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Latest story• Dec 1, 2025

An extra solar system planet once orbited next to Earth — and it may be the reason we have a moon

A new study suggests that Theia, the Mars-sized planet that collided with early Earth 4.5 billion years ago to create the moon, was a neighboring world that formed in our inner solar system rather than a distant wanderer. Researchers analyzed chemical signatures in lunar samples and Earth rocks, focusing on iron, molybdenum, and zirconium isotopes to trace Theia's origins. Their models indicate Theia contained 5-10%...

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Scientists just found a way to tell if quantum computers are wrong

Swinburne University researchers developed new methods to verify the accuracy of quantum computers, addressing a critical challenge in quantum computing development. Their techniques can determine in minutes whether Gaussian...

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New graphene breakthrough supercharges energy storage

Engineers developed a breakthrough carbon-based material called multiscale reduced graphene oxide that enables supercapacitors to store energy like traditional batteries while charging far more rapidly. The new material, created...

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Real-muscle robots gain threefold speed and 30× force with new tendon system

MIT engineers created artificial hydrogel tendons that boost biohybrid robots' speed threefold and force by 30 times. The breakthrough improves power-to-weight ratios by 11 times while lasting over 7,000 cycles.

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‘Reverse Mathematics’ Illuminates Why Hard Problems Are Hard

Computer scientists struggle with problems like the traveling salesperson problem, which requires slow methods to find optimal solutions. Researchers suspect no faster algorithms exist but cannot prove this fundamental...

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Tiny Volcano-Dwelling Creature Breaks Heat Record

Scientists discovered a microscopic amoeba in Lassen Volcanic National Park's hot springs that thrives at temperatures up to 145°F, making it the most heat-tolerant complex organism on Earth. This fire amoeba possesses special...

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Robot Walks for Three Days Straight, Hotswapping Its Battery Over and Over in New World Record

Three hours of battery life might not sound like much, but a Chinese humanoid robot just parlayed that modest power into a 66-mile, three-day trek that shattered world records. The AgiBot A2, built by Zhiyuan Robotics, walked...

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Are biodegradable plastics really worth the hype?

Biodegradable plastics still release toxic substances during breakdown and require intensive agriculture to produce. While some show promise for marine use, they cost more and maintain wasteful single-use patterns.

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JWST spots a strange red dot so extreme scientists can’t explain it

JWST discovered mysterious tiny red dots that have baffled scientists because they don't match any known astronomical objects. These extremely distant objects, whose light traveled 12 billion years to reach us, initially sparked...

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This star orbiting a black hole has a composition that surprises scientists

Astronomers discovered that Gaia BH2, a red giant star orbiting a black hole, has a puzzling composition of ancient alpha elements suggesting it formed 10 billion years ago, yet measurements reveal it's only 5 billion years old...

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French scientists’ law predicts how objects shatter, applies from bottles to bubbles

French scientist Emmanuel Villermaux has developed a universal law that predicts how objects break into fragments by combining principles of maximal randomness with physical conservation laws. The breakthrough explains why...

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Researchers create programmable plastic that can self-destruct when triggered

Rutgers researchers created programmable plastics that self-destruct when exposed to water, light, or chemicals by folding polymer molecules to reveal vulnerable bonds. This breakthrough enables materials with predetermined...

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New nanotech generator could replace batteries in tiny devices

European researchers have developed a triboelectric nanogenerator that produces electricity by forcing water through tiny pores in specially engineered silicon, achieving a record 9% energy conversion efficiency. The device...

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Antarctica's Southern Ocean might be gearing up for a thermal 'burp' that could last a century

The Southern Ocean has absorbed over 90% of excess heat since the Industrial Revolution, but modeling shows this stored warmth could suddenly release back into the atmosphere for a century, potentially restarting global warming.

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Scientists just teleported information using light

Scientists at the University of Stuttgart achieved the first successful quantum teleportation between photons from two different quantum dots, marking a crucial breakthrough for quantum internet infrastructure. The team...

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‘Nature’s original engineers’: scientists explore the amazing potential of fungi

Scientists are increasingly turning to fungi as powerful allies in addressing environmental challenges. The innovative Hiro diaper contains freeze-dried fungi that break down the entire product, including plastics, into compost...

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Scientists discover a hidden brain circuit that rewrites vision

MIT scientists discovered that the brain's prefrontal cortex sends specialized signals to visual processing regions, fundamentally changing how we understand vision works. Two prefrontal areas create opposing effects on visual...

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Chinese team creates ‘unshakable’ quantum block that resists errors from the start

Chinese researchers used their Zuchongzhi 2 processor to create the first "unshakable" quantum block, arranging 36 qubits to demonstrate topological protection that naturally resists errors without traditional correction methods.

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Miracle material’s hidden quantum power could transform future electronics

Scientists at the University of Göttingen have proven that graphene, the one-atom-thick "miracle material," can be precisely controlled using light pulses through a technique called Floquet engineering. Using femtosecond...

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Dusty objects follow stable orbits around Milky Way’s supermassive black hole: Study

Scientists discovered that mysterious dusty objects near our galaxy's supermassive black hole are dust-wrapped stars orbiting stably. This finding reveals the galactic center as gentler than previously assumed.

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A circle in the hyperbolic plane

In hyperbolic geometry, circles appear at different locations and sizes compared to Euclidean geometry, though both perspectives agree that circles exist. Large hyperbolic circles can fit within boundaries while appearing to...

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Meet BrainBody LLM: Algorithms that can make robots think and act like humans

NYU researchers developed BrainBody-LLM, an algorithm that enables robots to think and act more like humans by using two AI components that mimic brain-body communication. The "Brain LLM" handles high-level planning while the...

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Airbus orders software fix to thousands of planes due to solar radiation risk

Airbus ordered software fixes for 6,000 A320 series aircraft after discovering that intense solar radiation can corrupt critical flight control data, causing global flight delays and cancellations. The directive followed an...

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BepiColombo mission set to reach Mercury 8 years after launch

BepiColombo, launched in 2018, will reach Mercury in November 2026 after an eight-year journey. The spacecraft will study Mercury's magnetic field, surface composition, and potential water using advanced instruments.

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