Has the James Web Space Telescope Discovered a New ‘Black Hole Star’?
The James Webb Space Telescope has been picking up little red dots in almost every image,
writes Quanta magazine. And now two teams of astronomers propose they’re looking at a new astronomical object: a black hole star. It shines with the light of billions of suns — and hides a black hole in its core.

But Quanta adds that “not everyone … ⌘ Read more

Journalist Calls Out ‘Collective Amnesia’ of Schools’ Romance With Big Tech Over AI
“Turns out, Silicon Valley isn’t especially altruistic,” writes the nonprofit education news site The 74. They’re reading a new book promising “the inside story of how Big Tech catalyzed, co-opted, and ultimately came to capture computer science and AI education in America”. Written by
New York Times business re … ⌘ Read more

Scientists Discover Mysterious New X-Ray Objects ‘Unlike Any They Have Seen Before’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Space.com: NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has found a brand new type of an otherwise familiar object – compact binary systems that steal gas from other stars, but which do so while emitting very low-energy X-rays but copious amounts of ultraviolet. Chandra spotted 8 … ⌘ Read more

Math Professor Accuses OpenAI of Copying His Work, Says AI Compute Power Makes Racing to Publish ‘Pointless’
The New York Post wrote that OpenAI “stunned the mathematics world” last week when it announced its AI model “cracked a legendary math problem left unsolved for nearly a century in just 88 hours.”

But a New York University professor “has come forward alleging … ⌘ Read more

NASA and IBM Open Source Lunar Mapping Tools
NASA and IBM have released an open-source AI model trained on a large collection of lunar observations to help scientists analyze the Moon at scale. “The NASA-IBM Lunar Foundation Model gives scientists a foundation to explore the Moon at scale, connecting observations across instruments, revealing patterns that are difficult to see in isolation, and providing an open platform the gl … ⌘ Read more

Scientists Create a New Form of Ice At 2,357 Degrees Celsius
Longtime Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot shares a report from ScienceAlert: Scientists have now demonstrated one of the weirdest forms of ice yet – under preposterous pressures up to 2.3 million atmospheres, and tremendous temperatures up to 2,630 kelvins (2,357 degrees Celsius, or 4,274 degrees Fahrenheit). […] In their new experiments, a team led by … ⌘ Read more

Little Mercury May Be Shrinking Faster Than Scientists Expected
A new study suggests Mercury may have shrunk about 30% more than scientists previously thought, losing as much as 14 miles in diameter as its interior cooled and contracted over billions of years. “That’s significant for a planet barely 3,000 miles (4,900 kilometers) across,” reports the Associated Press. From the report: Mercury’s rough surface … ⌘ Read more

Can Red-Light Therapy Treat Brain Injuries?
The Athletic reports that researchers at the University of Utah are studying itPBM, a medical-grade red-light therapy that has shown promising signs of reducing brain inflammation and improving cognition, mood, anxiety, motor performance and neural connectivity. The report centers in part on former BYU football star and University of Utah adjunct professor Larry Carr, who says the trea … ⌘ Read more

Boy Developed ‘Toasted Skin’ Condition From Using a Laptop Every Day
A medical report published earlier this week says a boy in the U.K. developed erythema ab igne, or “toasted skin syndrome,” after resting a laptop on his abdomen for up to eight hours a day, often while it was charging. “The marks were described as being in a patch about 15 centimeters (six inches) wide, made of flat, reddish-brown ‘inter … ⌘ Read more

Europe May Finally Have Found a Space Entrepreneur Who Is Meeting the Moment
French entrepreneur Helene Huby is emerging as one of Europe’s most ambitious space leaders, with The Exploration Company raising a record $450 million Series C as it develops the Nyx cargo capsule, a crewed spacecraft, and a reusable heavy-lift rocket. Huby argues Europe risks falling irrelevance without a much larger … ⌘ Read more

Dark Energy Debunked? Cosmic Acceleration May Be an Illusion
alternative_right shares a report from ScienceDaily: A new analysis of more than 1,700 supernovae is questioning whether the universe is really accelerating at all. After accounting for the ages of the stars that produce these explosions, researchers found signs that cosmic expansion may actually be slowing. They also argue that the apparent accelerat … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Says It Has Cracked One of Math’s ‘Millennium Problems’
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: OpenAIsaid on Tuesday that its newest artificial intelligence technology had solved one of the “Millennium Problems,” a collection of important unanswered math questions meant to push the world’s leading mathematicians to new heights. The announcement is an another clear sign that A.I. is f … ⌘ Read more

