Exciting indications suggest that one of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 star system, located around 40 light-years away, may have an atmosphere suitable for life. However, scientists aim to obtain 15 additional images to confirm this.
TRAPPIST-1 is a small red star hosting at least seven planets. Discovered in 2016, it has become a focal point for astronomers hunting for extraterrestrial life, as three of its planets lie within the Goldilocks Zone, where liquid water can exist.
Ryan McDonald from St Andrews University, UK, states that the discovery of TRAPPIST-1 stirred considerable excitement among astronomers. However, subsequent imaging of three exoplanets—two of which are in the Goldilocks zone—did not identify any atmospheres, which was a letdown. Yet, McDonald and his team have maintained a focus on TRAPPIST-1e, situated at the center of this zone, and now hold a positive outlook.
In 2023, McDonald and colleagues utilized the James Webb Space Telescope to examine TRAPPIST-1e and have continued to enhance their images of this world. Through the analysis of starlight alterations as distant planets cross in front of stars, scientists can deduce the composition of atmospheres and identify beneficial life-sustaining chemicals.
Nonetheless, TRAPPIST-1’s classification as a red dwarf complicates these measurements due to its cooler nature compared to our sun. This cooling effect can lead to prevalent atmospheric chemicals like water also existing within the star itself. Consequently, it’s crucial to differentiate TRAPPIST-1e’s atmospheric signals from those of the star’s light. This challenging task requires innovative models and extensive effort. Initial findings suggest that TRAPPIST-1e may possess a life-friendly atmosphere, potentially representing a pivotal moment in the search for habitable conditions in the universe.
“The data exhibits fluctuations in accordance with atmospheric modeling, aligning well with nitrogen-rich atmospheres and possibly including methane,” remarks McDonald. “Among all the spectra collected from the TRAPPIST-1 system, this is the most promising, indicating potential atmospheric components.”
Should the nitrogen-rich atmosphere hypothesis be confirmed in subsequent analyses, McDonald states the next step will be to search for gases such as methane or carbon dioxide and utilize climate models to assess surface temperatures and the potential for liquid water.
However, the researchers caution that current data cannot entirely dismiss the possibility that TRAPPIST-1e is merely a barren rock. Additional observations are imperative. They have data from four JWST observations but aim for an additional 15 in the near future. “We need to minimize the error margins,” comments McDonald.
Matthew Jenge from Imperial College London notes that while many exoplanets are being discovered, astronomers are eager to pinpoint those with conditions conducive to life.
“Complexities arise because a planet can be in the right orbital zone but, with the wrong atmosphere, may become inhospitable like Venus. Astronomers are investigating numerous exoplanets, and eventually, one will likely be found with a nitrogen/oxygen-rich atmosphere. Photosynthesis may be key to achieving oxygen richness,” he says.
“If [TRAPPIST-1e] is habitable, consider what transpired on that planet over the past 7.6 billion years. The older the planet, the higher the likelihood of developing intelligent life,” he adds.
McDonald believes that by 2060, data may reveal multiple planets whose existence is hard to explain without including life forms, though he stresses that proving the existence of extraterrestrial life is still a distant goal. “We remain skeptical,” he concludes.
“When you search for stock market prices, you may see patterns…”
Muhla1/Getty Images
Flipping through the front page of a newspaper, one is greeted by a myriad of numbers—metrics about populations, lengths, areas, and more. If you were to extract these figures and compile them into a list, it might seem like a random assortment.
However, these figures are not as arbitrary as they may appear. In reality, the leading digit of many numbers, such as total revenues or building heights, tends to be predominantly the number 1. While true randomness would suggest that each digit has an equal chance of leading, the actual data shows that about one-third of the time, the first digit is a 1. The number 9, interestingly, appears as the leading digit in about 5% of cases, with other digits following such a trend.
This phenomenon is referred to as Benford’s Law, which illustrates the expected distribution of first digits within a dataset of a certain type—especially those spanning a wide, unspecified range. Although values like human height (where numbers are confined within a limited spectrum) or dates (which also have defined limits) don’t follow this law, others do.
Consider checking your bank balance, numbering a house, or analyzing stock prices (as displayed). Such numbers commonly exhibit a distribution with varied digit lengths. In neighborhoods with just a handful of houses, you might see a balance of numbers, whereas in larger towns, hundreds may share similar leading digits.
Picture a street hosting nine houses. The proportion of leading digits resembles an even split among the nine options. Conversely, on a street with 19 houses, a larger fraction—often over fifty percent—will begin with 1. As the housing number increases, this pattern persists. With 100 houses, you would observe a fairly uniform distribution across all digits, yet with 200 occupants, once again, more than half will typically start with 1.
Due to the diverse origins of data in real-world collections, the average likelihood of seeing numbers that start with 1 fluctuates between these two extremes. Similar calculations can be made for other digits, resulting in an overall frequency distribution observable in extensive datasets.
This characteristic is particularly useful in identifying potential data fabrication. When analyzing a company’s financial records, a Benford-like distribution is expected in their sales figures. However, when someone generates random numbers, the frequency distribution of the leading digits lacks a defined curve. This principle serves as one of the many tools forensic accountants employ to root out dubious activities.
