found something never seen before and entirely unexpected.'
|
"The surprise that a supposedly quiet, discless system could drive such a spectacular nebula was one of those rare 'wow' moments."
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/mystery-shockwave-around-dead-star-stuns-astronomers-we-found-something-never-seen-before-and-entirely-unexpected
|
Space & Physics
| |
3bbf060fbd72842ef2ebc31ef92d9b2ea9f67a19e036ad1b93c49828201dbcd4
|
2026-01-12T16:00:00+00:00
|
NASA funds new tech for upcoming 'Super Hubble' to search for alien life: 'We intend to move with urgency'
|
The observatory will combine tech from NASA's most powerful space telescopes.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/nasa-funds-new-tech-for-upcoming-super-hubble-to-search-for-alien-life-on-other-planets-we-intend-to-move-with-urgency
|
Space & Physics
| |
688f1d2cc287ca2baa727dfa208efb7f51f9786cef4576f78a6a3c2f4f55bdd7
|
2026-01-12T15:00:00+00:00
|
Superheavy-lift rockets like SpaceX's Starship could transform astronomy by making space telescopes cheaper
|
Astronomy needs space.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/superheavy-lift-rockets-like-spacexs-starship-could-transform-astronomy-by-making-space-telescopes-cheaper
|
Space & Physics
| |
cacae8954ee7551817215f01f47c7046ae82aa6bf663b2c633f076a4c0d4f5c1
|
2026-01-12T14:44:32+00:00
|
ISS astronaut medical evacuation latest news: Crew-11 pilot to hand control of station over today
|
NASA is returning four astronauts to Earth early from the International Space Station due to a medical concern with one of the Crew-11 astronauts. Here's the latest news.
|
https://www.space.com/news/live/astronaut-medical-evacuation-on-iss-jan-12-2026
|
Space & Physics
| |
57ef4344669c4a41b10fdef12648037251d63b7279fc0e5f787e51edc7256d9a
|
2026-01-12T13:00:00+00:00
|
Satellite sees 40-year-old iceberg melt, turn blue | Space photo of the day for January 12, 2025
|
Iceberg A23-A has been around since the Chernobyl explosion and Space Shuttle Challenger accident...but perhaps not for much longer.
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/earth/satellite-sees-40-year-old-iceberg-melt-turn-blue-space-photo-of-the-day-for-january-12-2025
|
Space & Physics
| |
29c507a5e6d04a2610c3a03f1bdedb020ceeb9944a3be1db4f9aacfda3ed50c5
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
Astronomers discover cosmic hamburger has the potential to grow giant planets
|
"The combination of extreme disk size, strong asymmetries, winds, and potential planet formation makes it the perfect laboratory for understanding how giant planets can form."
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/exoplanets/astronomers-discover-cosmic-hamburger-has-the-potential-to-grow-giant-planets
|
Space & Physics
| |
49ac822a71666edb3f94be97e27f4608d53bd8925a54cfb4b272e948434f7da1
|
2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
|
Astronomers baffled by 'mysterious disruptor' with a mass of 1 million suns and a black hole for a heart
|
"This is a structure we've never seen before, so it could be a new class of dark object."
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-baffled-by-mysterious-disruptor-with-a-mass-of-1-million-suns-and-a-black-hole-for-a-heart
|
Space & Physics
| |
86723df207d89d9141f8f6de78cdb362b70c82ce469ca3d54b6dc56001696da8
|
2026-01-11T16:00:00+00:00
|
I visited the largest collection of public telescopes in the US in Oregon's high desert, and the dark skies blew me away
|
Located south of Bend’s outdoor playland, I visited this Pacific Northwest gem for an enchanted winter evening of astronomical wonders
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/i-visited-the-largest-collection-of-public-telescopes-in-the-us-in-oregons-high-desert-and-the-dark-skies-blew-me-away
|
Space & Physics
| |
dbe937ed39729dfdea5efb65277d9e0e5f585843ea3b69a1807ea8bf6cc3b8df
|
2026-01-11T15:00:00+00:00
|
'A completely new manufacturing frontier': Space Forge fires up 1st commercial semiconductor factory in space
|
Such experiments have previously only been conducted aboard the International Space Station.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/a-completely-new-manufacturing-frontier-space-forge-fires-up-1st-commercial-semiconductor-factory-in-space
|
Space & Physics
| |
d5ce9a217fc648b10b876954ae599acdfec4ef0ccf0ea4cb4f08a09fd4f14b4d
|
2026-01-11T14:00:00+00:00
|
'Black Mirror' season 8 announced for Netflix, with creator Charlie Brooker back at the helm
|
'Luckily it does have a future, so I can confirm that 'Black Mirror' will return, just in time for reality to catch up with it.'
