The Download: NASA’s new space telescope and OpenAI’s autonomous hacker
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will use shape-shifting mirrors to detect Jupiter-like planets when it launches as early as next month. The telescope employs adjustable mirror technology to identify exoplanets similar to those in our solar system.
How to stitch a massive wildlife corridor through the Rocky Mountains
# Summary A highway through Radium, British Columbia kills bighorn sheep regularly, with necropsies confirming vehicle collisions as the cause of death. Kent Kebe, the village's protective service manager, has removed multiple bighorn sheep carcasses from Highway 93/95.
Shape-shifting mirrors on NASA’s new space telescope could unveil Jupiters like our own
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will carry the first space-based active coronagraph, an instrument using shape-shifting mirrors to block starlight during observation. This capability will enable astronomers to detect and photograph planets similar to Jupiter orbiting distant stars.
Scientists revive a powerful antibiotic that superbugs had defeated
Researchers combined vancomycin with a small molecule called pghi-4 to restore the antibiotic's effectiveness against drug-resistant E. faecium bacteria. The pghi-4 molecule blocks a bacterial enzyme that enables resistance, allowing vancomycin to kill bacteria that had previously defeated it.
In southern India, beekeeping helps Indigenous women earn more
Fifty women in India's Western Ghats are participating in a UNESCO-backed beekeeping project launched in April 2025 to increase honey harvests and strengthen their livelihoods. The Women for Bees initiative provides these Indigenous women with more reliable income through beekeeping practices in the biodiversity hotspot region.
Coffee may protect your heart but energy drinks could harm it
Consuming up to 400 milligrams of daily caffeine, equivalent to three to five cups of black coffee, is safe and may lower heart disease and stroke risk. Energy drinks and shots with concentrated caffeine can sharply raise blood pressure and trigger irregular heart rhythms, unlike regular coffee.
Birds flying in 'V' formation save energy with flatter flaps, new research shows
Birds flying in V formation use flatter wing flaps compared to solitary flight, reducing the energy needed for sustained flight. The research from Brown University demonstrates this aerodynamic advantage occurs because trailing birds position themselves to exploit upwash from the bird ahead.
Urgent cuts to global greenhouse gas emissions needed to avoid worst sea-level rise flooding in the UK, study shows
By 2100, at least half a million additional people in the UK will face coastal flooding risk, representing a 25% increase from current levels. Research from the Met Office and University of Bristol quantified this projection based on future sea level rise scenarios.
NISAR’s L-Band Radar Reveals ‘Hummingbird’ in Antarctica
NISAR's L-band radar captured detailed imagery of Nunatak Zaterjavshijsja, a mountain peak in East Antarctica protruding through flowing ice. The obstruction creates stress patterns that heavily fracture the surrounding ice surfaces as they flow northeast toward the ocean.
NASA to Host Media Briefing on Roman Telescope, Launching Next Month
NASA will host a virtual briefing on July 29 at 2 p.m. EDT about the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope before its launch. The telescope is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on August 30.
US-India Satellite Delivers Data, Reveals ‘Hummingbird’ in Antarctica
The NISAR satellite's L-band and S-band radar data became publicly accessible as of July 20, enabling researchers to track Earth's surface movements. The joint US-India mission continues releasing processed radar files on an ongoing basis.
Why AI Needs a “Genie Coefficient”
A new metric called the Genie coefficient measures the gap between what users ask AI systems to do and their unspoken assumptions about how tasks should be completed. Current benchmarks fail to capture this difference because human language always underspecifies intent, making it impossible to list every caveat and exception upfront.
Astronomers find the first atmosphere on a rocky world in the habitable zone
Astronomers detected the first confirmed atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of another star, located 48 light-years away. The planet LHS 1140 b revealed its atmosphere through helium slowly leaking into space over billions of years.
Advancing next-gen AI with materials science innovation
Advanced materials research enables next-generation AI systems to achieve higher processing power, increased memory capacity, and improved energy efficiency beyond what current semiconductors provide. New material innovations underpin the hardware foundations that support algorithmic advances and large-scale computing infrastructure required for AI development.
A hidden “switch-off” signal could predict solar storms seven years early
Scientists discovered a turning point in the Sun's 11-year cycle that could predict solar activity seven years earlier than current methods allow. At this "switch-off" point, violent space weather abruptly ends and remaining sunspots indicate the strength of the next cycle, with forecasts for Solar Cycle 26 expected in about two years.