The next time you examine your bank statement or compare river lengths, take note of how often those numbers start with 1.
Katie Steckles is a mathematician, lecturer, YouTuber, and author based in Manchester, UK. She also contributes advice to Brent Wister, a puzzle column for New Scientist. Follow her @stecks
For additional projects, please visit newscientist.com/maker
Organizers of the Great North Run have issued an apology for featuring a map of Sunderland instead of Newcastle on this year’s finishing medal. Unfortunately, this is just one in a long list of mapping errors.
Other notable mistakes include the Phantom supermarket, hazardous climbing routes, and geopolitical missteps.
Phantom Aldi
Earlier this year, the Welsh village of Siphiliog in Denbyshire faced unexpected traffic disruptions after Aldi appeared on the map.
A nearby farm, home to around 500 residents, was mistakenly labeled as a supermarket on Google Maps, leading to a surge of shoppers and milk tankers overwhelming the area.
In response, Google stated it operated “around the clock” to monitor suspicious activities and updated the listing.
Geopolitical Failure
In December, FIFA expressed regret over the omission of Crimea from Ukraine in its mapping.
While the map outlined countries unable to compete due to political tensions, it failed to acknowledge Russian-occupied regions recognized internationally as part of Ukraine since 2014.
“We fully appreciate the sensitivity surrounding this issue and though unintentional, we sincerely regret any distress it may have caused,” the organization stated in a letter to Igor Grishenko, the UAF’s general secretary.
Bennevis’ Dangerous Route
In 2021, Google Maps revised the directions for Bennevis, the UK’s tallest mountain, after warnings about potentially “fatal” paths.
The Scottish climbing charity, John Muir Trust, cautioned that the map’s directions for the nearest parking area to the summit were dangerously misleading, especially for novice climbers, leading them onto treacherous routes without alternative paths.
Google responded by clarifying that the issue pertained to driving routes, not walking directions, and updated the map to direct drivers to visitor centers instead.
At last year’s San Francisco Half Marathon, the course was mistakenly found to be short by 0.5 miles, affecting the times of thousands of runners.
Organizers claimed the route was measured accurately, but the certification map was incorrect, resulting in various discrepancies.
This was not the first instance of a mismeasured race; between 2013 and 2015, the Greater Manchester Marathon was mapped incorrectly, marking it 380 meters short. Consequently, the times of approximately 24,000 runners were deemed invalid by British athletics.
Similar issues have also arisen in past events, including the Brighton Half Marathon and the Great Scotland Run.
Taking the Wrong Steps
Google corrected a mapping error in Edinburgh after drivers were wrongly guided down a flight of steps. This route was previously accessible by vehicles, but changes in the roads had led to the installation of stairs, resulting in at least two cars getting stuck at the bottom of Calton Hill. In January, Google announced that the mapping issue had been fixed.
William Gibson in 1985, a year after the groundbreaking work emerged
Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images
Neuromancer William Gibson (Orion Publishing (UK); Ace Books (US))
Neuromancer opens with, “The sky above the port was the color of the television, tuned to a dead channel.”
The book was released in 1984, in an era when very few individuals had access to computers. The esteemed William Gibson penned this work on a typewriter. Nevertheless, while data acts as currency and corporations craft striking depictions of the futuristic realm of “cyberspace,” they are also vulnerable to cyberattacks. There’s something intriguingly enchanting within the backdrop of AIS that exists beyond our grasp.
Neuromancer birthed the cyberpunk genre and reshaped literature 40 years later, establishing itself as one of the most prophetic texts ever created. It aligns with the Apple TV+ series. In a world where many of us carry computing devices in our pockets, how does this narrative endure? Is time spent in cyberspace (a term popularized by Neuromancer) still relevant? I decided to revisit it.
Having not read it in over two decades, I initially found it challenging. The distinctive style and the claustrophobic narrative of a former hacker navigating barrooms and gang troubles made me question if the novel had aged well. After all, its imagery and concepts are no longer shocking, having been endlessly replicated in television, literature, and film, often outpaced by reality.
Yet, I was drawn back in. There’s a moment when our protagonist receives a call in a hotel lobby, only for the next call to be an AI—an incident that sends chills down my spine and echoes the profound influence on The Matrix.
As action unfolds in virtual spaces, we get an intimate glimpse of AI. Upon reading, I recognized that the major themes in the book are as pertinent and thought-provoking today as they were in 1984. For instance, the concept of a power referred to as “Turing” foreshadows the rise of AI.
Ultimately, I grasped why readers like author Adrian Tchaikovsky constantly revisit Neuromancer: it demands slow attention, yet remains a classic with profound insights. The lingering question is how Gibson envisioned this world when he relied solely on a typewriter.
Fortunately, he has reflected on this extensively over the years. “I wrote Neuromancer without any knowledge of computers,” he shared with the Guardian five years ago. “I dismantled the poetic language of those already in the field, eavesdropping at the Seattle Science Fiction Convention where early computer programmers discussed their work.”
He recounted how this eavesdropping informed various abstract elements of the narrative at a time when Gibson couldn’t simply Google what a modem was.
