Researchers developed a fluorescent probe that changes color from red to green when detecting uranyl ions, a form of uranium contaminating water. The probe measured low concentrations accurately and showed promise for portable water monitoring, but further testing is needed.
The PUFFINS mission will analyze how interstellar dust alters starlight as it travels to Earth, revealing new details about tiny grains and their formation. By measuring polarization, PUFFINS will build a detailed map of how interstellar dust varies across the sky.
ETH Zurich researchers analyzed asteroid Bennu's samples, revealing a Jupiter-led scenario and insights into the Solar System's early formation. The findings suggest that Bennu and other asteroids formed in a specific zone where material from the inner and outer regions mixed, with Jupiter playing a key role in this process.
A new system for anatomical guidance in ultrasound helps novice users locate the correct views more reliably during trauma examinations. The system combines a predictive anatomical model with real-time imaging and mixed-reality guidance to aid probe placement and movement.
The LUMIO CubeSat will observe Apophis's 2029 flyby from the Earth-moon L2 point, providing valuable data on tidal interactions and asteroid observation. The study shows that LUMIO-Cam can detect Apophis as a sub-pixel target and observe its spin-period information.
Researchers developed a portable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor to rapidly detect sarin and other OP nerve agents. The sensor uses a molecular probe to recognize the P-C bond found in OP agents, achieving a detection limit of 10 ppb in under 20 seconds.
SwRI's Strofio, a neutral mass spectrometer, will sample Mercury's sparse exosphere to measure surface particles. This will provide a global understanding of Mercury's surface composition and space environment, answering scientific questions about its origin story.
A new numerical method for binary asteroid systems uses Hamel's variational integrators to preserve symplectic structure and Lie group geometric properties. Simulation results show improved energy conservation and orthogonality preservation compared to existing methods.
The FLEX mission will track how plants react to drought, heat, and other environmental stresses, providing insights into climate-resilient agriculture and natural ecosystem protection. Forschungszentrum Jülich operates the German FLEX project office and contributes its scientific expertise to the mission.
A tiny optical imaging probe designed for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging inside blood vessels in the brain has been developed. The probe can acquire full 360-degree images by using a tiny piezoelectric actuator to rotate an optical lens, eliminating rotational distortion.
Researchers propose a new numerical method for binary asteroid systems, achieving numerical accuracy and structure preservation. The method outperforms existing methods in energy conservation and orthogonality preservation, making it suitable for long-term predictions and planetary defense mission planning.
The Apophis asteroid will make a rare 38,000 km flyby of Earth in 2029, offering a unique chance for planetary science and defense. The flyby will provide direct evidence for the structural evolution of rubble-pile asteroids and demonstrate the feasibility of various exploration modes.
Two OU-led research teams have been awarded nearly $1.4 million in funding under the DOE's Genesis Mission to develop AI for enhanced geothermal systems and quantum computing. OU's projects align with the university's impact-centers research priorities and address the Genesis Mission's pillars of Energy Dominance and Discovery Science.
The 2029 Apophis flyby will offer a unique opportunity for planetary science and defense against a potentially hazardous asteroid. The event will provide insights into Apophis' physical state and expected effects on its orbit and spin, as well as potential surface material displacement and internal structural response.
A novel ultrasensitive fluorescent voltage probe, HB mito Crimson, detects fast and localized electrical signals in mitochondria. This probe enables monitoring of near-field potential signals at the inner mitochondrial membrane interface, revealing a class of transient miniature mitochondrial electric flickers.
NC State is leading three Genesis Mission projects using AI to accelerate discovery in high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and astrophysics. The projects focus on developing AI-powered tools for scientific research, defending agentic AI against adversarial attacks, and embedding AI techniques in large-scale simulations of neutro...
Asteroid impact created a massive dust cloud that trapped heat, causing widespread wildfires and spontaneous combustion. The cloud led to population collapse and atmospheric contamination, ultimately killing most dinosaurs and other species.
A new study suggests that a global blanket of dust after the Chicxulub asteroid impact trapped and radiated enough heat to ignite worldwide wildfires, killing even the thickest-skinned animals. The intense heat pulse would have been 3.5 times more intense than without the dust blanket.
The Genesis Mission aims to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery and national security through AI-powered research. Texas A&M University has joined the initiative, contributing to a unified discovery platform connecting government, industry, academia and philanthropy.
A study proposes two detonation defense modes to defend against large-sized near-Earth asteroids. The novel flyby pre-excavation detonation mode offers stronger energy coupling and can destroy hundred-meter-scale asteroids, making it the preferred option when warning time permits.
