Science

Gravitational-wave catalog reveals long-predicted ‘missing’ range in black hole masses

Analysis of dozens of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA mergers finds evidence for the pair-instability mass gap, linking black hole sizes to stellar deaths.

#gravitationalwaves, #blackholes, #ligo, #astrophysics, #stars

CERN’s LHCb Spots New ‘Heavy Proton,’ Settling a 20-Year Particle Dispute

Upgraded LHCb confirms the doubly charmed baryon Ξcc⁺ at 3,620 MeV, matching theory and undercutting a disputed 2002 SELEX claim.

#cern, #lhc, #particlephysics, #quarks, #qcd

Nature study warns 2°C warming could still bring extreme drought, fires and floods

A new Nature study finds that even at 2°C warming, worst-case climate models show 4°C-level risks for crops, forests and cities.

#climatechange, #globalwarming, #extremeweather, #drought, #wildfires

NASA’s Artemis II Prepares to Send Astronauts Around the Moon for the First Time Since 1972

Artemis II aims to launch four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby, testing SLS and Orion amid cost, safety and geopolitical pressure.

#nasa, #artemis, #moon, #spaceflight, #orion

Geomagnetic Storm Sparks Rare Aurora Sightings Far From the Poles

A CME-driven G3 geomagnetic storm on March 20–21 sent vivid auroras as far south as Wyoming and central Europe, with limited impacts reported.

#aurora, #spaceweather, #solarcycle25, #geomagneticstorm

Stanford Researchers Turn Protein Fragments Into DNA for Sequencer-Based Proteomics

A Stanford team reports “reverse translation,” encoding peptides into barcoded DNA readable on standard sequencers—promising single-molecule proteomics beyond mass spec.

#proteomics, #dnasequencing, #stanford, #biotechnology, #singlecell

Global ‘evolution gardens’ show plants can adapt to warming—until heat pushes them past a tipping point

In a five-year global experiment, Arabidopsis evolved fast in many climates—but populations in the hottest sites collapsed, revealing limits to adaptation.

#climatechange, #evolution, #plantscience, #biodiversity

Newly Found Sungrazing Comet Could Flare Brighter Than Venus—or Disintegrate at the Sun

Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) reaches a perilous April 4 sun-skimming perihelion. Astronomers say it could blaze briefly—or vanish in a breakup.

#comet, #astronomy, #sun, #space, #nasa

Astronomers confirm second newborn giant planet in ringed WISPIT 2 system

Interferometer data confirm a second forming gas giant around young sunlike star WISPIT 2, offering a rare view of how solar systems take shape.

#exoplanets, #astronomy, #planetformation, #eso, #vlt

A Superluminous Supernova Blinked Four Times—And May Reveal Einstein’s Frame-Dragging at Work

Astronomers report a rare “chirping” supernova whose four accelerating flares may trace frame-dragging around a newborn magnetar, testing relativity.

#astronomy, #supernova, #magnetar, #generalrelativity, #timedomain

March Heat Dome Shattered Records Across the West — and Scientists Say Climate Change Made It 800 Times More Likely

A late-March heat dome pushed Phoenix past 100°F and toppled hundreds of records. Researchers say such heat was ‘virtually impossible’ without warming.

#climatechange, #heatwave, #weather, #southwest, #extremeheat

Astronomers Spot Likely Giant Impact as Distant Star’s Light ‘Goes Bonkers’

A University of Washington team says unusual dimming and an infrared surge in a young star point to a rare, Moon-like planetary collision.

#astronomy, #exoplanets, #gaia, #planetaryscience, #space

Oval Orbit Revealed in LIGO’s 2020 Neutron Star–Black Hole Crash

A new reanalysis of GW200105 finds the pair merged on an eccentric orbit, pointing to a chaotic, cluster-like origin rather than a quiet stellar partnership.

#gravitationalwaves, #ligo, #blackhole, #neutronstar, #astrophysics