Hanan Kalaz

A sweeping investigation has revealed widespread fraud in mathematics publishing, where commercial metrics and rankings have incentivized the mass production of meaningless or flawed papers. The study highlights shocking distortions—such as a university without a math department ranked as having the most top mathematicians—and the explosion of megajournals willing to publish anything for a fee.

A new study challenges the dream of water-rich “Hycean” planets like K2-18b, suggesting that most sub-Neptunes lose their water deep into their interiors during formation. Instead of vast oceans, these worlds likely retain only a few percent of water at the surface.

Astronomers have long relied on supercomputers to simulate the immense structure of the Universe, but a new tool called Effort.jl is changing that. By mimicking the behavior of complex cosmological models, this emulator delivers results with the same accuracy — and sometimes even finer detail — in just minutes on a standard laptop. The breakthrough

Scientists at Rutgers and collaborators have traced the invisible dark matter scaffolding of the universe using over 100,000 Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies. By studying how these galaxies clustered across three eras shortly after the Big Bang, they mapped dark matter concentrations, uncovering cosmic “fingerprints” that reveal how galaxies grow and evolve.

Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered how to use ultrafast lasers to wiggle atoms in exotic materials, temporarily altering their electronic behavior. By combining cutting-edge microscopes with quantum simulations, they created a nanoscale switch that could revolutionize smartphones, laptops, and even future quantum computers.

America already mines all the critical minerals it needs for energy, defense, and technology, but most are being wasted as mine tailings. Researchers discovered that minerals like cobalt, germanium, and rare earths are discarded in massive amounts, even though recovering just a fraction could eliminate U.S. dependence on imports.

Using laser light instead of traditional mechanics, researchers have built micro-gears that can spin, shift direction, and even power tiny machines. These breakthroughs could soon lead to revolutionary medical tools working at the scale of cells.

Jezero Crater’s rocks reveal three stages of water activity, shifting from hostile acidic fluids to more life-friendly alkaline ones. Perseverance’s discoveries guide future sampling and strengthen the hunt for past life on Mars.

Faint hydrogen signals from the cosmic Dark Ages may soon help determine the mass of dark matter particles. Simulations suggest future Moon-based observatories could distinguish between warm and cold dark matter, providing long-sought answers about the invisible backbone of the Universe.

Astronomers have detected the chemical fingerprint of a frozen, water-rich planetary fragment being devoured by a white dwarf star, offering the clearest evidence yet that icy, life-delivering objects exist beyond our Solar System. The find suggests fragments like comets and dwarf planets may be common ingredients of planetary systems.