|
https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/black-mirror-season-8-announced-for-netflix-with-creator-charlie-brooker-back-at-the-helm
|
Space & Physics
| |
ce9f73919d9925b34b679e3cc24961bc2d1d9ab31d9f75f96f0265be07dd4ea6
|
2026-01-11T11:00:00+00:00
|
Indian PSLV rocket apparently fails for 2nd launch in a row (video)
|
India's PSLV rocket apparently failed Sunday night (Jan. 11) while trying to launch 16 payloads to space. It was the PSLV's first liftoff since a May 2025 failure.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/india-eos-n1-military-satellite-15-payloads-pslv-launch
|
Space & Physics
| |
f21ef8ee502293a39f931378d642478089277865f6fc0025ee3d2111359397ce
|
2026-01-10T16:00:00+00:00
|
SpaceX launches NASA's Pandora exoplanet mission, 3 dozen other satellites (video)
|
SpaceX launched NASA's Pandora exoplanet mission and about three dozen other payloads early Sunday morning (Jan. 11) on a rideshare flight called "Twilight."
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-spacex-launch-nasas-pandora-exoplanet-studying-satellite-on-jan-11
|
Space & Physics
| |
bbe8df3987d8d882c9a8ae2a4052c973c4011ee353dd3d64a182ff13a8ce90e8
|
2026-01-10T15:01:38+00:00
|
This Week In Space podcast: Episode 192 — Space, 2026!
|
On Episode 192 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik looks forward to 2026, which promises to be the most exciting year in the new space age yet!
|
https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/this-week-in-space-podcast-episode-192-space-2026
|
Space & Physics
| |
f4ec4eff09c27aee8197c37181172356233acd666681e8aa9114e8c0dcd93e33
|
2026-01-10T14:00:00+00:00
|
Space.com headlines crossword quiz for week of Jan. 5, 2026: The moon met which bright star in the night sky this week?
|
Test your space smarts with our weekly crossword challenge, crafted from Space.com's biggest headlines.
|
https://www.space.com/astronomy/space-com-headlines-crossword-quiz-for-week-of-jan-5-2026-the-moon-met-which-bright-star-in-the-night-sky-this-week
|
Space & Physics
| |
48f3e494d4f07f43a11e0717803c33fc2107c93ea11087ce0b80d35a8858ab71
|
2026-01-10T13:00:00+00:00
|
Moon fever hits DC as Artemis 2 rocket 'candle' lights up Washington Monument just 1 month before launch (photos)
|
The Washington Monument lit up on New Year's Eve in celebration of the Artemis 2 moon mission as well as the 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/moon-fever-hits-dc-with-artemis-2-rocket-candle-lighting-up-washington-monument-1-month-before-launch-photos
|
Space & Physics
| |
fbf02952187388ab9c9d0713b137d826f9a9b1f6d3aecdbb0c5574bc7813c812
|
2026-01-10T11:00:00+00:00
|
Astronaut on ISS captures spectacular orbital video of zodiacal light, auroras and the Pleiades
|
Kimiya Yui released the timelapse footage to celebrate his 300th cumulative day spent orbiting Earth.
|
https://www.space.com/stargazing/astronaut-on-iss-captures-spectacular-orbital-video-of-zodiacal-light-auroras-and-the-pleiades
|
Space & Physics
| |
dc9292ce730e9c689776b358d355ec9e0096218ee7319ebd26e4543ef264265b
|
2026-01-10T06:43:41+00:00
|
SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites on its 3rd mission of 2026 (video)
|
SpaceX launched 29 Starlink broadband satellites to orbit from Florida's Space Coast on Friday (Jan. 9), acing its third mission of 2026.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-falcon-9-launch-group-6-96-jrti
|
Space & Physics
| |
2d02f8cec96273e755520b8a4e35baf79668af3d9f06aa62010d69adeae65bdc
|
2026-01-10T05:44:57+00:00
|
NASA will evacuate SpaceX Crew-11 astronauts from International Space Station on Jan. 14
|
The first medical evacuation in the history of the International Space Station will take place on Jan. 14, when the four astronauts of SpaceX's Crew-11 mission head home.
|
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/nasa-will-evacuate-spacex-crew-11-astronauts-from-international-space-station-on-jan-14
|
Space & Physics
|
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