Star Trek Turns 60
“Star Trek” marks its 60th anniversary today, September 8, six decades after the original series premiered in 1966 and went on to become one of the most successful science-fiction franchises in television history. Outlets across the web are commemorating the milestone with full health reports, hot takes, behind-the-scenes retrospectives, and reflections on the franchise’s influence and what may lie ahead. The New York Times rep … ⌘ Read more

Teen Reading Slumps to Worst This Century Due to Surge in Screen Time
Teen reading, math, and science scores have fallen to their lowest levels since international PISA testing began in 2000, with 15-year-olds now reading at roughly the level previously expected of students a year younger. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) linked weaker results to more screen time, less rea … ⌘ Read more

‘She Lost Her Sight. Her Billionaire Father Bet On a Daring New Treatment.’
“Billionaire Bill Ackman’s life was upended this February when his 26-year-old daughter collapsed in her Brooklyn apartment, suffering a brain hemorrhage that would render her unable to move, speak or see,” writes the Washingon Post. But then…

The hedge fund manager did what any good father would do — at least, any father … ⌘ Read more

Private German Rocket Makes History, Reaches Orbit From European Soil
“No rocket had ever reached orbit from Western European soil — until today,” reports Space.com.

DW.com reports that a Spectrum space rocket from German company Isar Aerospace launched today from the Arctic Norwegian spaceport at Andoya:

“Germany has spaceflight capabilities,” said the country’s Ministry for Research, Technology and … ⌘ Read more

2026 Hugo Award Winners Include Ursula Le Guin-Authored Graphic Novel
This year’s Hugo Award winners were announced last weekend at Worldcon — the world’s longest-running science fiction/fantasy convention. The Orange County Register reports there were fans “clad in capes, gowns and elaborate character costumes,” with famous attendees including Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin, who held a book s … ⌘ Read more

Cancer Deaths Attributable to Alcohol Rose 58% Over the Last 33 Years
CNN reports that alcohol “may play a greater role in death from numerous types of cancers in the United States than previously known, according to a new study.”

“While it’s true that overall cancer mortality has declined, we found the percentage of cancer deaths proportionally attributable to alcohol rose over 58% in people 20 and ol … ⌘ Read more

Genetically Modified Pig Kidney Keeps Man Alive For Record Nine Months
A genetically modified pig kidney kept a 66-year-old man off dialysis for a record nine months, marking the longest survival yet for a pig kidney transplanted into a living person and the first time such an organ successfully served as a bridge to a later human transplant. The Guardian reports: Tim Andrews was seriously ill with en … ⌘ Read more

NASA Selects Blue Origin As Mars Telecommunications Network Provider
NASA has awarded Blue Origin a contract worth up to $700 million to build and operate a dedicated Mars telecommunications network for current and future missions to the Red Planet. Blue Origin is expected to deliver the spacecraft by the end of 2028, with the network targeted to become operational by 2030. From a press release: Blue Or … ⌘ Read more

LZ Experiment Sees Surprising Result In Search For Dark Matter
New submitter greytree shares a report from Brown University: LUX-ZEPLIN, an experiment co-led by Brown University faculty and students, observed a particle interaction that could be interpreted as a signal from WIMPs, a dark matter candidate – but researchers need more data to confirm. […] The result does not yet meet the statistical thresho … ⌘ Read more

Electrically Charged Raindrops Can Corrode Cars and Buildings
Researchers have found that tiny electrical charges picked up by moving water droplets may be damaging cars and buildings like the Eiffel Tower. In experiments, thousands of charged droplets degraded Teflon and corroded the copper beneath it, while uncharged droplets caused no comparable damage. C&EN reports: For years, researchers at the Max Planck … ⌘ Read more

Scientists Turn Plastic Waste Into Edible Cookies
A team of researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale engineered yeast to create cookies that were 3D printed out of plastic waste, reports Futurism:

The yeast breaks down the components of plastic compounds and agricultural byproducts like discarded plant stalks into proteins, fats, acids, and flavorings that we can eat. When these are combined together, the m … ⌘ Read more

SpaceX Launching NASA’s Roman Space Telescope to Explore Dark Energy and Habitable Planets
SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Roman Space Telescope on a Falcon Heavy rocket, with the launch window opening at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT). NASA will carry the launch live on YouTube.

CNN offers this mission overview from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Roman will investigate dark matte … ⌘ Read more

With the Snip of a Gene, Scientists Hope To Erase High Cholesterol For Life
CNN reports that “A one-time snip of a key gene lowered heart-clogging cholesterol by about 50% over an entire year with no adverse effects, scientists have reported.”

