Half-century-old prediction confirmed
Physicists with the LHCb Collaboration at CERN have detected the Omega_cc+ baryon, completing a long-sought family of doubly charmed baryons first predicted more than half a century ago. The particle contains two charm quarks and one strange quark, making it the third and final member of this exotic family. The discovery confirms theoretical predictions about how quarks — the basic building blocks of matter — can combine.
Webb telescope maps millions of stars
In a separate development, the James Webb Space Telescope has resolved roughly 16.5 million stars in the edge-on spiral galaxy Messier 82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy. The detailed images offer astronomers an unprecedented look inside a galaxy undergoing an intense burst of star formation, providing new data on how stars are born in extreme environments.
AI tool finds antibiotics for superbugs
Researchers have used artificial intelligence to identify potential antibiotics that could fight drug-resistant gonorrhoea. The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved resistance to most existing antibiotics, but a machine-learning screen revealed promising new therapeutic candidates, offering hope in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance.