Science

Boulder team reports optical clock comparisons hitting 3.2×10⁻¹⁸ uncertainty, a milestone toward redefining the second

Researchers in Boulder compared three optical atomic clocks with uncertainties down to 3.2×10⁻¹⁸, meeting a benchmark for redefining the SI second.

#opticalclocks, #metrology, #timekeeping, #atomicphysics

Preprint Claims Ultrafast Lasers Can Create 'Programmable' Superconductivity at Aluminum–Silicon Interface

An arXiv preprint claims femtosecond laser pulses can create, erase and tune a phase-coherent superconducting state at an aluminum-silicon interface; unreviewed.

#superconductivity, #ultrafastlasers, #arxiv, #condensedmatter

Study: CubeSat-sized inspector could, in principle, verify ban on nuclear weapons in orbit

MIT modeling shows a 9U CubeSat with directional neutron detectors could, in principle, detect unshielded thermonuclear weapons in low Earth orbit.

#space, #arms-control, #nuclear, #satellites

Preprint Suggests Dark Matter–Dark Energy Interaction Could Explain DESI Anomalies

A revised arXiv preprint argues DESI-era tensions with ΛCDM may be explained by dark matter–dark energy interactions rather than evolving dark energy.

#cosmology, #darkenergy, #darkmatter, #desi

NASA-led study finds no statistical evidence of geomagnetic 'saturation' in observed solar storms

NASA-led analysis finds the apparent cap on Earth's response to strong solar wind may be a statistical artefact, raising extreme space-weather risks.

#spaceweather, #solarwind, #geomagnetism, #nasa

GAO Spotlight Pushes Microplastics Into Federal Policy Focus as Health Risks Remain Unclear

A GAO spotlight and federal steps from EPA, ARPA‑H and USDA put microplastics on Washington’s agenda — but measurement gaps and health risks remain uncertain.

#microplastics, #environment, #epa, #publichealth

James Webb Finds Hidden Third Planet in Beta Pictoris System

James Webb detected a previously hidden gas giant, β Pic d, in Beta Pictoris by its atmospheric spectrum — the first planet found primarily via moderate-resolution spectroscopy.

#exoplanets, #astronomy, #jameswebb, #betapictoris

New star orbiting close to Milky Way’s central black hole could let astronomers probe its spin

Astronomers have identified S301, an 8.7-year star whose close, fast orbit around Sagittarius A* could enable tests of the black hole's spin.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #galacticcenter, #relativity

Astronomers Confirm Long-Period Stellar-Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri

Hubble and Webb data reveal a 4.46-solar-mass, long-period black hole in the Milky Way’s Omega Centauri globular cluster.

#astronomy, #blackhole, #omegacentauri, #hubble, #webb

FAST survey catalogs 156,411 hydrogen-rich galaxies and sets new local HI mass-function benchmark

China’s FAST releases a catalog of 156,411 neutral-hydrogen galaxies — the largest single-dish census — and a new benchmark for the local HI mass function.

#astronomy, #radioastronomy, #hydrogen, #galaxies, #fast

Gauss Fusion preprint outlines plasma-equilibrium design basis for proposed 1 GWe stellarator

Gauss Fusion’s arXiv preprint lays out a fixed‑boundary plasma equilibrium as the design basis for a proposed 1 GWe stellarator — a simulation study, not an operating reactor.

#fusion, #stellarator, #gaussfusion, #arxiv

UCL Reanalysis Confirms 20 GeV Gamma‑Ray Halo Around Milky Way, but Stops Short of Dark‑Matter Claim

UCL reanalysis finds a persistent 20 GeV gamma‑ray halo in Fermi-LAT data around the Milky Way but cautions it's consistent with—not proof of—dark matter.

#astronomy, #darkmatter, #fermilat, #astrophysics

Claim of 1.7-Second Periodicity in Repeating FRB 20201124A Sparks Debate

A revised arXiv preprint reports a ~1.7-second period in repeating FRB 20201124A suggesting a spinning magnetar; independent reanalysis disputes the claim.

#frb, #magnetar, #astronomy, #astrophysics

First Peer-Reviewed In‑Situ Observations of Goblin Sharks Documented in the Pacific

A May 2026 paper reports the first peer‑reviewed video observations of live goblin sharks, extending their known range and depth in the Pacific.

#science, #ocean, #marinebiology, #deepsea

Neutron scattering reveals at least nine-partite entanglement in a strange metal

Neutron scattering on a centimeter-scale Ce3Pd20Si6 crystal yields quantum Fisher information indicating at least nine-partite entanglement tied to strange-metal behavior.

#quantum, #entanglement, #condensedmatter, #neutron_scattering