Science
PACMAN AI framework for controlling fusion systems safely makes key decisions in milliseconds
Inside some fusion energy systems, particles hotter than the core of the sun can become unruly in a few thousandths of a second, far faster than any human operator can react. A ne…
Astronomers discover mysterious 10-sided cloud structure at Saturn's south pole
A mysterious giant 10-sided pattern of clouds has recently formed around Saturn's south pole, a new study finds.
Hubble tracks new decagon encircling Saturn's south pole
Recent observations with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have revealed a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn's south pole. This discovery marks the first ti…
Ancient fossil from China reveals animal‑microbe partnerships dating back 550 million years
We often think of microbes as organisms that live around us, like the Salmonella bacteria and flu viruses that cause illness. But some of our most intimate relationships are with …
New model explains how bacterial promoter elements set gene activity and regulation
Bacterial promoters are DNA sequences that recruit RNA polymerase to initiate transcription, primarily through two elements called −10 and −35. However, the contributions of these…
'Pac-Man' enzyme breaks down bioplastics and penicillin in laboratory tests
In the ocean, plastic waste collects to form large garbage patches that endanger marine life. This is partly because the synthetic plastic polymers used today can only be broken d…
Cluster's final reentry strengthens data for safer, more sustainable satellite design
The Cluster mission danced its final dance as Tango reentered the atmosphere Sept. 1 at 11:30:31 p.m. CEST. The end of the Cluster mission in 2024 marked the start of the reentry …
China's private, reusable Pallas-1 rocket aces debut launch (video)
Galactic Energy's new Pallas-1 rocket aced its debut launch on Monday (Aug. 31), successfully reaching orbit. The vehicle's first stage did not attempt a landing, however.
NASA Revamps Challenge Linking Community College Studies to Aerospace Careers
Community college students across the U.S. now have another opportunity to discover how their education can lead to fulfilling roles at the forefront of aerospace, science, engine…
This was always the way: 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' is finally on Disney+
This 'Star Wars' spin-off movie disappointed at the box office, but it could find renewed life as a streaming smash hit.
NASA rocket takes first multi-point look inside radio-disrupting clouds
High above Earth, thin veils of metallic haze drift through the edge of space. Known as sporadic E layers, these high-altitude "clouds" form from the vaporized dust of burned-up m…
Researchers identify the world's first cell line with the KMT2A::SEPTIN6 fusion gene
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures have, for the first time, identified a model cell line for a rare form of acute mye…
A new layer of the human genome: Embedded RNA marks may reshape DNA twisting
A new study led by Francesca Storici, a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and faculty member of the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, has u…
NASA’s Hubble Tracks New Decagon Encircling Saturn’s South Pole
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope observes a giant, evolving, 10-sided atmospheric wave encircling Saturn’s south pole.
Scientists observe Einstein's gravity in the quantum world
An international team including Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Sir Roger Penrose has observed a long-predicted effect of gravity on a falling quantum object for the first…
Animal-bone records reveal how cattle and sheep fueled medieval England's changing economy
As populations expanded in medieval England, key changes occurred in the uses of cattle and sheep to produce food and materials, according to a study published Sept. 2, 2026, in t…
2 spacecraft headed to Mercury are about to begin their long-awaited arrival for Europe and Japan — watch it live on Sept. 3
The European-Japanese BepiColombo mission will begin its drawn-out Mercury arrival phase on Sept. 3, and you can watch the action live.
Sorry, this neutrino laser won't work, physicists say
Neutrinos are pervasive yet intangible particles that permeate the universe, streaming through whole planets, stars and our bodies by the trillions each second. The elementary par…
Dolphin-feeding tourism contributes to predicted dolphin decline
A study published in the journal Oikos, titled "Forecasting the impact of food-provisioning and other stressors on a marine top-predator population," found that without protective…
When biology inspires mathematics: Hidden symmetries explain why widely used evolutionary methods can give false answers
Why do some groups of organisms contain thousands of species while others have only a handful? Evolutionary biologists have spent decades trying to answer this question using math…
Blue Origin wins $700 million contract to build NASA's next Mars orbiter
NASA has picked Blue Origin to build its next Mars telecommunications orbiter, awarding a $700 million contract to Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company.
Iguanodon shinbone growth may be first evidence of an infected skin ulcer in a dinosaur
Fossilized bones can reveal a wealth of details about animals, including their size, appearance, what they ate and any injuries they may have suffered. In a paper published in the…
Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets
Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possi…
How cells teach themselves to move together
Scientists have long wondered how cells organized into sheets begin to move together to form organs, especially when the sheets form closed, sphere-like surfaces and tissues with …