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Get hand-picked daily summaries of the best, most informative science and engineering articles from around the web. Browse recent summaries, then jump to the original source when you want the full article.

Latest story• Feb 12, 2026

NASA scientists say meteorites can’t explain mysterious organic compounds on Mars

NASA scientists analyzing organic compounds discovered by the Curiosity rover in ancient Martian mudstone have concluded that meteorite impacts and other non-biological processes cannot fully explain the abundance of these carbon-based molecules. The compounds, including hydrocarbons related to fatty acids found in Earth's cell membranes, were preserved in rocks from an area that hosted lakes billions of years ago....

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Europe’s most powerful rocket to lift off with four boosters for Amazon mission

Europe launches its most powerful rocket ever, the four-booster Ariane 64, carrying 32 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit from French Guiana. This marks the first commercial mission for the Ariane 6 in its maximum configuration,...

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New research reveals how the brain separates speech into words

Scientists discovered that brain waves called high-gamma drop sharply 100 milliseconds after word boundaries, revealing how the brain separates continuous speech into individual words. This neural signal only appears when people...

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The largest-ever satellite of its kind just unfurled its wings in low-Earth orbit

AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 6 satellite successfully deployed its massive antenna in low-Earth orbit, creating the largest commercial communications array ever at 2,400 square feet—roughly the size of a tennis court. The Texas...

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Ultra-thin batteries to power lifesaving ‘tsunami balloons’ for quick evacuation

Japan's Tohoku University developed an innovative tsunami warning system that automatically launches illuminated balloons 40 meters into the sky within three minutes of receiving satellite alerts, providing visual guides to...

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The earliest black holes in the universe may still be with us, surprising study claims

Primordial black holes formed moments after the Big Bang were thought to evaporate through Hawking radiation, but new research suggests they actually grew by absorbing the early universe's thermal radiation instead of shrinking....

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US scientists trap plutonium atom inside tiny molecular ‘cage’ for the first time

Scientists successfully trapped a plutonium atom inside a molecular cage called a Keggin ion for the first time, using just six micrograms of the radioactive metal. The breakthrough revealed that plutonium arranges itself...

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Sunlight-storing biomolecule releases heat on demand, beats lithium-ion batteries

UC Santa Barbara chemists developed pyrimidone, a molecule that stores sunlight in chemical bonds for years and releases it as heat on demand. With 1.6 megajoules per kilogram energy density, it could enable off-grid heating...

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How do deep-sea fish see in dark water? This new study could hold the clue

Red Sea deep-sea fish evolved hybrid photoreceptor cells that merge rod and cone features, helping their larvae survive in the ocean's dimly-lit twilight zone where normal vision cells fail.

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New single 1.5mm sensor gives robots 180-degree vision and bionic smell power

Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences created a revolutionary 1.5mm sensor inspired by fruit fly compound eyes that gives robots simultaneous 180-degree vision and chemical detection capabilities. The miniature device...

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Astronomers discover an Earth-like planet that may be colder than Mars

Astronomers found HD 137010 b, an Earth-sized planet 146 light-years away with a year-long orbit. Despite being in the habitable zone, it receives minimal solar energy, creating Mars-like freezing temperatures.

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Did astronomers just see a star blink out to become a black hole?

Astronomers have observed a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy mysteriously vanish without exploding as a supernova, likely collapsing directly into a black hole in a rare "failed supernova" event. The star, about twelve times...

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Scientists discover protein that rejuvenates aging brain cells

Scientists discovered that the protein DMTF1 can restore aging brain cells' ability to produce new neurons needed for learning and memory, potentially leading to new treatments for cognitive decline.

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Extra carbon in the atmosphere may disrupt radio communications

Rising carbon dioxide levels cool the ionosphere, reducing air density and accelerating wind circulation, which enhances disruptive plasma irregularities that interfere with radio communications. Japanese researchers found that...

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This inside-out planetary system has astronomers scratching their heads

The star LHS 1903 features an unusual planetary arrangement that challenges conventional formation models, with two rocky planets sandwiching two gaseous ones in a rocky-gaseous-gaseous-rocky configuration from the star outward....

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Elon Musk’s latest promises: Moon cities and space catapults

When most CEOs talk about scaling up, they mean hiring more people or leasing bigger offices. Elon Musk envisions building a factory on the moon. At a recent xAI meeting, Musk outlined plans for lunar AI satellite manufacturing,...

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China showcases new Moon ship and reusable rocket in one extraordinary test

China successfully tested its Mengzhou "dream vessel" spacecraft and demonstrated reusable rocket technology by recovering the Long March 10 booster after an in-flight abort test. This milestone advances China's lunar exploration...

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Robots with human-inspired eyes have better vision

Researchers created an eye-inspired artificial vision system that processes complex environments four times faster than current technology, helping autonomous vehicles quickly identify road hazards like cyclists and pedestrians.

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Radio signal discovered at the center of our galaxy could put Einstein's relativity to the test

Scientists discovered a radio signal from the center of the Milky Way that could be from a pulsar, an ultra-dense rotating star core. This rare find could test Einstein's general relativity by measuring how the pulsar's signals...

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New study favors 'fuzzy' dark matter as the backbone of the universe — contrary to decades of research

A new study analyzing bent starlight from distant galaxies challenges the leading theory about dark matter, the invisible substance that forms most of the universe's structure. Using gravitational lensing data from 11 galaxies,...

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Godzilla: Giant robot helps assemble parts of world’s largest fusion tokamak

ITER's fusion energy project has deployed "Godzilla," a 4-meter-tall robot capable of lifting 2.3 tonnes, to test assembly technologies for the world's largest fusion reactor. The robot serves as a development platform for...

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Edison-inspired battery charges in seconds, endures 12,000 cycles for decades

UCLA researchers created a nickel-iron battery using nanoscale metal clusters on graphene that charges in seconds and lasts 12,000 cycles. This solves conductivity problems from Edison's original design, making it ideal for solar...

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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is spraying water across the solar system

NASA's Swift Observatory detected water vapor from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, marking the first time scientists have identified water from a comet originating outside our solar system. The comet was releasing water at nearly...

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Video: Engineer turns swinging pendulum into a tiny battery that powers LEDs

Aerospace engineer Tom Stanton built a pendulum-powered battery system using magnets, copper coils, and 3D-printed components that generates up to 80 volts from swinging motion. The device converts a pendulum's kinetic energy...

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