Researchers uncover new evidence about the timing and intensity of asteroid bombardment on the Moon's surface, finding it declined gradually rather than a short burst. The discovery allows scientists to reconstruct over three billion years of lunar impact history.
The PPPL-led project will use AI to autonomously operate high-power gyrotrons, a crucial method for heating plasma in fusion systems. Researchers from multiple institutions will collaborate on this project.
A new Yale study contradicts the long-held theory that an asteroid strike drove the rapid evolution of tunas and other large predators after the K-Pg extinction. Instead, the research reveals that these animals' body plans evolved over tens of millions of years, with increases in size occurring sporadically throughout their lineage.
A Southwest Research Institute-led study proposes a connection between an asteroid collision and an inner-solar-system-wide bombardment episode 800 million years ago. The research suggests that the catastrophic breakup of the Eulalia parent body may have led to widespread impacts on Earth, coinciding with biological and geological chan...
A new study proposes that chondritic asteroids are escaped satellites from chaotic final stages of planet formation. These mini-moons concentrate and confine molten mineral droplets, forming asteroid-sized bodies that become the parent bodies of chondrite meteorites.
A study proposes two detonation defense modes to deal with large-sized near-Earth asteroids. The flyby pre-excavation detonation mode offers stronger energy coupling and can destroy hundred-meter-scale asteroids, making it a preferred option when warning time permits.
Researchers suggest that frequent asteroid strikes may have kept the early Earth hotter and more unstable, making it difficult for rocks to survive. This led to a lack of preserved rocks from the first 500 million years of Earth's history, with long-lived continents forming only after impact intensity declined.
Researchers from Curtin University and the Geological Survey of Western Australia have precisely dated the oldest known asteroid impact on Earth to around 3 billion years ago. This discovery pushes the Earth's impact record deeper into geological time, offering a rare glimpse of the violent processes that shaped the early Earth.
Asteroid Donaldjohanson's surface features suggest it is part of the Erigone family, with crater density consistent with its 155 million-year age. Seismic shaking after a recent impact may have erased smaller craters, while thermal radiation could have driven its slow tumbling rotation.
The SwRI-led Lucy mission has found that asteroid Donaldjohanson rotates on two axes, with a wobbling pattern observed every 10.5 and 26.5 Earth days.
A new study in Geology has discovered evidence of a major impact event about 3.5 billion years ago on the Moon, matching the ages of known impacts on Earth and in the asteroid belt. The discovery provides a key link to the history of the inner solar system and sheds light on catastrophic events that may have affected early life on Earth.
Southwest Research Institute scientists modeled the early impact history of Earth, finding that asteroid impacts fractured the crust and generated hydrothermal systems. These environments could have provided a suitable setting for the origin and evolution of early life on Earth.
A research team discovered six modern fish groups, including jack, moonfish, and pipefish, dated to 62.2 million years ago, helping to fill a 10 million year gap in the fossil record. The findings suggest that certain fish groups likely went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period, while others were established early on.
Researchers found a clear spike in fungal microfossils following the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. This global event, occurring tens of thousands of years before the extinction, suggests that volcanism may have contributed to the mass extinctions in that period.
Researchers from KIGAM report finding stromatolites in the Hapcheon impact crater, which could have formed in post-impact hydrothermal lakes. These structures may hold clues to Earth's history of atmospheric oxygen production, a transformative event around 2.4 billion years ago.
A HKU research team will deploy a short-wavelength infrared spectrometer on the Tianwen-3 mission to search for biosignatures and hydrous minerals on Mars. The instrument aims to forecast dust storms, detect signs of life, and survey Martian resources.
Researchers developed a hand-held device to differentiate tumors from healthy tissue using mechanical properties, reducing the need for future surgeries and delayed treatments. The wireless probe can aid surgeons in precise tumor removal during breast-conserving surgery.
The new fiber probe can track three key biomarkers - glucose, lactate, and ethanol - simultaneously, providing a more complete picture of metabolic health. This innovation offers faster, real-time sensing technologies for clinicians to respond rapidly to evolving metabolic crises.
Nine European high school students completed a six-day simulated Mars mission in Portugal, operating rovers and conducting scientific experiments. The EXPLORE-2 mission aimed to develop young Europeans' STEM skills and team management capabilities, with participants designing their own mission plans and making operational decisions.
A new optical-coupled scanning probe microscope uses a remote liquefaction cryogen-free system to visualize individual atoms and probe electronic and chemical properties without freezing budget. The system achieves stable base temperature and low noise levels, making it ideal for continuous experiments and studies of slow processes.
