NASA has chosen 41 commercial technology projects that could solve critical challenges for future missions to the Moon and Mars。 From powering lunar outposts to protecting spacecraft from Moon dust, the innovations are designed to push both space exploration and the commercial space economy forward
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was likely an exceptionally rare CO chondrite from a distant region of the solar system。 Its unusual chemistry suggests that planet-cooling dust and debris, rather than sulfur inside the asteroid, may have delivered the deadliest blow
Scientists have created a programmable optical chip that can slow light on demand, giving engineers far greater control over how optical signals propagate through a circuit。 The technology could provide the delays, synchronization, and buffering functions needed to make light-based computing more practical。 A single chip could eventually perform se
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has revealed new details about the blistering lava planet 55 Cancri e, where temperatures are high enough to melt rock。 The data indicate the planet likely has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere shaped by gases escaping from its molten interior, with signs that volcanic outgassing may even create temporary clouds
K2-18b is one of the most promising worlds for the search for extraterrestrial life, so astronomers conducted an unusually powerful radio survey using both the VLA and MeerKAT telescopes。 Advanced software analyzed millions of signals, filtering out Earth-based interference and other false positives。 No convincing artificial radio transmissions wer
China’s Chang’e-6 samples have uncovered a surprising difference between the Moon’s two hemispheres。 Solar wind particles penetrated deeper into the far-side soil because Earth’s magnetosphere slows the particles that reach the near side。 Noble gases locked inside the lunar regolith preserved evidence of this uneven bombardment
Researchers have created self-destructing living plastic that uses engineered bacteria to completely break itself down when activated。 The material degrades in just six days without creating microplastics, offering a potential new solution for single-use plastic waste
Dying Sun-like stars may not fade away quietly。 As blobs of gas erupt unevenly from their swollen surfaces, each burst gives the star a tiny push in the opposite direction。 Thousands of these random kicks could eventually break apart distant stellar pairs or, in rare cases, drive two stars into a violent collision
A new study suggests the brain begins making decisions much earlier than scientists previously thought。 Researchers found that even primary sensory regions are influenced by higher brain areas through rapid feedback loops, rather than simply passing information forward。 This more dynamic view of brain function could help engineers design future AI
A new review highlights exciting progress in atomically thin quantum materials where light and magnetism work together in ways never before possible。 In these materials, light-generated excitons can interact directly with magnetic behavior, creating opportunities to control magnetic states using light alone。 Scientists believe this could pave the w
Researchers have achieved a major milestone by creating a long-sought two-dimensional quantum material and confirming its unusual conducting edge states。 The ability to control these states through strain could make the material a promising platform for future room-temperature quantum electronics
A new book claims AI has been built on a flawed assumption dating back to Alan Turing's famous 1950 paper。 Denning argues that the most important parts of human intelligence, including common sense, intuition, culture, and practical know-how, cannot be encoded into computers。 He believes this makes true human-level AI impossible, regardless of how