NASA scientist Robert Wagner discovered a massive new lunar crater while performing a routine data check on imagery from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The impact, likely caused by an object roughly the size of a six-story building sometime between April and May 2024, created a crater 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep, the largest fresh impact site the orbiter has ever recorded.
Copyright lawsuits by The New York Times, Ziff Davis and other publishers against OpenAI are moving into a new legal phase after discovery concluded, with both sides asking a federal court to rule on whether OpenAI's use of published material qualifies as fair use. Ziff Davis CEO Vivek Shah publicly criticized a Trump administration filing arguing licensing requirements would burden AI firms, contrasting the U.S. music industry's roughly $20 billion in annual royalties with OpenAI's projected $750 billion computing spend through 2030.
Researchers applied mass spectrometry-based proteomics to analyze adhesives and glues found on a range of ancient Egyptian artifacts without damaging them, publishing their findings in Science Advances. Alongside expected animal collagens and egg proteins, they identified plant-derived proteins from sesame and moringa (drumstick tree) sources, expanding the known palette of binding materials used by ancient craftspeople.
Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark built a nanolaser small enough to potentially be embedded by the thousands on a single microchip, letting devices transmit data as light rather than electrical signals. The work, led by professor Jesper Mørk with colleagues Meng Xiong and Yi Yu, appeared in Science Advances.
A Nature feature surveys six novel approaches under development for delivering drugs more precisely and effectively, ranging from advanced nanoparticle carriers to devices designed to target specific tissues. These innovations aim to overcome longstanding challenges such as poor bioavailability, degradation before reaching target sites, and off-target side effects.
A Nature retrospective highlights the scientific career of William Thomson, later Lord Kelvin, noting that his contributions extended well beyond the temperature scale that bears his name. The piece surveys his broader body of work in physics and engineering during the 19th century.
Chinese memory chipmaker CXMT told investors it is expanding its foothold in premium memory-chip segments, pointing to progress in smartphone and AI-related chip technologies as evidence. The company framed these advances as proof it is closing the gap with established global memory manufacturers.
A new study in AGU Advances models how a rare, extreme geomagnetic storm—similar in scale to the 1859 Carrington Event—would strain the modern US power grid. Researchers found the Northeast and Northern Plains, particularly higher-latitude areas, face the greatest risk of widespread grid failure, with total economic losses estimated at $1.5 to $2 billion per day.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified a ten-sided cloud formation encircling Saturn's south pole, a counterpart to the long-known hexagon at the planet's north pole. The decagon, detailed in a new Science Advances study, has sides roughly 16,800 kilometers long and sits near a jet stream blowing close to 260 miles per hour, even though the shape itself drifts at less than 6 mph.
Researchers examined a fragment of 'hiroshimaite,' fallout material from the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing, and identified a previously unknown alloy composed of seven elements. The discovery, imaged via scanning electron microscope, was published in Science Advances ahead of the bombing's 81st anniversary.
A new study in Science Advances reports that roughly 560 million children under age 10 worldwide now experience at least one additional month of dangerous heat stress annually because of climate change. Researchers led by Rosa Pietroiusti at Vrije Universiteit Brussel used the WetBulb Globe Temperature threshold of 28°C, a standard combining heat, humidity, wind, and cloud cover, to measure how often conditions cross into risky territory for children's health.