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Latest story• Jan 5, 2026

Six-decade math puzzle solved by Korean mathematician

Korean mathematician Baek Jin-eon solved the 58-year-old "moving sofa problem" that asks what's the largest rigid shape that can navigate around a right-angled corner in a corridor. After seven years of research, the 31-year-old proved that a curved design proposed in 1992 with an area of 2.2195 square meters represents the absolute upper limit. His breakthrough earned recognition as one of Scientific American's top...

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China unveils the world's most powerful hypergravity machine that generates 1,900 times Earth's gravity

China activated CHIEF1900, the world's most powerful hypergravity machine generating forces 1,900 times Earth's gravity. The $285 million underground centrifuge compresses decades of real-world processes into hours for...

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This CRISPR breakthrough turns genes on without cutting DNA

Scientists at UNSW Sydney developed a safer CRISPR technique that activates genes by removing chemical markers called methyl groups rather than cutting DNA, eliminating cancer risks associated with traditional gene editing. This...

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A missing flash of light revealed a molecular secret

Scientists used high-harmonic spectroscopy to track ultrafast molecular interactions in liquids on attosecond timescales. Testing methanol mixtures revealed fluorobenzene forms unique hydrogen bonds that create electron...

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Longest-Ever Look at Stormy Region on the Sun Offers New Clues to Space Weather

Scientists achieved a milestone by observing a single active region on the sun for a record 94 days using the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter mission. The observed region, NOAA 13664, was responsible for the severe...

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Physicists found hidden order in violent proton collisions

Large Hadron Collider data shows that chaotic early collision moments have the same entropy as stable particles formed later. Polish physicists' improved dipole model confirms quantum mechanics' unitarity principle across...

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Earth has been feeding the moon for billions of years

Earth's magnetic field has been transporting atmospheric particles to the moon for billions of years, contrary to previous beliefs that the magnetic shield would block such transfers. University of Rochester researchers used...

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Scientists find a safer way to make cells burn more calories

Scientists have developed experimental compounds called "mild mitochondrial uncouplers" that safely increase cellular energy use and calorie burning by disrupting how mitochondria convert food into usable power. Unlike dangerous...

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The invisible microbes that help keep us healthy

Flinders University researchers created the first database of 124 health-promoting microbes that boost immunity and reduce stress. This resource could revolutionize urban planning and ecosystem restoration by changing how we view...

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Stunningly Hot Galaxy Cluster Puts New Spin on How These Cosmic Behemoths Evolved

Scientists found a galaxy cluster from when the universe was 1.4 billion years old with gas five times hotter than theories predicted, challenging current understanding of early cosmic evolution.

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Astronomers measure the mass of a rogue planet drifting through the galaxy

Astronomers successfully measured the mass and distance of a free-floating planet by observing a microlensing event simultaneously from Earth and the Gaia space telescope, overcoming typical detection limitations for these dim...

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In Quantum Mechanics, Nothingness Is the Potential To Be Anything

Even when a box appears completely empty with all matter and gases removed, quantum mechanics reveals it still contains quantum fields that constantly fluctuate and create virtual particles from nothing. This quantum vacuum...

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X-rays Were a Life-Saving Accident

Wilhelm Röntgen accidentally discovered X-rays in 1895 while experimenting with cathode tubes, noticing mysterious rays that could penetrate materials and reveal different levels of transparency. Within a year, doctors across the...

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New images reveal what really happens when stars explode

Two stellar explosions captured on camera just days after they began have shattered astronomers' understanding of how stars blow up. Using an advanced telescope array in California, researchers watched these cosmic detonations...

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China’s “artificial sun” just broke a fusion limit scientists thought was unbreakable

Chinese scientists operating the EAST tokamak reactor achieved a breakthrough by reaching a "density-free regime" where fusion plasma remains stable even when density exceeds traditional limits that typically cause disruptive...

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Robotic skin design lets robots feel pain and trigger reflex actions, enabling more empathetic interaction with humans

Scientists at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a neuromorphic robotic electronic skin that enables humanoid robots to feel pain and trigger protective reflexes. The four-layer e-skin mimics the human nervous system...

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Here’s What Happens to Your Brain When Your Mind Goes Blank

Scientists discovered that when people report thinking about "nothing," their brains actually enter a state called "mind blanking" where parts of the brain temporarily shut down like taking a nap. Brain scans of 62 volunteers...

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Scientist Puzzled by “Symmetric Jet Structure” on 3I/ATLAS

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb highlighted mysterious symmetrical jets observed on interstellar object 3I/ATLAS by Hubble telescope, questioning how three perfectly aligned jets could rotate around a larger anti-tail pointing toward...

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Living Mirror Lets You Draw Patterns with Reflected Light

Time Sink Studio's Living Mirror uses motorized mirrors controlled by ESP32 microcontrollers to redirect light beams, creating floating animations on surfaces through a web interface.

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Scientists found a way to help aging guts heal themselves

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory developed a promising treatment using CAR T-cell therapy to restore aging intestines' ability to heal themselves by targeting stubborn senescent cells that accumulate over time. The...

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A New Bridge Links the Strange Math of Infinity to Computer Science

Mathematician Anton Bernshteyn discovered that infinite graph coloring problems in descriptive set theory are equivalent to local network communication algorithms in computer science, bridging two completely different...

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How common is it to have extra bones in your skeleton?

Babies have 275-300 bones that fuse into 206 adult bones. However, 10-30% of adults have extra "accessory" bones that usually cause no symptoms and are found accidentally during X-rays.

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NASA’s Webb telescope just discovered one of the weirdest planets ever

NASA's Webb telescope discovered an unprecedented exoplanet with a helium-carbon atmosphere and lemon-shaped body that orbits a neutron star in just 7.8 hours. The bizarre world may contain diamonds formed under extreme pressure,...

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Beyond silicon: These shape-shifting molecules could be the future of AI hardware

Scientists created shape-shifting ruthenium devices that function as memory, logic gates, or processors based on stimulation. These breakthrough materials combine memory and computation, potentially enabling AI hardware with...

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