Astronomers just found four hidden white dwarf stars near Earth
Four white dwarf stars hidden next to brighter red dwarf companions were revealed through Hubble's ultraviolet observations, with one located 25 light-years away taking nearly thirty years to confirm. The discovery suggests the galactic neighborhood contains many more undiscovered white dwarf binary systems than previously accounted for.
Going to museums, movies, and theater may help your body stay younger
Older adults who regularly attended cultural activities like museums, movies, and concerts showed physical functioning equivalent to people approximately three years younger. Researchers identified potential mechanisms including stronger social ties, improved mental health, and healthier habits, though direct causation requires further study.
NASA Astronaut Anil Menon, Crewmates Arrive at Space Station
Three astronauts arrived at the International Space Station Tuesday aboard Soyuz MS-29, increasing the crew to 10 for approximately two weeks. The spacecraft launched at 10:47 a.m. EDT from Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Roscosmos cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina.
The Download: Claude’s inner workings, and the future of world models
Anthropic discovered a method to observe its AI models' internal reasoning processes. The technique provides a window into how Claude thinks through problems, revealing previously hidden computational steps the model uses.
Popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy may slow biological aging
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, slowed biological aging markers in adults with HIV, providing the first clinical evidence the drug may influence human aging. Larger studies are needed before researchers can conclude the medication helps people age more slowly.
PsiQuantum has a plan to make a massive quantum computer out of light
PsiQuantum plans to build a quantum computer using light, housed in approximately 100 stainless-steel cabinets cooled to a few degrees above absolute zero with liquid helium. The machine will occupy space resembling a data center combined with an ice cream factory.
NASA's Perseverance just completed a marathon on Mars
Perseverance rover drove 26.2 miles across Mars in five years and four months. The rover reached this marathon distance on its 1,890th Martian day, completing the journey in less than half the time Opportunity rover required.
NASA selects four new Moon missions to build a permanent lunar base
NASA awarded nearly $600 million for four commercial Moon landings scheduled for late 2028, each carrying identical science instruments. The missions will improve lunar navigation, study landing dust, and map the Moon's radiation environment while supporting plans for rovers, satellites, and a permanent base.
Supportive supervisors lift performance for employees with disabilities, study finds
Supportive supervisors improve performance among employees with disabilities, though workplace environment affects the degree of improvement. The research appeared in the International Journal of Business Innovation and Research.
Most of the moon's water likely remains chemically bound in its deep interior
The moon's water exists primarily in chemically bound form within its deep interior rather than as surface ice. New NASA satellite data from 2009 detected water ice in permanently shaded polar regions, overturning the previous scientific consensus that the moon was nearly anhydrous.
Dead stars in our cosmic backyard: Astronomers spot four white dwarfs hiding under our noses
Four white dwarfs in binary star systems were directly observed for the first time by researchers, all located within 65 light-years of Earth. One system contains the ninth-closest white dwarf to the sun.
Hidden in Maya wall writings: A named astronomer emerges from 1,200-year-old calculations
Researchers decoded mathematical formulas from a 1,200-year-old Maya wall at Xultun, Guatemala, identifying an astronomer's name for the first time. The Classic period calculations involved complex astronomical observations and calendar dates that influenced monument construction and royal inaugurations.
NASA Study Points to Smoother Air Taxi Rides
NASA research identifies comfort factors affecting passenger willingness to ride in air taxis, which are small vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft designed for short trips. The study provides data to help air taxi operators plan routes that minimize discomfort during flights.
Floating-electron catalyst withstands week in air while making ammonia under milder conditions
Researchers at Science Tokyo created BaSiN2:O, a catalyst material that maintains stability in air for a week while synthesizing ammonia under milder conditions than conventional methods. The material achieves this through oxygen-doped barium silicon nitride that forms a stable surface layer of freely floating electrons.
Cutting back vines lets recovering forests grow faster, Borneo study shows
Cutting lianas from degraded forests in Borneo increased tree growth rates by 40 percent over three years. The study measured diameter growth in trees and found that removing these vining plants allowed recovering forests to sequester carbon more effectively.
