Science Daily

Astronomers find the first atmosphere on a rocky world in the habitable zone

Astronomers have found the first confirmed atmosphere around a rocky planet in another star’s habitable zone. The planet, LHS 1140 b, revealed its atmosphere through helium slowly leaking into space. Located 48 light-years away, the world may have preserved its atmosphere for billions of years, making it a promising target in the search for potentially habitable planets.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

Ancient DNA reveals a chilling secret at China’s 4,000-year-old Shimao city

Ancient DNA from China’s vast 4,000-year-old Shimao settlement is revealing how one of East Asia’s earliest complex societies was organized. Researchers found that its people were largely descended from local Yellow River farming communities, but also had genetic ties to distant southern and steppe populations, pointing to extensive prehistoric contact.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

A hidden “switch-off” signal could predict solar storms seven years early

A newly discovered turning point in the Sun’s 11-year cycle could allow scientists to predict future solar activity years earlier than before. At this “switch-off” point, the most violent space weather abruptly ends, and the remaining number of sunspots offers clues about the next cycle’s strength. Early projections suggest Solar Cycle 26 may be moderate, but a clearer forecast is expected in about two years.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

Scientists found mystery bacteria inside one of the ocean’s most elusive whales

Scientists studying decades of pygmy sperm whale strandings have uncovered three previously unknown types of Helicobacter bacteria hiding in the animals’ stomachs. All four infected whales showed serious digestive damage, including inflammation, ulcers, scarring, and parasite infestations, although the bacteria were not confirmed as the cause of death.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

New molecular map reveals how the flu virus hijacks human cells

Scientists uncovered how influenza A commandeers human cells, including a surprising strategy that dissolves tiny structures in the nucleus and releases proteins the virus may use to reproduce. The detailed molecular map could reveal new drug targets and help researchers study dangerous flu strains such as H5N1.

science  4d ago

The Guardian Science

Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode one – green shoots

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland.In episode one of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola looks back on her first meeting with O’Braan while working on a feature about tea plantations in the UK. He was selling his award-winning Scottish-grown tea to some of the UK’s finest hotels, but something didn’t quite add up. And Nicola wasn’t the only person taking an interest in his storyClips: BBC,

science  4d ago

NASA News

Why Maine’s Sandy Shorelines Turn Jagged

Differences in the underlying bedrock and how rivers distribute sediment make the coastlines west of Portland look unlike those northeast of the city.

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Science Daily

This food compound may help vaccines work better in older adults

A naturally occurring compound found in foods such as wheat germ, mushrooms, and aged cheese may help older adults build stronger protection after vaccination. In a small pilot trial, researchers gave spermidine supplements to adults over 65 following their third COVID-19 vaccine dose. The biggest improvements appeared among people whose immune systems initially responded poorly, with higher antibody levels and stronger activity against several variants.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

Dying Sun-like stars may kick themselves through space

Dying Sun-like stars may not fade away quietly. As blobs of gas erupt unevenly from their swollen surfaces, each burst gives the star a tiny push in the opposite direction. Thousands of these random kicks could eventually break apart distant stellar pairs or, in rare cases, drive two stars into a violent collision.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

New quantum gravity theory links entropy, dark energy, and life

A new theoretical study offers a possible explanation for how the Universe can grow more complex without violating the second law of thermodynamics. Using a quantum gravity framework called Gravity from Entropy, mathematician Ginestra Bianconi found that the Universe’s total entropy may rise as space expands, even while entropy within each unit of volume falls. That decline could leave room for galaxies, stars, planets, and life to form locally amid an overall increase in cosmic entropy.

science  4d ago

Science Daily

New antibody drug stops aggressive prostate cancer from spreading

Scientists have developed a fully human antibody that halted the growth and spread of aggressive prostate cancer in preclinical research. Although more testing is needed, the drug’s unusual mechanism could open the door to a safer new treatment for advanced cancer.

science  4d ago

The Guardian Science

Google wants to release 32 million sterile mosquitoes. Our Australian tests offer a valuable lesson | Nigel Beebe for the Conversation

Google’s ‘Debug’ project in California and Florida aims to reduce mosquito numbers by releasing millions of sterilised malesIn the United States, Google’s (now Alphabet) Debug initiative has asked the federal government for permission to release up to 32 million sterilised male mosquitoes in California and Florida.Male mosquitoes don’t bite or carry disease. The hope is these millions of male mosquitoes will mate with disease-carrying females, the eggs won’t hatch and mosquito numbers will fall.

science  4d ago

NASA News

NASA Sets Briefings for SpaceX Crew-13 Mission to Space Station

NASA and its partners will discuss the upcoming crew rotation mission to the International Space Station during a pair of news conferences on Monday, Aug. 3, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Mission leadership will provide an overview of NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑13 mission at 12 p.m. EDT. Next, crew members will discuss their […]

science  4d ago

The Guardian Science

Slowdown in Arctic ice melt ends after largest winter decline on record

Scientists recorded slower reduction over past 20 years, but study finds this was ‘temporary rather than sustained’A previously recorded slowdown in Arctic sea ice decline has ended, according to a new study, with the largest year-to-year wintertime reduction ever recorded.In a study published last summer, researchers found that melting sea ice in the Arctic had slowed down over the past 20 years, with no statistically significant decline in its extent recorded between 2005 and 2024. Continue re

science  4d ago

NASA News

NASA, GE Aerospace Work Enables Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstration

An aircraft powered by a megawatt-class hybrid-electric engine developed in collaboration with NASA and built by GE Aerospace, demonstrated flight of an innovation that can inform new generations of fuel-saving aircraft power systems. Mounted to a Saab 340B aircraft, the engine flew at Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom. It was the public […]

science  4d ago

NASA News

NASA, GE Aerospace Work Enables Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstration

An aircraft powered by a megawatt-class hybrid-electric engine developed in collaboration with NASA and built by GE Aerospace, demonstrated flight of an innovation that can inform new generations of fuel-saving aircraft power systems. Mounted to a Saab 340B aircraft, the engine flew at Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom. It was the public […]

science  4d ago

NASA News

New NASA Earth Missions Gear Up to Start Science Flights  

The first of six new airborne campaigns will hit the skies this summer.

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The Guardian Science

Did you solve it? Do you think like a physicist?

The answer to today’s puzzleEarlier today I set you a puzzle about keeping homes cool in a heatwave. Here it is again with the solution.Imagine a room with a set of curtains. When the Sun is shining, its energy comes through the windows where it is absorbed by the curtains. The curtains get hotter and hotter until they reach a temperature at which they are radiating as much heat as they absorb. The curtains radiate 50 per cent of this heat back towards the window, and 50 per cent of the heat int

science  4d ago

NASA News

From Hampton to Mars: How NASA Langley Helped Land on the Red Planet

Fifty years ago, NASA’s Viking 1 and 2 landers made the first successful landings on Mars, opening a new era in planetary exploration. Behind that achievement was a team at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, whose steady leadership and technical expertise helped turn an ambitious idea into a mission that reshaped how we […]

science  4d ago

NASA News

Our First View of the Surface of Mars

“Touchdown, we have touchdown!” At 5:12 a.m. PDT, July 20, 1976, mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory erupted in cheers as they learned that the Viking 1 lander had survived its descent through the thin Martian atmosphere. Forty minutes later, the lander’s first image began to appear on their monitors, slowly forming line by […]

science  4d ago