NASA Selects Blue Origin as Mars Telecommunications Network Provider
NASA selected Blue Origin to develop a Mars Telecommunications Network communications system with a maximum contract value of approximately $700 million. The company will deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to enable reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for Mars missions.
What’s Up: September 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA
Venus reaches its brightest magnitude during September 2026. The Harvest Moon appears near Saturn and Neptune while observers can locate Antares and the Teapot asterism using the Moon.
How AI plotted an interstellar journey to Alpha Centauri
An AI system designed a spacecraft route to Alpha Centauri, with a planned launch by the end of 2029. The journey to the star system 4.4 light-years away would take approximately 80,000 years.
Mindfulness may lower blood pressure in just 8 weeks
Mindfulness and gratitude training can improve blood pressure and reduce inflammation in eight to twelve weeks when combined with daily practice and regular reinforcement. This psychological intervention offers a potential cardiovascular health protection method alongside traditional medical approaches.
Scientists discover why snake embryos twist into spirals
Snake embryos coil into right-handed spirals because their bodies grow faster than their digestive tracts, creating tension that forces the lengthening embryo to buckle and twist. Researchers examined over 900 embryos using CT scans to determine this growth differential mechanism.
One of Earth’s driest places was just covered in snow
Rare storms deposited snow across large areas of Chile's Atacama Desert and brought exceptional rainfall to one of Earth's driest regions. The extreme weather forced observatory closures, caused damaging floods and mudflows, and coincided with a strengthening El Niño pattern.
How engineered microbes could help feed the world’s crops
Engineered microbes can provide nitrogen to crop roots, potentially reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers that consume significant energy and produce emissions. Companies are researching how beneficial microbes seeded into soil around plant roots could help feed crops by delivering essential nutrients directly to plants.
Goodbye CPAP? New sleep apnea pill cuts breathing events by 44%
A nightly pill reduced breathing interruptions by 44% in sleep apnea patients while improving oxygen levels and disease severity. The drug AD109 works by strengthening airway muscles that collapse during sleep, potentially providing an alternative for CPAP-intolerant patients.
Drones take farming to new heights
Drones equipped with heat and light sensors flew over 100 feet above crops to measure plant health at a 2,900-acre research facility. Researchers from the University of Virginia, NASA, and the University at Buffalo conducted the tests this month at the Morven Sustainability Lab.
Even ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today, study finds
Multicellular bacteria possessed cell-to-cell communication structures similar to those found in modern plants and animals, regulated through calcium exchange. This discovery suggests such intercellular communication mechanisms originated far earlier in evolution than previously understood.
NASA Welcomes Türkiye as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Türkiye signed the Artemis Accords during a NASA ceremony, becoming the 71st signatory nation committed to peaceful space exploration. The agreement was formalized at NASA headquarters in Washington under Administrator Jared Isaacman's leadership.
One injection could keep osteoarthritis drugs working for weeks
Scientists developed an injectable gel that stays in arthritic joints for weeks while slowly releasing medication and improving lubrication. This approach delivers disease-modifying drugs directly to affected joints while reducing systemic drug exposure throughout the body.
A “quantum bath” puts quantum entanglement on autopilot
Physicists created a "quantum bath" filled with correlated microwave photons that automatically entangles distant qubits without requiring constant measurements and active control. This approach confirms a theoretical prediction from over 20 years ago and uses a shared environment to maintain the entangled state.
Scientists find why the liver may not heal even after you stop drinking
Alcohol-related liver disease traps damaged liver cells in a regenerative state, preventing the liver from rebuilding itself even after drinking ceases. Researchers identified that inflammation-driven RNA errors cause this problem and found a pathway that could potentially be targeted to restore liver repair.
Using data to help wheat growers adapt to unpredictable weather
Unseasonably warm weather in March and April accelerated wheat growth this year, pushing the crop into a vulnerable stage before unexpected freezing temperatures arrived. Wheat growers traditionally followed predictable seasonal planting patterns, but unpredictable weather now requires data-driven adaptation strategies.
