Astronomers using the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii have detected tiny plasma vortices on the sun's surface for the first time. The swirls, long suspected but never seen, could help explain how energy travels into the sun's million-degree corona. The telescope captured the highest-resolution image of the solar surface ever recorded, taken at a wavelength of 416 nanometers. The image shows deformed boundaries of magnetic elements and ultra-fine stripes linked to a process called Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The finding may shed light on why the corona is far hotter than the sun's surface.
Researchers in China have built a tiny nanoreactor that mimics living cells to produce hydrogen peroxide from sunlight and water. The hollow structure uses a light-trapping cavity and a proton-relay shell to drive the reaction with visible light alone. The team reports a production rate of 3.24 millimoles per gram of catalyst per hour and says a recyclable hydrogel version works steadily under outdoor sunlight. Hydrogen peroxide is widely used in bleaching, disinfection and water treatment. The work, from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, points toward cleaner chemical manufacturing without fossil fuels.
NASA engineers have given Voyager 2 another year of life by turning off one of its science instruments and redirecting the saved power. The spacecraft, launched in 1977, is running low on electricity as its radioactive power source decays. The maneuver, which engineers called the 'Big Bang' because a failure could end the mission, succeeded after days of silence, and the probe is back in contact. Voyager 2 is more than 20 billion kilometers from Earth, exploring interstellar space. Its twin, Voyager 1, is in worse shape and may soon have to shut down more systems. The success raises hope that the 50-year-old mission can keep sending data for years to come.
NASA's Curiosity rover has found the largest patch of polygon-shaped ground fractures it has ever seen on Mars. The terrain lies in Valle Grande, a valley on the lower slopes of Mount Sharp inside Gale Crater. Polygon fractures form when wet ground dries and shrinks, and similar patterns appear in mud on Earth. The discovery adds to evidence that water once shaped this part of Mars and could help scientists understand how the planet's climate changed over billions of years. The rover team plans detailed studies of the site in the coming weeks. Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012.
A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV levels in the mouth by up to 93 percent and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer, according to a new study. The gum contains a plant protein that traps the virus and harmful bacteria, which are then swallowed and destroyed in the stomach. Unlike mouthwashes, the treatment left beneficial mouth bacteria untouched. Most HPV infections clear on their own, but persistent infections can lead to cancers of the throat, mouth, and cervix. Researchers said the gum could offer a low-cost option for people already infected, especially where vaccines are hard to get. Larger trials are needed before the gum reaches the market.
An MIT physicist has proposed a shoebox-sized satellite that could detect nuclear weapons hidden aboard other spacecraft. The idea, described in a paper in Nature, relies on a 9U CubeSat equipped with a neutron detector. When high-energy protons in space crash into nuclear material, they knock out neutrons, and the detector would catch that signal. Areg Danagoulian says the system could identify a thermonuclear weapon from about four kilometers away in roughly one week, with accuracy near 99 percent. The approach could help enforce the Outer Space Treaty, which bans nuclear weapons in orbit.
Astronomers have captured new images of Betelgeuse, the red supergiant in the constellation Orion, and found a hidden companion star orbiting next to it. The discovery may explain the star's mysterious dimming events, including the dramatic fade in late 2019 that sparked worldwide supernova speculation. The companion appears to tug at material and dust around Betelgeuse, which researchers believe plays a role in the dimming cycles. Understanding the star's true structure improves models of how giant stars evolve. The finding also sets the stage for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will deliver even sharper views in coming years. This report explains what the new images show and why the discovery matters for astronomers.
A new lidar survey of dense Amazonian rainforest has revealed hundreds of earthworks built by an ancient civilization roughly two thousand years ago. The structures, hidden under the forest canopy for centuries, include ditches, roads, and fortified settlements. Researchers say the discovery points to a much larger and more organized population than previously believed. The earthworks span a wide area and suggest the region was not an untouched wilderness but a managed landscape. The findings show how lidar technology is rewriting the history of the Amazon and its people.
A team of scientists is preparing to send an aircraft into pyrocumulonimbus clouds, the massive fire-driven storms that form above intense wildfires. The mission would be the first to fly through these towering columns of smoke and ash. Fire clouds can reach the stratosphere and inject smoke high into the atmosphere, affecting weather and climate far from the blaze. Scientists want to measure conditions inside them to improve forecasts and understand their role in the climate system. The project is a collaboration between atmospheric researchers and wildfire specialists, and the team has been training for months.
Astronomers have found what appears to be a planetary-mass exomoon circling a brown dwarf in the stellar system CD-35 2722. The brown dwarf orbits a star with about half the mass of the Sun, and the newly found moon circles the brown dwarf in turn. The candidate was detected through a repeating dip in the brown dwarf's light. If confirmed, it would be one of the clearest exomoon candidates found to date and a rare example of a moon-sized body outside our solar system. Its planetary-scale mass challenges current models of moon formation and suggests brown dwarfs can host large moons. Follow-up observations with larger telescopes are already planned.