The mysterious Amaterasu particle may not be a proton at all。 New research suggests that some of the most extreme cosmic rays could be ultraheavy atomic nuclei, heavier than iron, which are better able to retain their energy while traveling through space。 This idea could help explain how these rare particles reach Earth and provide new clues about
Scientists have uncovered a surprising force that may help explain how binary star systems form so quickly。 New supercomputer simulations show that magnetic fields surrounding newborn stars can act like a cosmic brake, stripping away angular momentum and allowing two still-forming protostars to spiral closer together instead of drifting apart
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope could revolutionize the search for alien worlds by discovering around 100,000 exoplanets—far more than all previous missions combined。 It will look deep into unexplored parts of the Milky Way, helping scientists compare planetary systems across very different galactic environments。 The mission will also uncover rare Ear
Scientists have successfully tested an AI-designed universal coronavirus vaccine in humans for the first time, finding it to be safe and well tolerated。 The vaccine generated immune responses against multiple coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and related bat viruses with pandemic potential。 By targeting features shared across an entire vir
A long-overlooked organ may hold surprising clues to healthy aging and cancer survival。 Researchers at Mass General Brigham used AI to analyze CT scans from tens of thousands of adults and found that people with healthier thymuses—a small immune-system organ once thought to become largely irrelevant after childhood—lived longer and had substantiall
A decades-old mystery about Saturn has finally been solved thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope。 Scientists discovered that Saturn’s changing “rotation rate” was never caused by the planet speeding up or slowing down, but by powerful winds high in its atmosphere。 Webb’s unprecedented observations revealed that Saturn’s northern lights actively
There are more than a quarter of a million V2G-capable GM EVs on the roads already
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recreated part of the intense chaos inside a nuclear fireball to better understand how radioactive fallout forms。 Their experiments revealed that the way vaporized materials cool can dramatically change the particles that eventually form, especially for volatile elements like cesium
A stunning spiral galaxy called Messier 88 is racing through the crowded Virgo Cluster on a journey that will dramatically reshape its future。 At its heart lies a supermassive black hole about 100 million times the mass of the Sun, while its graceful spiral arms sparkle with young star clusters and dark clouds of dust。 But as M88 plunges deeper int
What if our biggest idea about reality is built on a hidden misunderstanding。 A new philosophical look at space-time challenges the popular view that the past, present, and future all exist together in a timeless "block universe。" The argument suggests that physicists may be blurring the difference between things that exist and things that merely o
The chances are low, but not zero
NASA’s futuristic X-59 jet is about to face its biggest challenge yet: breaking the sound barrier for the first time。 After a successful series of test flights that pushed the aircraft to near-supersonic speeds, engineers are preparing to fly it faster than Mach 1 and eventually up to Mach 1。6 at 60,000 feet
A new room-temperature quantum device uses twisted light to entangle photons and electrons, overcoming one of the biggest hurdles in quantum technology。 The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, cheaper quantum systems with applications ranging from secure communications to future AI and computing platforms
Scientists used nanoscale gold metamaterials to supercharge heat transfer across tiny gaps, achieving up to four times more energy flow than similar conventional systems。 The breakthrough could lead to better chip cooling, more efficient energy technologies, and a new era of precision heat engineering