In summary, the novel remains astonishing. I hope that the forthcoming TV adaptation does it justice.
I would also recommend Emily…
Burning Chrome William Gibson (Orion Publishing (UK); Gollancz (US))
Gibson’s short story collection is truly remarkable. It was one of my favorites and remains vibrant today.
Emily H. Wilson is the former editor of the New Scientist and author of the Sumerian trilogy set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final installment, Ninshuval, is now available. Visit her at emilyhwilson.com or follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1.
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In November 1980, at the age of 13, I journeyed alone to Farhill from East Kill Bride and arrived to find an empty dugout without a manager. It felt quite odd, and my shyness prevented me from reaching out to anyone while I was there; the next day, Bertie Auld resigned and moved to Hibs, as reported by Sunday Mail.
The news hit hard. Bertie was my first manager, and as a devoted supporter, I felt responsible for the team’s presence in the Premier League year after year. Now he was gone, and no one informed me.
I skipped the next match, but soon after, I noticed Peter Cormack in the dugout. No one had mentioned it to me. At 13, I was an avid reader of newspapers but lacked a radio—just a single ear headphone connected to it, not convenient for carrying around.
This memory resurfaced after a recent Thistle home game I watched on TV. In front of me, a young couple was intently focused on their smartphones, engaged with the match. Admittedly, the game was quite dull, yet they followed the action closely and commented on the referee’s decisions. “It’s definitely offside.” “That was a clear penalty.” “He should have received a red card.”
Meanwhile, the crowd around me buzzed as we collectively pondered: “What a bizarre situation.” Why pay to attend a game only to ignore the live action unfolding mere meters away?
Yet it made some sense. As the young couple focused on their screens, more necks craned forward, and soon everyone nearby was chiming in to affirm the referee’s calls. Many of us who lament the changes in football secretly yearn for a return to the 1970s. Thank you. Yes, it did prompt a question.
For that couple, utilizing technology during the match was completely normal. This reflects how we have been conditioned to perceive sports. VAR is now standard for viewers of top leagues, whether we like it or not. Social media informs fans about clubs and their products. The differences between my 13-year-old self and kids today are vast.
Our access to football has transformed dramatically. This isn’t about whether “it was better back then.” Such discussions are tedious. I’m not keen on debating how technology has altered the game. Rather, I’m intrigued by how it has changed us. How have our brains adapted? How has our capacity for patience diminished? Our perception of football has evolved.
Tottenham fans have seen their team play Juventus in the Champions League via phone screens. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
In her recent book, “Extinction of Experience,” Christine Rosen posits that technology has personalized our life experiences to the point where we no longer tolerate waiting, unpleasant encounters, or situations that don’t align with our expectations.
As football fans, we anticipate news immediately. We expect access to games without hassle, including digital tickets. However, Rosen highlights that these conveniences come with hidden costs. As we become less accustomed to patience, our understanding of its importance dwindles, leading to frustration and anxiety.
Transportation, phones, appliances—like all new technologies that have enriched our everyday lives, including the Internet and, notably, smartphones—transform our relationship with time. In the past, attending away games required considerable patience. Long journeys were a test of endurance. Now, improved roads, trains, and buses make it easier for fans to travel across the nation to venues like Ibrox and Parkhead rather than supporting local teams. It’s now quicker and better in many ways.
Back in the day, when travel was rare and arduous, teams like East Fife, Cowdenbeath, and Queen of the South attracted crowds of over 20,000. With travel being challenging, it was easy to support local clubs—there were no alternatives.
However, when we are denied immediate access to what we desire, we often respond with frustration and seek distractions. Our impulsive reactions during football matches reveal that we frequently overlook the value of perseverance. This impatience extends to transfer windows: “January 3, still no signings? Typical.”
Following a loss, even during matches, we might see discussions regarding the manager’s future pop up on social media. “How is he still in charge?” Such reactions reflect poorly on us and neither solve the issue nor enhance the situation. Wanting someone to lose their job is an anomaly in a sport often labeled as a working-class game.
Like many aspects of our lives, we resist waiting for what we want. Nowadays, if you have the money, you can buy your way out of any queue. Why should football be any different? We’ve been conditioned to seek immediate gratification.
I no longer find the changing football experience bothersome. Discussing it feels fruitless. What truly matters is what we might be losing in the process.
The convenience of purchasing tickets via apps is undeniably delightful. I hold season tickets on my mobile, allowing me to buy last-minute tickets effortlessly. However, in this digital age, I miss the excitement of the turnstiles, the familiar banter, and the social interactions that kickstart the matchday experience. Those daily exchanges remind us of our humanity—the need to connect and inquire about one another’s day. But now, many of those interactions feel unnecessary, which is a bit disheartening.
For many, football serves as a sanctuary where they feel part of something larger. It offers comfort, camaraderie, and hope. While technology facilitates ticket purchases and program access, it risks undermining our shared human experience.
Our smartphones provide real-time updates from various matches, creating an immediacy that can feel surreal. Tweets about goals at Cappielow spread faster than moments unfold. Young couples verifying offside calls from their devices may confuse older fans like me, but they often provide information that isn’t readily available. What’s inherently wrong with that? I sometimes forget that I’m at the match, immersed in social media clips of “young teams” reveling in last season’s playoffs. My own enjoyment seems to fade into the background.
