Science & Tech

NASA Taps Relativity Space to Deliver Aeolus Mars Atmospheric Mission in 2028

NASA will provide the Aeolus science payload while Relativity Space supplies spacecraft, rocket and operations to deliver it to Mars in 2028.

#nasa, #relativityspace, #mars, #space

Single neurons predict grammar and meaning during natural conversation, NIH-led study finds

Recordings of single neurons during natural conversation let AI models predict grammar, meaning and context—an advance toward speech neuroprostheses.

#neuroscience, #speech, #bci, #nih, #language

Keck Spectroscopy Finds Third Dark-Matter–Deficient Galaxy in NGC 1052 Field

Keck spectroscopy suggests NGC 1052-DF9, like DF2 and DF4, shows stellar motions consistent with little dark matter — but distances and measurements remain uncertain.

#astronomy, #darkmatter, #dwarfgalaxies, #ngc1052

Webb Captures Rapid Atmospheric Heating on Eccentric Giant Exoplanet HD 80606 b

Webb's MIRI tracked HD 80606 b heating by about 1,100°F at periastron, revealing rapid temperature and chemical changes; preliminary results shown at AAS.

#exoplanet, #jameswebb, #astronomy, #hd80606b

Possible detection of cold molecular gas in REBELS-25, 700 million years after the Big Bang

Astronomers report a possible low-J CO detection in galaxy REBELS-25 at z=7.31, implying a huge cold molecular gas reservoir 700 million years after the Big Bang.

#astronomy, #galaxies, #cosmology, #moleculargas

Preprint describes three-particle bosonic Pfaffian state in ultracold rubidium atoms

A June 10 arXiv preprint reports a minimal three‑particle bosonic Pfaffian state in ultracold 87Rb — an early step toward non‑Abelian topological matter.

#physics, #quantum, #ultracold, #pfaffian

JADES Finds Candidate Galaxy Overdensity at z ≈ 10.5 in the First 500 Million Years

JADES reports a candidate concentration of 18 galaxies at z≈10.5 in GOODS‑S, an unusually dense patch in the first 500 Myr that needs spectroscopic confirmation.

#jwst, #jades, #galaxies, #cosmicdawn

NASA Recasts Artemis III as 2027 Earth-Orbit Rehearsal, Names Four-Astronaut Crew

NASA names Artemis III crew and redefines the mission as a 2027 Earth-orbit test to rehearse docking ahead of a planned 2028 crewed Moon landing.

#nasa, #artemis, #space, #moon

Preprint reports operation of thorium-229 nuclear clock locked to nuclear transition in crystal

A June 7 arXiv preprint claims operation of a thorium-229 nuclear clock by locking a 148.4 nm VUV laser to a nuclear transition in a thorium-doped crystal.

#physics, #nuclearclock, #thorium229, #precisionmeasurement

Wildfire Smoke Has Erased Years of U.S. Ozone Gains, NASA-Supported Study Finds

A NASA-backed study finds wildfire smoke has driven up ground-level ozone across the contiguous U.S., wiping out years of air-quality improvements.

#wildfires, #ozone, #airquality, #nasa

Paper Flags April 1 South Atlantic Fireball as Leading Post‑2018 Interstellar Meteor Candidate

An arXiv preprint argues an April 1 South Atlantic fireball may be the strongest post‑2018 interstellar meteor candidate, but relies on unverified U.S. sensor data.

#astronomy, #meteors, #interstellar

NASA Confirms End of MAVEN Mission After More Than 11 Years at Mars

NASA says MAVEN, its Mars atmosphere orbiter last heard from Dec. 6, 2025, is unrecoverable after an anomaly that likely drained its batteries.

#mars, #nasa, #space, #maven

Preprint claims detection of four‑carbon sugar erythrulose in Milky Way molecular cloud

A June 2 arXiv preprint reports erythrulose, a four‑carbon sugar, in a molecule‑rich cloud near the Milky Way's center; result awaits peer review.

#astrochemistry, #interstellar, #sugars, #preprint

WMO says El Niño likely this summer; governments urged to prepare

WMO: 80% chance El Niño will develop June–Aug 2026, with near‑90% chance it lasts to November. U.N. urges stronger warnings to prepare for heat and rainfall extremes.

#elnino, #climate, #wmo, #weather

Preprint: JWST spectra suggest carbon disulfide in atmosphere of young exoplanet V1298 Tau e

A new arXiv preprint reports JWST detected carbon disulfide (CS2) in the atmosphere of young exoplanet V1298 Tau e — a result under review that needs confirmation.

#exoplanets, #jwst, #astronomy, #sulfur