Scientists found mystery bacteria inside one of the ocean’s most elusive whales
Scientists discovered three previously unknown Helicobacter bacteria types in the stomachs of four pygmy sperm whales during a study of strandings. The infected whales all exhibited severe digestive damage including inflammation, ulcers, scarring, and parasite infestations.
New molecular map reveals how the flu virus hijacks human cells
Influenza A virus dissolves tiny nuclear structures to release proteins that aid viral reproduction, according to a newly created molecular map. This discovery of the hijacking mechanism could identify new drug targets for treating dangerous flu strains like H5N1.
Eight lifesaving ways to improve wildfire risk management
A wildfire in Spain's Almería province killed thirteen people and burned seven thousand hectares in July. Church bells were rung to warn residents of the Los Gallardos fire, which ranked as Spain's third-deadliest recorded wildfire.
Transforming vibrations into clean fuels and chemicals through piezosynthesis
Mechanical vibrations from sources like ocean waves and flowing rivers can split water and produce useful chemicals through a process called piezosynthesis. Researchers at City University of Hong Kong demonstrated this capability, though the article does not specify production rates or chemical yields.
New cell imaging method measures protein folding in living organelles
A new imaging method called confocal Fast Relaxation Imaging measures how proteins fold inside living cell organelles without membranes. The technique allows researchers to observe whether these organelles promote or prevent protein clumping associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
NASA, GE Aerospace Work Enables Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstration
A megawatt-class hybrid-electric engine developed by NASA and GE Aerospace successfully flew on a Saab 340B aircraft at the Farnborough International Air Show. The demonstration showcased a power system designed to inform development of fuel-saving aircraft engines.
From Hampton to Mars: How NASA Langley Helped Land on the Red Planet
Viking 1 and 2 successfully landed on Mars fifty years ago, marking the first successful Mars landings and opening a new era in planetary exploration. NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia contributed technical expertise and steady leadership that helped turn the ambitious mission into reality.
Our First View of the Surface of Mars
Viking 1 successfully landed on Mars on July 20, 1976, at 5:12 a.m. PDT and transmitted its first image back to NASA controllers forty minutes after touchdown. The lander had survived descent through Mars's thin atmosphere and began transmitting visual data to monitors at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Some dinosaurs could rise like giants until they grew too big
Two elephant-sized South American sauropods possessed robust femurs that could handle enormous forces while standing on hind legs, especially when young. Digital tests demonstrated these dinosaurs' femurs managed stress better than those of larger species, potentially enabling them to reach treetops or display to potential mates.
Alzheimer’s breakthrough: Scientists restore two hours of sleep without clearing brain plaques
Removing most brain immune cells called microglia restored over two hours of daily sleep in mice with Alzheimer's plaques, despite leaving the plaques intact. The overactive microglia had triggered inflammation that prevented deep, restorative sleep in affected mice.
Underwater drones discover coral reefs off Benin, long presumed dead, teeming with life
Scientists discovered a deep-water coral reef off Benin's coast that was presumed dead since the 1960s, now found thriving using modern sonar and the Deep Sea Camera System. The reef, initially flagged in surveys focused on fishing areas, appears apparently healthy based on recent exploration technology provided by National Geographic's lab.
Creating a map of coral distribution with environmental DNA
Environmental DNA analysis has created a comprehensive map showing hard coral distribution across the Ryukyu Islands. The online resource reveals ecosystem composition based on extensive eDNA sampling to support conservation and track environmental change impacts.
Dragonfly aerial fights follow some simple rules
Male dragonflies follow simple mathematical rules when fighting rivals in mid-air combat. Researchers from Imperial College London and Taipei Zoo found that these insects use predictable aerial maneuvers to compete for territory and mating opportunities.
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Researchers recreated space conditions in glass tubes to synthesize cosmic dust containing complex carbon-rich molecules from life-essential elements. The laboratory dust produces infrared signals matching real space material, allowing scientists to study how organic chemistry develops around stars and how celestial bodies may have delivered life ingredients to Earth.
The mysterious hum heard around the world may finally have an explanation
A mysterious low-frequency sound reported globally for decades may be low-frequency tinnitus rather than an external source. Researchers found that exceptional hearing sensitivity or internal ear sounds did not explain most cases, suggesting the perception originates internally despite seeming external to those experiencing it.