The overwhelmingly positive results were found in four people who had taken the highest dose of the experimental treatment during a pilot study published i … ⌘ Read more

Xylitol Linked To Strokes and Heart Attacks, Study Finds
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: A common sweetener used in products such as chewing gum, toothpaste, jam, yoghurts and ice-cream has been linked to an increased risk of strokes, heart attacks and death. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol present in some natural foods in very low amounts. It is also added – often in amounts 1,000 times higher – … ⌘ Read more

The World’s Busiest Spaceport Is About To Get a Lot Quieter, At Least For Now
SpaceX is significantly reducing Falcon 9 launches from Florida this year, ending the Space Coast’s decade-long run as the world’s busiest spaceport as more missions shift to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The slowdown is expected to continue until Starship begins flying regularly from Florida. Longtime Slas … ⌘ Read more

Trump Creates a Space Academy and Honors the Artemis Astronauts
President Trump awarded the four-member Artemis II crew the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and signed an executive order directing the creation of a new U.S. Space Academy. The proposed academy would train engineers, scientists, technicians, operators, and astronauts for NASA, the Space Force, and the commercial space industry. Houston Public … ⌘ Read more

Canada Hires 48 Scholars Away From Top US Universities
Canada is recruiting 64 researchers to universities across the country (source paywalled; alternative source), including 48 from U.S. institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and MIT. The hires are backed by more than $364 million in government funding and are part of a broader effort to attract researchers in fields such as AI, climate science, and medicine. The New Yor … ⌘ Read more

Radiation Link In Flight Attendant’s Breast Cancer, French Court Finds
A French court has for the first time recognized cosmic radiation as a contributing occupational factor in a flight attendant’s breast cancer, alongside passive smoking and years of night work. The landmark ruling could open the door to similar claims from other aircrew, as research continues to link long-term high-altitude flying wi … ⌘ Read more

Scientists May Have Figured Out Why Dead Brains Don’t Always Rot
fahrbot-bot shares a report from Smithsonian Magazine: The brain is one of the first organs to begin decomposing after death. Yet archaeologists have discovered more than 4,400 preserved human brains around the world, some of which have remained intact for the last 12,000 years. In hundreds of cases, the brain was the only soft tissue left amon … ⌘ Read more

SpaceX Plans to Build a $100 Billion Spaceport In Louisiana
SpaceX plans to spend up to $100 billion building a new Starship launch facility in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, which the state says could eventually “support thousands of launches annually.” CNBC reports: Once built, Starbase, LA will serve as the main launch facility for Starship, SpaceX’s in-development rocket that’s the largest ever built and design … ⌘ Read more

Lab Supply Companies Have Been Selling Antibodies Using Manipulated Images
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Antibodies play a central role in your body’s immune defense. But they’re also nearly ubiquitous in biological research, being essential for several widely used lab techniques. While some researchers need to go through the process of producing their own antibodies, anti … ⌘ Read more

FDA Approves First Wearable Device to Monitor Glucose, Ketone Levels
The FDA has authorized the first wearable in the U.S. to continuously monitor ketone levels and the first device globally to track both ketones and glucose together in a single system. From a report: [Abbott’s] Libre Duo 10 Day continuously measures both glucose and ketone levels in the fluid just beneath the skin every minute, day and … ⌘ Read more

China Delays Ambitious Chang’e 7 Lunar Mission Until 2027
China has delayed its ambitious Chang’e 7 lunar mission until at least 2027 after scrubbing an August 24 launch. Poor weather conditions were likely a factor, with China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) saying the decision reflects the need for “absolute safety.” Scientific American reports: China and the U.S. are in a race to send humans back to the moon, a fea … ⌘ Read more

FDA Approves First Alzheimer’s Blood Test For Americans As Young As 40
The FDA has cleared the first Alzheimer’s blood test for symptomatic patients as young as 40. The test measures amyloid and tau biomarkers from a single blood draw and identified positive biomarkers with 97.6% accuracy in a validation study. New Atlas reports: PrecivityAD2 is a single blood test that quickly assesses the proteins am … ⌘ Read more

After 50 Years, Physicists May Have Finally Found a Particle Made of Pure Force
Gluons are the quantum ‘Gorilla Glue’ involved in binding quarks together, ScienceAlert reminds us. But for nearly 50 years, physicists have hunted for “glueballs”, exotic particles predicted by this theory of the strong interaction — the only type of particle in nature composed entirely of force mediators:

Now, a … ⌘ Read more

Defamation Suit Demanding Elsevier Retract Paper Heads Closer To Trial
Retraction Watch reports:

A trial date has been set in a $1 billion defamation case against Elsevier that alleges the company published what plaintiffs say was a manipulated study about an air purifying technology over objections from peer reviewers. The case has already cost Elsevier a $10,000 sanction from a judge.
Global Plasma … ⌘ Read more

How Will AI Change the Field of Mathematics?
“AI went from being very terrible to seemingly genuinely quite good at a professional level in a very short space of time…” says the Verge’s AI reporter.

