Planetary systems reveal two distinct families tied to their host stars

Analyzing a sample of 300 of the best-characterized planetary systems among the more than 1,000 known in the Milky Way, an international research team led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has discovered that the multiplanet systems identified so far belong to two distinct “families.”

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S.D. deputy dies days after shootout with suspect

Minnehaha Sheriff’s Deputy Katherine Frank, 26, died days after she was shot while responding to a call at a residence

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Space waves reveal where Earth’s magnetic shield is under pressure

A new study led by researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland sheds light on a poorly understood part of space weather: where powerful waves form at the edge of Earth’s magnetic shield and where the solar wind can find a way through.

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NASA’s SpaceX CRS-35 mission to launch health research

NASA experiments focused on human and plant health and drug-resistant organisms will travel to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, advancing research that benefits life on Earth and future exploration.

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Vera Rubin Observatory spots the largest ultra-fast spinning asteroid yet

The speed of an asteroid’s spin can tell astronomers a surprising amount about what it is made of. However, existing approaches to measuring spin based on telescope observations can often produce misleading estimates.

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Gravity and quantum information linked through a derivation of Einstein’s equations

Recent research shows that gravity and quantum information are deeply connected and that the shape of spacetime can be traced back to the way information is stored in quantum fields.

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Magnetic sculpting transforms single-source fields into predetermined shapes with mathematical precision

Magnetic fields are invisible yet essential components in technologies ranging from MRI scanners and particle accelerators to atomic clocks and future quantum computers. Each of these applications requires magnetic fields with specific shapes and properties. Today, creating such tailored magnetic fields requires researchers and engineers to design specialized, carefully optimized magnets or large systems of coils for each individual application—a complex and resource-intensive process.

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From nonmagnetic to magnetic: A 2D semiconductor with electrically tunable magnetism

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with scientists from institutions in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Germany, have demonstrated a way to introduce magnetism into an otherwise nonmagnetic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor and subsequently control its magnetic properties using an electrical voltage. The findings, published in Science Advances, establish a new platform for investigating electrically controllable magnetism in atomically thin materials, with potential implications for future spintronic technologies.

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Primordial helium further confirms our understanding of the Big Bang

In the early moments of the big bang, two elements were forged: hydrogen and helium. Technically, the tiniest traces of light elements such as lithium were produced as well, but nothing of consequence. The early universe was about three parts hydrogen to one part helium. All the heavier elements, from the oxygen in your lungs to the iron in your blood, were created through astrophysical processes—fused in stars, formed in supernovae or scattered by the collisions of neutron stars. Even in the present cosmos, heavier elements are so cosmically rare that astronomers group them all as metals.

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NASA demonstrates next-generation heat shield technologies

NASA is taking an unusual approach to testing heat shields that can keep astronauts safe as they return from missions to the moon and Mars: taking out the trash.

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Alternative gravity theory offers possible explanation for dark energy changing over time

For many years, the simplest view of dark energy has been that it remains unchanged. Throughout cosmic history, the mysterious ingredient believed to drive the universe’s accelerated expansion is thought to have behaved in the same way at every epoch. However, an increasing number of observations are challenging this idea.

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The dying sun could tear the solar system apart sooner than thought

The fate of our solar system is written in the stars—well, one star to be precise: the sun. Estimates of what the end will look like once the sun sheds much of its mass and ultimately dies vary widely. New research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that the final curtain for some of the outer planets will arrive much sooner than previously thought, shrinking the timeline from a quintillion years down to roughly 1 billion years.

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Physics Nobel highlights Antarctica’s role in exploring the cosmos

When Belgian American particle physicist Francis Halzen was awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in physics “for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy neutrinos of astrophysical origin,” it was a reminder that for more than a century, scientists have treated Antarctica’s environments as windows onto worlds beyond Earth.

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Retired San Francisco PD deputy chief killed in suspected murder-suicide by retired officer husband

Retired SFPD sergeant Kevin Mannix is suspected of killing his estranged wife, former SFPD deputy chief Ann Mannix, and their adult daughter Katie before killing himself, sources told the San Francisco Chronicle

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N.Y. mayor orders NYPD to review use of force policy, adds $2.6M for police oversight office

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced changes to the use of force review system after an NYPD officer awaiting a disciplinary trial in a 2024 OIS was erroneously allowed to retire

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