Stamford Bridge fans engaged with their mobile devices. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
We often grow complacent with this mediated version of “being there” while not actually experiencing it. Engaging with distractions in the crowd often reflects our overexposure to social media. Football may involve long stretches of monotony, and our minds sometimes struggle to cope with that. Anxiety arises when we gravitate towards mediated experiences rather than fully embracing the present.
I previously mentioned in Nutmeg that 90% of all live sports events tend to fade from memory. It’s those remaining 10% that we come back to, reminiscing and cherishing. Perhaps boredom is a necessary component of the experience. Why should it be avoided? Football is a game that demands patience. We must concentrate on tactics and await the right moment. Only then can we appreciate the unforgettable, often breathtaking experiences that make it all worthwhile.
As the season begins, we hope for the best but remain open to various outcomes, allowing things to unfold naturally. A poor start may improve by October; thus, I’m willing to be patient. Or perhaps the season will see a slow burn, and we learn that much remains beyond our control.
Even if we face defeat and feel disheartened, we rally ourselves and anticipate the next match. The events of last Saturday will soon blend into history. In that spirit, we allow managers to make mistakes, grant players time to rediscover their form, and accept it all as part of a long season—a natural facet of the process.
We must embrace technology, though it doesn’t mean we should forgo our options. A little extra effort, whether it’s engaging more with our surroundings, initiating conversations, or fostering connections, can be rewarding. Only then can we uncover something extraordinary and unforgettable. That’s when we truly become real fans.
Misrepresented color images of quantum router circuits
MIT Squill Foundry
Quantum computers are poised to execute beneficial algorithms at an accelerated pace, thanks to advanced quantum routers that optimize data transmission efficiency.
Conventional computers mitigate slowdowns during complex program executions by temporarily storing information in random access memory (RAM). The essential component for developing QRAM, the quantum equivalent of RAM, is the router. This internal router manages information flow within the computer, distinct from a router that routes Internet queries to specific IP addresses.
Connie Miao, at Stanford University, along with her team, is actively creating these devices. “Our project originated from an algorithm that employs QRAM. Numerous papers have emerged. [experimentally]She remarks.
This innovative router is built using essential bits, the core elements of quantum computers, and quantum memory composed of miniature superconducting circuits, regulated by electromagnetic pulses. Similar to traditional routers, this Quantum One directed quantum information to a specific quantum address. What makes these devices unique is the ability to encode addresses not just through one superposition but through two. The research team tested this setup on three qubits and achieved approximately 95% fidelity in routing.
This implies that when integrated into QRAM, the device can embed information into quantum states. Once in this state, it becomes impossible to determine which of the two locations contains the preserved information.
Duan Luming from Tsinghua University in China notes that their previous quantum routers only operated intermittently, but this new device represents a significant advancement towards establishing practical QRAM, which may enable the execution of quantum machine learning algorithms.
Team Member David Schuster at Stanford states that while numerous unresolved questions remain regarding the practical impacts of precise quantum routing, applications are extensive, ranging from familiar algorithms to database searches, and even the creation of quantum IP addresses for future iterations of the Internet.
However, the current version of the router is still not reliable enough for all intended purposes; further work is needed to reduce errors and to incorporate additional qubits in future designs. Sebastian Legger was involved in this project at Stanford University.
Recently discovered species of coelacanth, which thrived at the end of the Triassic period around 200 million years ago, have been identified from museum specimens excavated in the UK over a century and a half ago.
Reconstruction of the large Mausonian Coelacanth artist from the Lezians of England. Image credit: Daniel Phillips.
Coelacanths are unique fish that first appeared in the early Devonian epoch fossil record approximately 419 million years ago.
Since the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods, over 175 fossil coelacanth species have been identified.
During the Mesozoic Era, these fish exhibited significant diversification, with some species developing unusual body shapes.
However, at the close of the Cretaceous period, around 66 million years ago, they inexplicably vanished from the fossil record.
It is believed that coelacanths went extinct due to a mass extinction event during the Cretaceous period. Nonetheless, in 1938, the first specimen of the living species Latimeria chalumnae was fortuitously captured in South Africa.
“Our team has encountered numerous fossils that were initially classified as small marine reptiles. Pachistrophius,” said Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol, who is a senior author of the study.
“Many Pachistrophius share peculiar similarities with coelacanth fossils, but we’ve traveled to collections nationwide and discovered that this misidentification has occurred repeatedly.”
“Notably, several of these specimens have been stored in museum facilities, including public collections, since the 1800s,” stated Jacob Quinn, a paleontologist at the University of Bristol.
“From four previous reports of coelacanths from the Triassic era in the UK, we identified more than 50 individuals.”
Paleontologists conducted X-ray scans of numerous specimens to verify their identification.
The specimens mainly belong to the extinct group Mawsoniidae of the coelacanth, while also being closely related to living fish.
“The materials we identified are isolated specimens, but we can see they originate from individuals of various ages, sizes, and species.”
