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Scientists detected a potential biosignature on Mars—an astrobiologist explains the findings

As the Perseverance rover traversed an ancient river valley in Mars’ Jezero Crater back in July 2024, it drilled into the surface and extracted a sample from a unique, striped rock called Cheyava Falls. The rover’s instruments then analyzed the sample, which is called Sapphire Canyon, and surveyed the surrounding rock.

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New layered material successfully confines terahertz light to the nanoscale

A new study has successfully demonstrated the confinement of terahertz (THz) light to nanoscale dimensions using a new type of layered material. This could lead to improvements in optoelectronic devices such as infrared emitters used in remote controls and night vision and terahertz optics desired for physical security and environmental sensing.

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NASA analysis shows sun’s activity ramping up

The sun has become increasingly active since 2008, a new NASA study shows. Solar activity is known to fluctuate in cycles of 11 years, but there are longer-term variations that can last decades. Case in point: Since the 1980s, the amount of solar activity had been steadily decreasing all the way up to 2008, when […]

First-principles simulations reveal quantum entanglement in molecular polariton dynamics

This is what fun looks like for a particular set of theoretical chemists driven to solve extremely difficult problems: Deciding whether the electromagnetic fields in molecular polaritons should be treated classically or quantum mechanically.

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New neutrino detector in China is coming online

Neutrinos are one of the most enigmatic particles in the standard model. The main reason is that they’re so hard to detect. Despite the fact that 400 trillion of them created in the sun are passing through a person’s body every second, they rarely interact with normal matter, making understanding anything about them difficult. To […]

Information collected by the world’s largest radio telescope will be stored and processed by global data centers

When the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory goes online later this decade, it will create one of science’s biggest data challenges. The SKA Observatory is a global radio telescope project built in the Southern Hemisphere. There, views of our Milky Way are clearest and the SKA’s remote sites limit human-made radio interference.

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Ultrafast infrared light pulses trigger rapid ‘breathing’ in thin film

Cornell Engineering researchers have demonstrated that, by zapping a synthetic thin film with ultrafast pulses of low-frequency infrared light, they can cause its lattice to atomically expand and contract billions of times per second—strain-driven “breathing” that could potentially be harnessed to quickly switch a material’s electronic, magnetic or optical properties on and off.

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DNA evidence found near scene of Charlie Kirk’s shooting matches suspect, FBI director says

Authorities in Utah are preparing to file capital murder charges against Tyler Robinson, whose DNA matches samples found on a towel and screwdriver recovered near the scene

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Ga. police captain shot in head, suspect in custody

McCaysville Police Capt. Brantley Worley was shot and severely wounded while responding to a suspicious person call

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Calif. lawmakers pass bill banning law enforcement officers from covering their faces

Representatives for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security defend the face coverings, arguing that identifying officers subjects to them to retaliation and violence

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8 Fla. deputies fired, 11 others disciplined after triple murder response

Investigation found Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies waited at rally point while woman and child were murdered half a mile away

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Convicted felon arrested for impersonating Wash. officer at fire scene

As real Bremerton officers handcuffed him, the man asked the officers to check his lunch bag for credentials; they found only an empty badge holder and Coca-Colas inside

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Lasers can melt through extraterrestrial ice efficiently

Lasers aren’t just useful for entertaining cats or pointing out features of PowerPoint slides. They can also drill holes on icy extraterrestrial bodies from comets to Mars polar caps—at least, according to a new paper published in Acta Astronautica by researchers at the Technical University of Dresden, who describe a new laser drill for use […]

With Trump eyeing space station demise, NASA pushes for commercial replacements

President Donald Trump and his new interim head of NASA, Sean Duffy, are pushing for a renewed effort to shuffle off the responsibility of running the International Space Station in favor of becoming a customer of a commercial space station provider instead.

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New technique advances compact particle accelerator development

An international collaboration has developed a new diagnostic technique for measuring ultra-short particle beams at STFC’s Central Laser Facility. This collaboration is led by the University of Michigan and Queen’s University Belfast. The research addresses a key challenge in developing compact alternatives to kilometer-long particle accelerators.

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