Astronomers have finally cracked the mystery behind a strange class of repeating cosmic signals that has baffled scientists for years。 Using Australia’s ASKAP radio telescope, researchers traced the bursts to a rare stellar duo in which a dense white dwarf is relentlessly siphoning material from a nearby red dwarf companion。 As the stolen matter sp
Scientists have proposed a new method for finding tightly bound supermassive black hole pairs by searching for stars that flash repeatedly as their light is magnified by the black holes’ gravity。 The timing and brightness of these bursts could provide a unique fingerprint of black holes slowly spiraling toward a future collision
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
SpaceX won’t get easy access to billions of dollars from passive investors
NASA’s Fermi telescope has detected what may be the first confirmed gamma-ray signal from a superluminous supernova — one of the most extreme explosions in the universe。 Scientists believe the blast was powered by a rapidly spinning magnetar, an exotic neutron star with unbelievably strong magnetic fields。 The event, called SN 2017egm, erupted 440
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft just used Mars as a giant gravitational slingshot to continue its journey toward a strange metal rich asteroid。 The close flyby boosted the spacecraft’s speed by about 1,000 mph while also producing rare crescent images of Mars glowing through its dusty atmosphere
What’s the difference between a person, an artifact, and an ecosystem
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 at the University of Houston have shattered a long-standing superconductivity record, creating a material that can conduct electricity with zero resistance at the highest temperature ever achieved under normal pressure conditions。 Their breakthrough pushes superconductivity to 151 Kelvin (minus 122°C), beating a record that stood for mor
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
Researchers have developed a compact quantum detector that makes terahertz radiation much easier to detect。 A specially designed metasurface funnels incoming energy into tiny active regions, greatly strengthening the electrical signal produced。 The approach boosted efficiency by roughly 20 times compared to earlier designs and could pave the way fo
Scientists used some of the most advanced plasma simulations ever created to uncover how the universe builds enormous magnetic fields out of turbulence。 The discovery could reshape our understanding of stars, black holes, neutron star collisions, and dangerous solar eruptions
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
For more than a century, pianists and music teachers have argued over whether a performer’s touch can actually change the tone color of a piano note — and now scientists say the answer is yes。 Using a cutting-edge sensor system that tracked piano key movements at 1,000 frames per second, researchers discovered that elite pianists subtly manipulate
Robot demonstrations can distort public perceptions of robotic capabilities
A team at the University of Chicago has discovered a surprisingly simple way to create powerful quantum states that are normally difficult to produce。 By making small adjustments to the energy levels of atoms inside an optical cavity, researchers can generate a wide variety of highly entangled states without adding complicated hardware
A remarkable crystal called molybdenum oxychloride could help make futuristic technologies like smart contact lenses and ultrathin AR glasses a reality。 Scientists have created the first detailed experimental map of its optical properties, revealing the strongest light-bending effect ever measured in a natural material。 The crystal can act either l
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
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