WISPIT 2b, a gas giant forming around a young Sun-like star, has been directly imaged for the first time inside a spectacular multi-ringed disk. Still glowing and actively accreting gas, the planet offers a unique opportunity to study planetary birth and evolution.
Astronomers capture breathtaking first look at a planet being born Read More »
Researchers have developed a blueprint for weaving hopfions—complex, knot-like light structures—into repeating spacetime crystals. By exploiting two-color beams, they can generate ordered chains and lattices with tunable topology, potentially revolutionizing data storage, communications, and photonic processing.
Scientists just created spacetime crystals made of knotted light Read More »
Researchers in Germany have unveiled the Metafiber, a breakthrough device that allows ultra-precise, rapid, and compact control of light focus directly within an optical fiber. Unlike traditional systems that rely on bulky moving parts, the Metafiber uses a tiny 3D nanoprinted hologram on a dual-core fiber to steer light by adjusting power between its cores.
Tiny hologram inside a fiber lets scientists control light with incredible precision Read More »
Hydrogen fuel cells could power cars, devices, and homes with nothing but water as a byproduct—but platinum’s cost holds them back. Chinese researchers have now unveiled a breakthrough iron-based catalyst that could rival platinum while boosting efficiency and durability. With its clever “inner activation, outer protection” design, this new catalyst not only reduces harmful byproducts
This tiny iron catalyst could transform the future of clean energy Read More »
Billions of years ago, Jupiter’s violent growth transformed the young solar system, smashing icy and rocky bodies together at incredible speeds. These cataclysmic collisions created tiny molten droplets called chondrules—microscopic time capsules later preserved in meteorites. New research shows that water vapor explosions from planetesimal impacts explain their origin, while also pinpointing Jupiter’s birth at
Scientists finally pinpoint Jupiter’s birth using “molten rock raindrops” Read More »
Astronomers have discovered a giant Saturn-sized planet orbiting TOI-6894, the smallest star ever known to host such a world. The finding overturns long-held theories suggesting that tiny, low-mass stars lack the material needed to form or keep giant planets.
How did a planet this big form around a star this small? Read More »
A research team created a plant-inspired molecule that can store four charges using sunlight, a key step toward artificial photosynthesis. Unlike past attempts, it works with dimmer light, edging closer to real-world solar fuel production.
Scientists found a new way to turn sunlight into fuel Read More »
Scientists have cracked one of chemistry’s toughest challenges with indoles, using copper to unlock a spot once thought too stubborn to change. The discovery could pave the way for easier, cheaper drug development.
Scientists crack indole’s toughest bond with copper, unlocking new medicines Read More »
Deep beneath southern China, JUNO has launched one of the most ambitious neutrino experiments in history. With its massive 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector now operational, it’s poised to answer one of particle physics’ greatest mysteries: the true ordering of neutrino masses. Built over more than a decade and involving hundreds of scientists worldwide, JUNO not
Scientists switch on the world’s largest neutrino detector deep underground Read More »
Astronomers using the Inouye Solar Telescope have captured the sharpest-ever images of a solar flare, revealing coronal loops as thin as 21 km wide. These threadlike plasma structures, imaged during an X1.3-class flare, confirm long-standing theories about loop scales and may represent the fundamental building blocks of flare activity. The discovery pushes solar science into
The Sun’s smallest loops ever seen in stunning new images Read More »