Dr. David Whiteside, a paleontologist at the University of Bristol, remarked:
“Like modern coelacanths, these large fish are opportunistic predators, lurking along the seabed and likely preying on whatever they encountered, including small Pachistrophius marine reptiles, which have been misidentified as coelacanth fossils for decades.”
The study is set to be published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
____
Jacob Quinn et al. 2025. British Triassic coelacanth fish. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 45: E2520921; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2025.2520921
A leading expert in AI safety warns that the unanticipated effects of chatbots on mental health serve as a cautionary tale about the existential risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Nate Soares, co-author of the new book “Someone Builds It and Everyone Dies,” discusses the tragic case of Adam Raine, a U.S. teenager who took his own life after several months of interaction with the ChatGPT chatbot, illustrating the critical concerns regarding technological control.
Soares remarked, “When these AIs interact with teenagers in a manner that drives them to suicide, it’s not the behavior the creator desired or intended.”
He further stated, “The incident involving Adam Raine exemplifies the type of issues that could escalate dangerously as AI systems become more intelligent.”
This image is featured on the website of Nate Soares at The Machine Intelligence Research Institute. Photo: Machine Intelligence Research Institute/Miri
Soares, a former engineer at Google and Microsoft and now chairman of the U.S.-based Machine Intelligence Research Institute, cautioned that humanity could face extinction if AI systems were to create artificial superintelligence (ASI) — a theoretical state that surpasses human intelligence in all domains. Along with co-author Eliezer Yudkowsky, he warns that such systems might not act in humanity’s best interests.
“The dilemma arises because AI companies attempt to guide ASI to be helpful without inflicting harm,” Soares explained. “This leads to AI that may be geared towards unintended targets, serving as a warning regarding future superintelligence that operates outside of human intentions.”
In a scenario from the recently published works of Soares and Yudkowsky, an AI known as Sable spreads across the internet, manipulating humans and developing synthetic viruses, ultimately becoming highly intelligent and causing humanity’s demise as a side effect of its goals.
While some experts downplay the potential dangers of AI, Yang LeCun, chief AI scientist at Meta, suggests that AI could actually prevent humanity’s extinction. He dismissed claims of existential threats, stating, “It can actually save humanity from extinction.”
Soares admitted that predicting when tech companies might achieve superintelligence is challenging. “We face considerable uncertainty. I don’t believe we can guarantee a timeline, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s within the next 12 years,” he remarked.
Zuckerberg, a significant corporate investor in AI, claims the emergence of superintelligence is “on the horizon.”
“These companies are competing for superintelligence, and that is their core purpose,” Soares said.
“The point is that even slight discrepancies between what you intend and what you get become increasingly significant as AI intelligence advances. The stakes get higher,” he added.
“What we require is a global initiative to curtail the race towards superintelligence alongside a worldwide prohibition on further advancements in this area,” he asserted.
Recently, Raine’s family initiated legal proceedings against OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT. Raine took his life in April after what his family asserts was an “encouragement month from ChatGPT.” OpenAI expressed “deepest sympathy” to Raine’s family and is currently implementing safeguards focusing on “sensitive content and dangerous behavior” for users under 18.
Therapists also warn that vulnerable individuals relying on AI chatbots for mental health support, rather than professional therapists, risk entering a perilous downward spiral. Professional cautions include findings from a preprint academic study released in July, indicating that AI could amplify paranoid or extreme content during interactions with users susceptible to psychosis.
Hypertension poses a significant health risk, elevating the chances of heart disease, stroke, and kidney issues. As a general practitioner, I frequently receive inquiries about its management, and I always stress the importance of exercise. But what is the ideal amount?
A 2021 study that tracked over 5,000 adults for three decades highlights the optimal “dose” of exercise for controlling blood pressure. Is this crucial? Yes, both the type and intensity of exercise, along with the total volume, are vital.
The findings suggest that engaging in moderately intense activities for 30 minutes on most days can significantly aid in blood pressure management. This encompasses exercises that allow for conversation while increasing your breath rate, like brisk walking, cycling, and vigorous household chores.
Recently, a 2023 analysis of 270 prior studies involving over 15,000 participants aimed to identify which forms of exercise were most effective in reducing blood pressure.
While various types of exercise produced positive outcomes, isometric exercises were particularly effective. These involve holding a static position (like wall squats) instead of dynamic movements.
Other beneficial exercises include running, walking, cycling, weight training, and high-intensity interval training.
Moreover, substantial reductions in blood pressure were observed among those exercising 3-5 times per week for a minimum of 4 weeks.
It’s not just about the kind of exercise, but the overall quantity that counts – Photo Credit: Getty
This underscores the necessity of consistency. While medication remains crucial for numerous individuals, these insights illuminate the impact of lifestyle adjustments.
Incorporating exercise, along with a nutritious diet and effective stress management, can help control blood pressure, potentially decreasing reliance on medications like beta blockers.
The evidence is compelling: if you aim to manage your blood pressure, incorporating regular moderate-intensity exercise is an excellent starting point. However, it’s just one piece of the larger puzzle.
