Dark energy and quantum gravity may be deeply intertwined

For close to a century, physicists have pursued a way to unite gravity with quantum mechanics. Known as quantum gravity, this goal has remained frustratingly out of reach so far. Similarly elusive is the force of dark energy, which is believed to be driving the universe’s accelerating expansion.

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Rescue mission is called off for NASA’s aging Swift space telescope

The mission to save NASA’s sinking Swift Observatory was called off Wednesday, dooming the telescope to a fiery reentry later this year.

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What beats seeing eclipses from space? Try the northern and southern lights

Eclipses may be wondrous, but nothing beats seeing the northern and southern lights from space.

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Racing to build a radio telescope on the moon

Remember the “Wow!” signal? That high-energy radio signature occurred in 1977, when Earth was much “quieter” in the radio band. If it happened today, it probably wouldn’t even move the needle on the background noise of human radio chatter. Signals from satellites, radar and other human technology have crowded out extraterrestrial radio signals, limiting our ability to monitor the heavens for signals like the still-unexplained one received in 1977. What’s more, the ionosphere partially blocks lower-frequency radio signals, making them even harder to detect from the ground.

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3D-printed ceramic waveguide lasers could surpass the power of glass fiber lasers by 10 times

At the bottom of the ocean, optical fibers transmit telecommunications and internet data around the world. Waveguides make that feat possible by channeling and amplifying the light—and therefore the data within—over enormous distances.

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Aug 19, 2026 – Why Are Metallic Spheres Most Common UFO Shapes Reported?

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Dark Stars may have left gravitational-wave echoes across the universe

A mysterious background of extremely low-frequency gravitational waves detected by networks of pulsars may carry information about events that began more than 13 billion years ago—including the formation of some of the first supermassive black holes in the universe.

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Human-related microbes may survive moon’s South Pole

Some of Earth’s microbes likely to hitch a ride to space with human explorers could survive in the shaded nooks and crannies of the moon’s South Pole region, NASA scientists say.

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Universal pattern revealed in quantum matter

When different materials transition from one phase to another, such as water coming to a boil or a magnet losing its ability to attract metals, something remarkable can happen: They begin to behave identically, following the same mathematical rules. “Physicists call this trait universality—the messy, microscopic details wash out and only a few essential features survive,” explains Jason Alicea, William K. Davis Professor of Theoretical Physics. The math underlying these universal traits is commonly described by a theoretical framework called conformal field theory.

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Interworld Slingshot: Exploring a new way to find resources in space

Before people can mine resources on the moon, asteroids or Mars, they need to answer a few key questions: What is there? How much is there? And where can it be found? A team led by SETI Institute research scientist Pablo Sobron is looking into a new way to answer these questions without having to land, drill or bring samples back to Earth.

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A little bit more than magic: The secret to quantum computing may lie in negativity

Quantum computers hold great promise for applications from drug discovery to cybersecurity. Yet figuring out what would give quantum computers their edge over everyday “classical” computers is a subtle problem. A new theoretical study led by researchers at the Cavendish Laboratory shows that quantum computers are harder to make powerful than previously assumed while offering the clearest picture yet of what actually makes them work.

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Video shows officers fall as a second-story deck collapses while they try to make an arrest

Some U.S. Marshals task force officers were treated for broken bones after the steep fall

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Soft vibrations reveal warning signs before granular crystals yield

Sand, powders, and other collections of visible-sized grains are found throughout daily life, from food and pharmaceuticals to soils and industrial materials. When grains of similar size are arranged regularly, they can form a strong crystal-like solid. Yet what happens inside such an ordered structure immediately before it begins to break has remained unclear.

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Connecting the power of the stars to geometry

In the world of fusion energy, scientists and engineers study the fourth state of matter known as plasma in an effort to design and build a new type of power plant. Relying on the heat produced by two small atoms smashing together, a network of such facilities would help create a novel source of stable electricity and help ensure America’s energy independence. And while scientists in this endeavor are devoting their attention to complex machinery and temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, they are also trying to determine the best designs for such a power plant by focusing on geometry.

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Dashcam: PIT of 130 mph fleeing suspect causes bystander vehicle rollover

An Arkansas trooper performed a PIT maneuver on a suspect fleeing at 130 mph, causing the suspect vehicle to crash into a bystander vehicle and severely injure its two occupants

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