Tides can be mapped much more locally using a new method based on satellite images
Tides vary locally by up to one meter across distances of just a few kilometers along coastlines. A new method using satellite images enables more precise local tide mapping than previous approaches.
New method tests magnet-powered braking for safer, more reusable spacecraft reentry
Researchers developed a testing platform using powerful electromagnets to generate intense magnetic fields while subjecting miniature vessels to shock waves exceeding seven kilometers per second. This electromagnet-based approach achieved significantly higher magnetic field strengths than previous permanent magnet methods, advancing toward real atmospheric testing of magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking for spacecraft reentry.
1.4-million-year-old footprints reveal a surprisingly large human relative
Eight Paranthropus boisei individuals left footprints together in Kenya 1.4 million years ago, revealing they traveled in groups. Some of these extinct human relatives reached surprisingly large, human-like body sizes, suggesting more complex social behavior than previously understood.
Common supplements rival antibiotics for severe gum disease
Omega-3 and low-dose aspirin matched antibiotics' effectiveness in treating severe gum disease, with approximately 58% of patients in each group reaching the treatment goal over one year. The finding suggests these supplements could serve as an alternative approach to antibiotics for certain patients.
IBM quantum computer solves classically intractable problem in 15 minutes
A quantum computer using 70 error-corrected logical qubits completed a calculation in 15 minutes that classical methods cannot practically solve. IBM and University of Chicago researchers demonstrated the computation was reliable through statistical evidence of the result.
HEPA air purifiers may boost brain function after just one month
Adults aged 40 and older showed approximately 12% faster performance on executive function tests after using a HEPA air purifier at home for one month. The research suggests that reducing indoor air pollution exposure may help protect cognitive function from traffic-related pollution effects.
NASA’s Dark Universe-Seeking Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Sunday at 7:26 a.m. EDT. The telescope is traveling to an orbit one million miles away to study dark matter and dark energy in the universe.
Hundreds of hidden earthquakes found at Antarctica’s Doomsday Glacier
Researchers detected 245 previously unknown seismic events beneath the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. The earthquakes coincided with faster glacier flow toward the ocean and appear caused by icebergs breaking off and colliding with the glacier.
Seven new frog species were hiding beneath Madagascar’s forest floor
Scientists identified seven new frog species in Madagascar by analyzing DNA from both current specimens and museum samples over a century old. These diamond frogs were previously unknown to science, and their discovery was made possible through genetic analysis of historical and modern biological collections.
Researchers unveil sustainable spirulina solution to vitamin B12 deficiency
Researchers cultivated Spirulina algae under controlled light conditions to produce biologically active vitamin B12 at levels matching beef. The process addresses the limitation that conventional Spirulina contains primarily inactive B12 forms that human bodies cannot utilize.
Scientists melted a diamond and cracked a secret of ice giants
Scientists melted a diamond under extreme pressure and temperature conditions to simulate the process believed to create diamond rain inside ice giants like Neptune and Uranus. This experiment successfully reproduced the phenomenon for the first time in a laboratory setting.
A never-before-seen picture of eagle migrations
GPS tags with solar panels and long-lasting batteries now track dozens of metrics throughout bird migration, replacing century-old ankle rings that left journey gaps unknown. Many species' exact migration routes within their flyways still remain unmapped despite this technological capability.
Keto diet cut liver fat by 67% in a clinical trial
A ketogenic diet reduced liver fat by 67% in people with obesity and fatty liver disease, outperforming Mediterranean and low-fat diets that achieved 45% reduction. After four to five months, approximately half of the ketogenic diet group no longer had prediabetes despite all groups losing similar amounts of body weight.
Dogs may hold surprising clues to human longevity
Researchers found that blood metabolite patterns in dogs predict lifespan in ways similar to humans, suggesting shared aging mechanisms. The metabolic fingerprints reflect processes like metabolism, inflammation, and cellular stress.