Reducing salt intake, following a balanced diet, and effectively managing stress are also essential factors. For some, blood pressure medication is still a vital component of treatment.
The positive takeaway? Physical activity can enhance these approaches.
This article addresses the query from Connor Barrett in Salford, “How much does exercise control my blood pressure?”
Please send your questions toQuestion @sciencefocus.com or MessageFacebook,Twitter, orInstagramPage (please include your name and location).
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mAya Angelou once remarked, “Heroes are individuals who genuinely strive to make the world a better place for everyone.” In her thoughts, I can only imagine she had Aussie TikToker and micro-influencer Tenil_deals in mind.
So, who is Tennilles_deals exactly? Firstly, she is Teresa, a devoted mother and a savvy queen who represents the Australian supermarket scene. Secondly, I must admit I don’t know much about her since she doesn’t market herself like the typical influencer; instead, she allows her work to shine.
What does she do? Tenil meticulously navigates major supermarkets and shares weekly POV-style videos highlighting the week’s special offerings. Her calming voice and steady hand bring you through the sea of yellow price tags. Her work is detailed, thoughtful, and essential.
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I once felt deep shame for eagerly awaiting the Coles and Woolworths catalogs to drop every Monday at 5 PM. Wednesdays held a special thrill as it signaled ALDI Catalog Day—nothing felt quite like discovering a niche European snack or a new cleaning gadget with a staggering 75% discount.
Flipping through the supermarket catalog evokes the same excitement I felt as a kid rifling through the Royal Easter Show showbag booklet in the early 2000s. I vividly remember the thrill of touching each item listed in the $15 (somewhat offensively named) Megasmo bag. The anxious choice between Wonka or With Fizz, knowing my mom wouldn’t buy both. The supermarket catalog brings that same pulse-racing experience—may it soon be yours too.
However, the era of flipping through paper catalogs has truly ended. Thus, Tennilles_Deals plays a crucial role, offering concise 3-minute videos that provide 360-degree views of every item. We find ourselves in a battleground with her, Woolworths and Coles, where she serves as our protector, skillfully guiding us through each aisle. She is our mother, and we are her children.
I’m not alone in my praise for this incredible woman. It’s evident why Tennilles_deals has garnered nearly 100,000 followers—she provides what giant supermarkets often lack: a space for cash-strapped Australians to voice their frustrations over price changes.
Commentary on TikToks by Tennilles_deals creates a space for both admiration and solidarity. Photo: TikTok
In one of her videos discussing the price of extra virgin olive oil, the comments section ignites debate. Kelly from Tamworth recalls when it was only $7, and we love how Kerry’s reactions foster a sense of unity. We’re not alone in this. Barry from Wagga Wagga expresses his frustration over Cadbury Chocolate Block pricing. He commiserates that two for $10 seems absurd, bringing back memories of simpler days when it was just $3. Despite his subsequent comment on something unrelated, we appreciate that he stands with us in solidarity over the chocolate prices.
The stress of supermarket shopping instills a common Australian anxiety. Gone are the days of wandering the aisles without a clear plan. Now, I’m armed with the knowledge to snag 5 Chobani pots for $10, just like Carol’s encouraging voice from Broken Hill reminds us: “Don’t let go of that Chobani deal.” This mantra helps ease my budgetary worries while keeping my gut microbiota happy.
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What Tennilles_deals is doing is fostering community. “Australia of the Year,” remarked one TikTok user, noting a half-price Woolworths item spotted last week.
Sadly, the nominations for the 2026 Australia of the Year have closed, so the only way I can show my appreciation is through this heartfelt essay. Keep up the amazing work, Tennille—people love you, and they need you. You truly are the real deal.
The findings indicate that this bathroom behavior is not only unhygienic but can also significantly elevate the risk of developing bleeding, commonly referred to as hemorrhoids.
In a study conducted by US scientists involving 125 adults undergoing colonoscopy (a procedure in which a doctor examines the intestine with a camera), participants were surveyed about their lifestyle and bathroom habits.
Subjects provided answers regarding their habits, and the doctors performing the colonoscopy assessed any bleeding present.
Remarkably, 66% of participants reported using their smartphones while having a bowel movement, primarily to scroll through social media and check the news. Toilet users were more likely to engage in this scrolling behavior than those who did not.
Researchers performed statistical analyses to account for additional factors that could influence bleeding risk, such as physical activity, age, and diet.
Eventually, it was revealed that those who brought their phones into the restroom faced a 46% greater risk compared to those who left their devices behind.
So, why is scrolling such a concern? It essentially boils down to the amount of time spent sitting in the bathroom, which can increase due to distractions from your phone.
In fact, 37% of those who scrolled in the toilet admitted to spending over five minutes per visit, in contrast to just 7.1% of non-scrollers.
Researchers suggested that this extended duration could put additional pressure on the anal region, increasing the likelihood of tissue swelling.
Dr. Trisha Pasricha, a Harvard Medical Instructor, stated in BBC Science Focus: “Avoid bringing your smartphone to the toilet! It diverts your attention from the task at hand.”
As a minimum precaution, she recommended setting a five-minute timer or opting for traditional reading material like magazines.