Researchers developed a double-slit plasmonic platform-based fiber probe that combines easier light excitation, stronger tip enhancement, broadband stability, and controllable fabrication. The probe achieved 28.6 nm optical imaging resolution under ambient conditions and resolved structures smaller than the diffraction limit.
The NASA EDGE mission will help better understand changes to the Earth's surface, creating detailed 3D maps of vegetation and ice formations. This will improve capabilities for assessing pre-fire risk and evaluating post-fire impacts in semi-arid ecosystems.
The OSIRIS-REx mission has found that asteroid Bennu's boulders are cracked, not porous as initially thought. This discovery transforms our understanding of how to interpret an asteroid's thermal properties from Earth-based observations.
Researchers at the University of Arizona ran simulations to predict how a large crater near Psyche's north pole could have formed, shedding light on its composition. The study found that porosity plays a significant role in crater formation, with implications for understanding Psyche's makeup.
Asteroids in binary systems actively exchange rocks and dust through gentle, slow-motion collisions, reshaping them over millions of years. The DART mission's findings confirm the YORP effect, where sunlight makes small asteroids spin faster, causing material to fly off their surfaces.
The University of Portsmouth, in partnership with SARsatX and the Saudi Space Agency, is developing an Earth observation satellite mission concept aimed at supporting climate science and environmental resilience. The project combines academic and technical expertise to address shared environmental challenges.
A Johns Hopkins University study finds that tiny life forms can survive extreme pressure comparable to an ejection from Mars after an asteroid hit, and may potentially move between planets. The discovery raises implications for planetary protection and space missions.
Researchers analyzed Ryugu asteroid samples to understand magnetic field evolution in early solar system. The study found that 23 of 28 samples exhibited stable NRM components, providing critical information on the spatiotemporal evolution of magnetic fields.
The SwRI MST 8x8 probe uses guided-wave technology to detect corrosion in storage tanks with exceptional accuracy. It reduces expensive downtime by allowing inspections without emptying the tank, improving inspection safety in hazardous spaces.
Researchers developed a bioorthogonal fluorescence probe and matching reporter enzyme that selectively activates at targeted tumor sites, enabling high-contrast tumor visualization with minimal background. This technology has potential for improving cancer surgery outcomes and may also be adapted for targeted drug delivery.
Researchers developed a miniature side-viewing fiber probe that breaks the trade-off between image sharpness and depth. The probe achieves extended imaging depth while preserving high lateral resolution, enabling clinicians to see deeper without sacrificing detail.
Researchers developed a first-of-its-kind probe to track a fetus's vital signs in utero during surgery. The soft, flexible robotic probe provides accurate and precise measurements of heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and temperature, enabling faster interventions in case complications arise.
New research reveals that life rebounded astonishingly quickly after the asteroid impact, with new species of plankton emerging in fewer than 2,000 years. The study uses an isotope marker to determine the age of sediments and finds that complex life reestablished within a geologic heartbeat.
The Rubin Observatory has discovered a record-breaking asteroid, nearly the size of eight football fields, rotating every two minutes. The fastest-spinning asteroid larger than 500 meters ever found is 710 meters in diameter and completes a full rotation every 1.88 minutes.
SOHO has provided a nearly continuous record of our Sun's activity for close to three 11-year-long solar cycles. The mission has overcome challenges, including a critical error and failed gyroscopes, but continues to produce high-quality data on a daily basis.
The Soils for Europe conference in 2026 will bring together experts to discuss soil health and sustainability in Europe. The event aims to bridge the gap between science, policy and societal action, and features a range of sessions and activities focused on the latest research and innovations.
Researchers developed a probe to visualize lipid breakdown in living cells, revealing differences in breakdown rates among individual droplets. The study found that an enzyme called ATGL drives these variations, which may contribute to abnormal lipid metabolism in liver cancer cells.
The Austrian satellite mission PRETTY will continue to provide valuable services after being extended by the European Space Agency and Austrian Research Promotion Agency. The mission, originally planned for one year, has proven reliable and successful in monitoring climate changes and space radiation effects.
A team of researchers has developed a new machine called the Electronic Probe Computer (EPC60) that can solve NP-complete problems, including optimal routing, scheduling, and network design. The EPC60 outperforms leading commercial software solvers in solving complex problems with high accuracy and efficiency.
Scientists have successfully measured ultrafast electric fields using a diamond nonlinear probe, achieving femtosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolution. This breakthrough enables the detection of local electric field dynamics near surfaces with unprecedented precision.