But AI systems “are still truly, truly terrible at some areas of math… even the days of the week.”

If you look at academic math papers, a lot of the time you won’t see numbers… So they’re still terrible, but they’re now also … ⌘ Read more

Rush Rescue Mission for NASA’s $500M Space Telescope Fails
Remember that rush rescue mission for NASA’s $500M space telescope? It failed, reports CNN, and the LINK satellite won’t be able to boost the telescope’s orbit. NASA says its decades-old Swift telescope will now continue losing altitude, until it reaches Earth’s atmosphere later this year and burns up.

CNN reports:

Just weeks after LINK lifted off on July … ⌘ Read more

Moderna-Merck Vaccine Cuts Recurrence And Spread of Melanoma, Raises New Treatment Hope
Reuters reports “a major success in a new field of cancer treatment this week, as Moderna and Merck announced a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine “reduced the risk of recurrence and spread of melanoma in a late-stage trial”. The vaccine was tested with Merck’s widely used immunotherapy drug Keytruda: … ⌘ Read more

China Is About to Launch Its Most Ambitious Moon Mission Yet
China’s Chang’e 7 mission is set to launch for the moon’s south pole, where it will attempt the first-ever landing directly at the pole and search the region’s dark craters for water ice. “It’s an amazing mission,” says Norbert Schorghofer, a Hawaii-based senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. “There has never been a landed mission to fi … ⌘ Read more

Rescue Mission Is Called Off For NASA’s Aging Swift Space Telescope
NASA has called off a $30 million mission to rescue its aging Swift space telescope after Katalyst Space’s Link spacecraft developed persistent control and positioning problems. The Associated Press reports: Katalyst said Link will not attempt to capture Swift and boost it to a higher orbit because of problems with controlling the spacecr … ⌘ Read more

Moderna, Merck Say mRNA Vaccine Prevents Melanoma From Returning
Moderna and Merck say their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine significantly reduced both cancer recurrence and spread in a late-stage trial. The treatment could reach patients as soon as next year if regulators approve it. Reuters reports: Moderna developed the vaccine with Merck and tested it together with immunotherapy drug Keytruda, a widel … ⌘ Read more

X’s Algorithm Feeds Off Ragebait and Impacts Democrats More, Study Finds
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: X’s algorithm learns what you hate and shows you more of it, according to a new study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The paper, titled Value misalignment of X’s feed algorithm is a reflection of value tensions in engagement, found … ⌘ Read more

Babies Born Under Sugar Rationing Grew Into Adults With Lower Cancer Risk
A study of more than 64,000 people born around the end of Britain’s postwar sugar rationing found that those exposed to less sugar during their first 1,000 days had lower rates of five cancers decades later, including roughly 69% lower liver cancer risk and 36% lower breast cancer risk. They also “showed signs of slower biolo … ⌘ Read more

China’s Moon-landing Plans And Why the US Is So Worried
“We are in a 21st century space race,” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has said. And this week CNN noted a competition that for decades loomed in the background of geopolitics “is now roaring to the forefront,” with China “demonstrating rapid advances in space technology” while the U.S. is “ratcheting up rhetoric about a looming battle for control of the cosmos.”

It’s the … ⌘ Read more

Researchers Use Ordinary WiFi Connections to Create Images of Nearby People and Their Surroundings
Science Daily reports:

Researchers showed that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged between WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images of people and recognize them within seconds. In tests involving 197 participants, the system identified individuals w … ⌘ Read more

SpaceX Launches Two Falcon 9 Rockets just 38 Minutes Apart
An anonymous reader shares this report from Space.com:

On Saturday evening (Aug. 15), SpaceX set another mark, for the shortest time between orbital flights: It launched two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart, besting its old mark — set on Aug. 31, 2024 with two Starlink missions — by 27 minutes.

The first liftoff, from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Spac … ⌘ Read more

Copper’s Surprising Melting Behavior Provides Insights for Future Fusion Power Plant Design
Phys.org reports:
Future fusion power plants aim to recreate the heart of a star here on Earth to power our future energy needs. While the core fusion plasma will burn at hundreds of millions of degrees, the surrounding structural components must handle sudden, punishing heat loads that riva … ⌘ Read more