A rare meteorite has revealed evidence of a massive lost world that once orbited the young Sun before being destroyed in a catastrophic collision。 The discovery suggests some early planets formed from dramatically different materials than Earth and Mars, rewriting part of the solar system’s origin story
Physicists have solved a long-standing problem involving systems that appear to violate Newton’s third law, such as bird flocks and bacterial swarms。 By adding carefully designed “imaginary partners” to their models, they can now simulate these complex systems with unprecedented accuracy
What if some black holes aren’t black holes at all。 A new theoretical study suggests that when a massive star collapses, it might not form a singularity hidden behind an event horizon。 Instead, the collapse could trigger the birth of a tiny new universe inside the dying star
Tests of age-verification technology show the risks of life-altering errors
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
Using the Keck Observatory, astronomers measured the spins of dozens of giant planets and brown dwarfs orbiting distant stars。 They found that giant planets can spin faster than much more massive brown dwarfs, challenging simple assumptions about mass and rotation。 The results suggest that magnetic fields and formation processes play a major role i
Crypto Clipper spreads over USB and communicates over Tor
The race to build data centers in space is gaining momentum as AI drives unprecedented demand for computing power。 Orbital facilities could tap into abundant solar energy and avoid many of the environmental challenges faced on Earth。 Yet space remains a harsh and expensive place to operate, with major hurdles including cooling, maintenance, radiati
JWST has revealed dramatic differences between the dawn and dusk regions of the scorching exoplanet WASP-121 b。 Fierce winds appear to carry heat from the planet’s permanent dayside, making the evening side hotter and more expanded。 Scientists also found signs that water is being broken apart by extreme temperatures and that mysterious mineral clou
A new SETI study suggests we may be overlooking alien signals not because they aren't there, but because their own stars are scrambling them before they escape into space。 Turbulent plasma and powerful stellar storms can spread an ultra-narrow radio transmission across a wider range of frequencies, making it much harder for traditional searches to
Scientists found that transfer learning can make the search for new physics in the universe much faster, slashing the need for expensive simulations。 Yet the approach can backfire when AI relies too heavily on familiar patterns, potentially missing evidence of something truly new
Scientists have found that staple-shaped particles can tangle together to create a material that is both strong and flexible。 Unlike conventional materials, these particles can be locked into a sturdy structure or rapidly unraveled using vibrations。 The unusual behavior could open the door to recyclable buildings, reconfigurable structures, and eve
A colossal ancient collision may have left some of the Moon’s deepest secrets surprisingly close to future Artemis landing sites。 By recreating the impact that formed the giant South Pole-Aitken basin—the Moon’s largest and oldest crater—scientists found that a low-angle strike from a large, iron-cored object blasted material from deep inside the M