NASA’s upgraded Cold Atom Lab is turning the International Space Station into a frontier for quantum research, creating ultra-cold matter that behaves in astonishing ways。 The experiments could unlock new discoveries about the universe while paving the way for powerful future technologies in space and on Earth
A new catalyst design could significantly improve the conversion of CO2 into methanol, an important fuel and chemical feedstock。 Researchers separated key reaction steps across different catalyst sites, avoiding a long-standing trade-off between speed and efficiency。 The result was about three times more methanol production than standard commercial
A new theory suggests the universe is constantly recording its own history in the fabric of spacetime。 If correct, this cosmic memory could help solve some of the biggest puzzles in physics, from black holes to dark matter and the universe’s ultimate fate
Researchers discovered that hydrogen radicals generated by intense UV light can break down stubborn PFAS “forever chemicals” without added chemicals。 The breakthrough reveals a key mechanism that could lead to greener and more effective technologies for permanently destroying these pollutants
A new technique could solve one of the biggest challenges in making future computer chips from ultrathin materials。 Researchers found that coating molybdenum disulfide with oxygen or fluorine lets manufacturers remove just the top layer of atoms much more safely during plasma processing。 The result is a cleaner, more controlled path toward smaller
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
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 have uncovered a surprising connection between quantum gravity and an exotic quantum state of matter that could explain why the universe isn’t expanding wildly fast。 The study suggests that the very shape of space-time may protect the cosmological constant from disruptive quantum effects
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
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
A distant galaxy nicknamed Shadow Blaster may have revealed a surprising source of cosmic neutrinos: extreme star formation instead of a supermassive black hole。 The discovery suggests that hidden, dust-filled starburst galaxies could account for a significant fraction of the Universe’s high-energy neutrinos
Oxford physicists have created an entirely new type of Schrödinger’s cat-like quantum state using components that are themselves highly quantum in nature。 The advance could open new possibilities for more resilient quantum computers and deeper insights into the strange rules that govern the quantum universe
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