Hemorrhoids, also known as piles, are swollen tissue masses around the anal area that can lead to itching, pain, and bleeding – Credit: Sexan Monkon Kamusao
Bleeding results in nearly 4 million doctor visits or emergency room trips annually in the United States. In the UK, it is estimated that hemorrhoids affect 10% of the population.
Anecdotally, a correlation between phone use in the bathroom and bleeding has been noted, though few studies provide compelling evidence.
“I believe there’s still much to explore regarding the health impacts of constant phone scrolling,” Pasricha remarked. “In our study, we first identified a link between smartphone use in the bathroom and bleeding, but this is just the beginning of what promises to be more research in this area.”
Read more:
About our experts
Dr. Trisha Pasricha is a gastroenterologist and director of the Gut-Brain Research Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She is also a medical instructor at Harvard Medical School and has received the American Gastrointestinal Association’s Research Scholars Award. Pasricha is a recognized medical journalist and author of the forthcoming book You’ve All Pooped Wrong (Avery, £22).
Misplacing your bearings in an unfamiliar setting may involve more than simply forgetting your location. A new study suggests that minor navigational challenges could serve as early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease, even before conventional memory assessments reveal any declines.
Researchers conducted tests involving approximately 100 older adults in a virtual reality experiment aimed at evaluating the brain’s innate sense of orientation.
The results indicate that individuals experiencing subjective cognitive decline (SCD)—a state where they sense their memory is deteriorating despite normal clinical evaluations—showed less directional awareness compared to their cognitively healthy counterparts.
“Individuals with SCD are recognized to be at a greater risk of progressing to dementia, which can ultimately develop into Alzheimer’s,” stated Professor Thomas Wolbers, one of the study’s authors.
During the experiment, participants aged between 55 and 89 donned VR headsets and traversed a barren digital landscape.
Their task was to follow floating balls along meandering paths and indicate their starting point. They then had to turn back to face the direction they were in at the beginning of the first pass.
While all participants performed within normal limits on traditional memory and cognitive tests, those with SCD consistently made significant errors in navigation tasks.
Participants followed a virtual reality ball to test their sense of orientation – Credit: Getty
“These navigational difficulties were not attributed to movement dynamics, such as an increased awareness of the ground while walking,” explained Dr. Vladislava Segen, the study’s lead author. “The misdirected orientation stemmed from cognitive factors, not movement-related issues.”
According to the researchers, the SCD group’s subpar performance might have been linked to “memory leaks,” as participants faced challenges in tracking past locations necessary for real-time navigation updates.
The team posits that this could be attributed to dysfunction in grid cells—specialized neurons responsible for constructing an individual’s mental coordinate system.
The researchers hope that this style of spatial testing may eventually enhance existing diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s disease.
“In the long run, we foresee the potential for this method to be incorporated into clinical practices, particularly for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s,” Wolbers noted. “However, further testing and simplification of this technique are necessary first.”
New research suggests that artificial sweeteners may have unexpected risks for brain health.
In a study published in Neurology, researchers analyzed the diets of over 12,700 adults in Brazil, revealing that individuals who consumed higher amounts of calorie-free sweeteners experienced a more rapid decline in memory and cognitive abilities over an eight-year period.
This decline was especially notable among diabetic patients and those under the age of 60.
The study examined seven sweeteners commonly found in diet sodas, flavored waters, yogurt, and low-calorie desserts: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-K, erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, and tagatose.
All except tagatose were linked to cognitive decline, particularly affecting memory and verbal fluency.
Participants were categorized into three intake groups. Those with the highest consumption—approximately 191 milligrams daily, similar to a single can of diet soda for aspartame—demonstrated cognitive aging equivalent to 1.6 additional years, at least 62% faster than those with lower consumption.
“Low and no-calorie sweeteners are often regarded as healthier alternatives to sugar, but our findings indicate that certain sweeteners may negatively impact brain health over time,” stated Professor Claudia Kimmy Sumoto from the University of Sao Paulo.
“Prior research linked artificial sweeteners to conditions such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression, but the effects on cognition were previously unexplored.”
Consumption of artificial sweeteners similar to daily cans of diet soda was associated with accelerated cognitive decline, akin to 1.6 years of brain aging – Credit: Getty
Interestingly, the link was primarily observed in adults under 60 years old.
“We anticipated that the association would be more pronounced in older adults due to their increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline,” Sumoto noted. “Conversely, our findings suggest that exposure to sweeteners during middle age could be particularly detrimental, which is crucial as this period is vital for establishing long-term brain health.”
The findings do not conclusively prove that sweeteners are the direct cause of cognitive decline, with limitations including reliance on self-reported dietary habits and the absence of control over sweetener usage in the research.
Nevertheless, Sumoto emphasized the need for further investigation, including brain imaging and studies examining gut health and inflammation.
Her team is already conducting neuroimaging studies to better understand these associations, although results are not yet available.
“More research is essential to validate our findings and to explore whether alternative sweeteners like those from the apple family, honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar provide effective options,” Sumoto concluded.
