Runaway black hole mergers may have built supermassive black holes
Early superdense star clusters may have planted seeds for monster black holes.
Here’s how orbital dynamics wizardry helped save NASA’s next Mars mission
Blue Origin is getting ready to launch its second New Glenn rocket.
James Watson, who helped unravel DNA’s double-helix, has died
His work was celebrated, but he was ostracized for racist, sexist comments.
The government shutdown is starting to have cosmic consequences
“The FAA is concerned with the system’s ability to maintain the current volume of operations.”
10,000 generations of hominins used the same stone tools to weather a changing world
This technological tradition lasted longer than Homo sapiens have even been a species.
Rocket Report: Canada invests in sovereign launch; India flexes rocket muscles
Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket gave an environmental monitoring satellite a perfect ride to space.
Next-generation black hole imaging may help us understand gravity better
But the differences are likely to be subtle, so it won’t be easy.
New quantum hardware puts the mechanics in quantum mechanics
As a test case, the machine was used to test a model of superconductivity.
If you want to satiate AI’s hunger for power, Google suggests going to space
Google engineers think they already have all the pieces needed to build a data center in orbit.
Space junk may have struck a Chinese crew ship in low-Earth orbit
The three-man crew was supposed to return to Earth on Wednesday to wrap up six months in space.
Google’s new hurricane model was breathtakingly good this season
Meanwhile, the US Global Forecasting System continues to get worse.
Some stinkbugs’ legs carry a mobile fungal garden
A dedicated organ grows the fungus, which deters parasitic wasps.
Disruption to science will last longer than the US government shutdown
The consequences of the shutdown extend far beyond a lapse in funding.
Research roundup: 6 cool science stories we almost missed
The highest-scoring Boggle board, catching high-speed snake bites in action, and more.
Neural network finds an enzyme that can break down polyurethane
Given a dozen hours, the enzyme can turn a foam pad into reusable chemicals.
Wear marks suggest Neanderthals made ocher crayons
Neanderthals were apparently no easier on their art supplies than modern kids.
New study settles 40-year debate: Nanotyrannus is a new species
“This fossil doesn’t just settle the debate. It flips decades of T. rex research on its head.”
Falling panel prices lead to global solar boom, except for the US
The economic case for solar power is stronger than ever.
The chemistry behind that pricey cup of civet coffee
Fans of kopi luwak claim the coffee has a unique aroma and taste. A new chemical analysis backs them up.
NASA races to keep Artemis II on schedule, even when workers aren’t being paid
“I do think we’re rapidly approaching the point where it will be a significant impact.”
Westinghouse is claiming a nuclear deal would see $80B of new reactors
Details are remarkably sparse on what has been agreed to.
Melissa strikes Jamaica, tied as most powerful Atlantic storm to come ashore
The storm was so strong a hurricane hunter had to end its mission early.
Why imperfection could be key to Turing patterns in nature
Many Turing mechanism models yield too-perfect patterns; varying cell sizes vastly improves the results.
Melissa set to be the strongest hurricane to ever strike Jamaica
Storm reached sustained winds of 160 mph on Monday morning.
Whale and dolphin migrations are being disrupted by climate change
Marine mammals are being forced into new and more dangerous waters, scientists warn.
Clinical trial of a technique that could give everyone the best antibodies
If we ID the DNA for a great antibody, anyone can now make it.
Bats eat the birds they pluck from the sky while on the wing
A handful of bat species hunt birds, and new sensor data tells us how.
DNA analysis reveals likely pathogens that killed Napoleon’s army
Microbial DNA suggests troops suffered from paratyphoid fever and relapsing fever, among other diseases.
Rocket Report: China tests Falcon 9 lookalike; NASA’s Moon rocket fully stacked
A South Korean rocket startup will soon make its first attempt to reach low-Earth orbit.
Dinosaurs may have flourished right up to when the asteroid hit
Fossil beds in New Mexico show diverse species present in the late Cretaceous.
An NIH director joins MAHA, gets replaced by JD Vance’s close friend
The NTP produced controversial studies on cellphone radiation and fluoride.
The first people to set foot in Australia were fossil hunters
Europeans weren’t the first people to collect fossils in Australia.
California startup to demonstrate space weapon on its own dime
“All of the pieces that are required to make it viable exist.”
Google has a useful quantum algorithm that outperforms a supercomputer
An approach it calls “quantum echoes” takes 13,000 times longer on a supercomputer.
“Butt breathing” might soon be a real medical treatment
Ig Nobel-winning research could one day be used to treat people with blocked airways or clogged lungs.
Even with protections, wolves still fear humans
European wolves flee human conversation faster than dogs’ barking.