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China sends astronauts—and mice—on its latest space station mission

China said Saturday that it successfully launched the Shenzhou-21 spaceship on a mission to the country’s orbiting space station, sending its newest rotation of three astronauts—along with four mice.

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Muscle tissue from a 3D printer—produced in zero gravity

Human health is the Achilles heel of space travel. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now succeeded in printing complex muscle tissue in zero gravity. This will enable drugs for space missions to be tested in the future.

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Rapid brightening of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it nears sun surprises scientists

An interstellar comet that originated outside our solar system has just made its closest pass to the sun, brightening dramatically and rapidly as it did so. The reason for the sudden extreme activity is currently puzzling scientists.

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Parabolic flight experiment highlights flame dynamics in microgravity

Casting a swirling shadow, a glowing candle flame sways eerily before flaring up once more. As ghostly as it looks, this flame dance is not the result of any force—paranormal or otherwise—but rather the lack of one: gravity.

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New model can detect ballistic electrons under realistic conditions

Ballistic electrons are among the most fascinating phenomena in modern quantum materials. Unlike ordinary electrons, they do not scatter off imperfections in the material and therefore travel from A to B with almost no resistance—like a capsule in a pneumatic tube. This behavior often occurs in confined one- or two-dimensional materials.

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Experimental proof of long-suspected atomic decay pathway adds new detail to ‘nuclear periodic table’

For the first time, a research team from the University of Cologne has observed the electron capture decay of technetium-98, an isotope of the chemical element technetium (Tc). Electron capture decay is a process in which an atomic nucleus “captures” an electron from its inner shell. The electron merges with a proton in the nucleus to form a neutron, turning the element into a different one. The working group from the Nuclear Chemistry department has thus confirmed a decades-old theoretical assumption.

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Team reviews 2024 photonics advances, including free-electron coupling with nonlinear optical states

Nonlinear optical dynamics—intensity-dependent response of light upon interaction with materials under high-intensity light sources—are of huge significance in modern photonics, finding applications in fields ranging from lasers, amplifiers, modulators, and sensors to the study of topics including quantum optics, nonlinear system dynamics, as well as light-matter interactions.

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How the physics of baseball could help Kevin Gausman and the Blue Jays win the World Series

There are few sports more exciting than playoff baseball, but behind every pitch there is also a fascinating story of physics. From gravity to spin, the science shaping the game can be just as compelling as the action on the field.

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Video: 6-time felon stopped with Grappler before standoff with Wash. deputies

Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies and Chehalis Tribal Police deployed spike strips and a Grappler to end the pursuit of a suspect attempting to steal farm equipment

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FBI: Multiple Mich. suspects arrested in Halloween weekend attack plot

Dearborn police said that it was aware that the FBI was conducting operations in the city and assured residents that there was no threat to the community

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Naval police officer charged with murder in alleged DUI crash that killed Calif. officer

The U.S. Navy master-at-arms pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and one count of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death La Mesa Officer Lauren Craven

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2 Miss. sheriffs, 12 officers charged in drug trafficking bribery scheme

The indictments say law enforcement officers provided armed escort services on multiple occasions to an FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel

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A mundane universe and the rarity of advanced civilizations

How could the principle of “radical mundanity” proposed by the Fermi paradox help explain why humans haven’t found evidence of extraterrestrial technological civilizations (ETCs)? This is what a recent study posted to the arXiv preprint server hopes to address as a lone researcher investigated the prospect of finding ETCs based on this principle. This study has the potential to help scientists and the public better understand why we haven’t identified intelligent life beyond Earth and how we might narrow the search for it.

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The keen-eyed Vera Rubin Observatory has discovered a massive stellar stream

The Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) hasn’t yet begun its much-anticipated Legacy Survey of Space and Time. But it saw its first light in June 2025, when it captured its Virgo First Look images as part of commissioning its main camera. Those images are a sample of how the observatory will perform the LSST and feature the Virgo Cluster of galaxies.

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VLT Survey Telescope captures spooky bat signal in the sky

A spooky bat has been spotted flying over the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO’s) Paranal site in Chile, right in time for Halloween. Thanks to its wide field of view, the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) was able to capture this large cloud of cosmic gas and dust, whose mesmerizing appearance resembles the silhouette of a bat.

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