China’s ‘Green Great Wall’ tames desert growth, but scientists warn the fight is not over
Workers in northern China have used straw checkerboards for fifty years to stabilize sand dunes and enable plant growth as part of the Green Great Wall desertification reversal program. Scientists caution that despite progress since 2000, the fight against desert expansion remains incomplete.
The AI Arms Race in Technical Interviews Is Escalating
Applicants are using AI assistants to suggest responses during remote technical interviews, while employers deploy AI-powered tools to detect signs of AI use. This escalating dynamic creates a competitive cycle between job seekers and hiring companies with no clear resolution.
Losing just 80 minutes of sleep a night could make you gain weight
Participants who slept 80 minutes less nightly for six weeks gained weight and increased sedentary time. Researchers concluded that sustained mild sleep loss over months or years could elevate risks for diabetes and heart disease.
A 200-year-old physics experiment could help build future computers
Researchers used the Poisson spot, a 200-year-old optical effect, to create optical skyrmions by shining a laser at a tiny circular disc. This method produces stable swirling light patterns without requiring expensive engineered materials, potentially enabling advances in data storage and computing technologies.
Scientists discovered the brain doesn't make decisions the way we thought
The brain makes decisions through rapid feedback loops between primary sensory regions and higher brain areas, rather than through simple forward information processing. This discovery that sensory regions are influenced by higher areas earlier in the decision process could inform AI system design to use less power.
The Download: a donor conception cap and world models for AI
A European fertility group is advocating for limits on how many children can be conceived from a single sperm donor. The 47-year-old Ties van der Meer was conceived at a private fertility clinic using donor sperm and does not know how many siblings he has.
Stephen Hawking's black hole laws just got a major upgrade
A new framework extends thermodynamic laws to dynamic black holes rather than only stable ones. This advancement could enhance understanding of black hole mergers, evaporation, and gravitational wave events detected by observatories like LIGO.
Where you live could shape your dementia risk, massive study finds
Dementia risk factors vary significantly across countries among 214,000 people studied, contradicting universal prevention approaches. Research revealed consistent patterns despite geographic differences that could inform targeted public health strategies by region.
Southeast Asian mangroves shift from historic decline to net growth
Southeast Asian mangroves shifted from net loss to net gain since 2010, reversing decades of deforestation. A study analyzing 40 years of satellite data identified this region as a primary contributor to global mangrove recovery.
Physicists say quantum mechanics may not need imaginary numbers after all
Physicists demonstrated that quantum mechanics can be formulated using real numbers instead of imaginary numbers, challenging a fundamental assumption about the theory's mathematical structure. The research, published in Physical Review Letters and highlighted by the American Physical Society, was conducted by Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center.
Scientists discover a hidden heart valve risk linked to gum disease
Bacteria associated with gum disease can trigger inflammation and calcium buildup in heart valves, potentially causing calcific aortic valve stenosis. The research suggests that maintaining gum health may help reduce risk of this serious cardiac condition.
Jellyfish videos reveal why science content sparks curiosity for some viewers
A University of Georgia study found that cartoony science videos spark curiosity in some viewers but not others. The research examined jellyfish videos on social media to understand individual differences in how people respond to science content.
Physicists recreate black hole energy extraction in the lab
Physicists created a laboratory device that reproduces the physics of extracting energy from spinning black holes using synthetic ultrafast rotation. The experimental demonstration transforms theoretical concepts into practical application and could advance optics, wireless communications, and quantum science.
Deep-sea life has a secret food source scientists never expected
Extreme deep-sea pressure extracts nutrients from sinking organic particles, creating an unexpected food source for ocean microbes. This mechanism affects how carbon cycles through Earth's deep-ocean ecosystems.
Scientists discover how the brain rewires itself to truly multitask
Extensive training physically reorganizes the brain so learned tasks bypass the prefrontal cortex and run through specialized circuits instead. This frees the brain's thinking center, allowing people to perform another task simultaneously rather than rapidly switching between them.