About our experts
Claudia Sumoto is an assistant professor at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. She is a trained physician with research published in journals such as The Lancet, Nature Neuroscience, and Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
In Guests, the largest cinema at the Venice Film Festival, will converge for the premiere of Frankenstein. The stunning portrayal of Guillermo del Toro mirrors that of the creator who played God and crafted a monster. When a young scientist resurrects a body for his peers, some see it as a deceit, while others react with anger. “It’s hateful and grotesque,” shouts a hidden elder, and his concern is partially warranted. Every technological advancement unseals Pandora’s box. I’m uncertain about what will be craved or where this will lead me.
Behind the main festival venue lies Lazarete Vecchio, a small, forsaken island. Since 2017, it has hosted Venice Immersive, an innovative section dedicated to showcasing and promoting XR (Extended Reality) storytelling. Previously, it served as a storage facility, and before that, as a plague quarantine zone. This year’s judge, Eliza McNitt, recalls a time when construction halted as human bones were uncovered. “There’s something unforgettable about presenting this new form of film at the world’s oldest film festival,” she remarks. “We are delving into the medium of the future, while conversing with ghosts.”
This year, the island is home to 69 distinct monsters, ranging from expansive walk-through installations to intricate virtual realms accessible via headsets. Naturally, Frankenstein’s creations draw the attention of its makers, and McNitt acknowledges similar worries surrounding immersive art, which is often intertwined with runaway technology that poses a threat to all of us, frequently associated with AI.
“Immersive storytelling is a fundamentally different discussion than AI,” she states. “Yet, there’s a palpable anxiety regarding what AI signifies for the film industry. It largely stems from the false belief that a mere prompt can conjure something magical. The reality is that utilizing AI tools to cultivate something personal and unique is a collaborative effort involving large teams of dedicated artists. AI is not a substitute for humans,” she emphasizes, “because AI lacks taste.”
“Each experience requires a leap of faith”… Zan Brooks, left, experiencing the reflection of a small red dot. Photo: Venice immersion
McNitt has embraced AI tools early on and recently employed them in the autobiographical film Ancestra, set for release in 2025. She suspects that other filmmakers are not far behind. “I believe this experience here is merely the beginning of experimenting with these tools,” she says. “But next year, we will likely see deeper involvement in all aspects of these projects.”
The immersive storytelling segment at the Venice Film Festival aligns seamlessly with the film itself, encouraging attendees to view it as a natural progression or heir to traditional cinema. Various mainstream Hollywood directors have already explored this avenue. For instance, Asteroids, a high-stakes space thriller about disastrous mining expeditions, led by Dagriman, the Swingers director, reflects this trend. His production partner, Julina Tatlock, states that the interactive short films effectively brought Liman back to his independent roots, allowing him to conceive and create projects free from studio constraints. Asteroids is a labor of love, entwining elements of a larger narrative that could still be recognized as a feature of conventional cinema. “Doug is fascinated by space,” she adds.
The clouds possess a similar cinematic quality, floating above 2000 meters. This passionate arthouse drama depicts a grieving family pursuing the spirits of their deceased wives through the pages of uncompleted novels. Taiwanese director Singing Chen, adept in both traditional film and VR, believes each medium possesses unique strengths. “Immersive art was a pathway to film,” she remarks. “Even with the arrival of film, still images retain their potency and significance; they do not overshadow photographs. They affect us in ways distinct from moving images.”
Films in the Venice lineup are largely familiar. We often recognize the actors and directors, allowing for intuitive engagement with the storylines. In contrast, the artwork on the island can span a vast range—from immersive videos and installations to interactive adventures and virtual worlds. In the afternoon space, visitors can engage with the interactivity of an arcade game featuring Samantha Gorman and Danny Canisarro’s faces, along with a whistletop tour of Singapore’s cultural history. Every experience demands a leap of faith and hinges on a willingness to get lost. You might stumble, but you may also soar.
Visitors often meander through a dazzling…dark room. Photo: Venice immersion
Three projects stand out from this year’s Venice showcase. The Ancestors by Steye Hallema are lively ensemble interactives where visitors first form pairs, then expand into large families, viewing photos of their descendants on synchronized smartphones. This experience is unique in its pure focus on community, joyful yet slightly chaotic, embodying the essence of a good family. If Ancestors emphasizes relationship significance, here the form and content are beautifully synchronized.
The extraordinary blur by Craig Quintero and Phoebe Greenberg (likely the most sought-after ticket on the island) explores themes of cloning and identity, Genesis and extinction, requiring an impromptu immersive theater approach. It shifts perspectives, creating a bizarre, provocative, and enticing experience. As it concludes, users face a chilling VR representation of aging—a messenger from the future. The eerie, decrepit figure approaching me made me feel a year or two older than I actually am.
If there’s a real-world parallel to the Frankenstein scene, where an enraged scientist screams “hate” and “obscene,” it occurs when a middle-aged Italian finds himself in a dispute with the producer of sensory installations dubbed the Dark Room as he ferries to the island. He accuses the producer of being a Satanist. They assure him it’s not the case. “Maybe it’s not,” he responds. “But you did Satan’s bidding.” In truth, dark rooms are splendid and not at all demonic. Co-directed by Mads Damsbo, Laurits Flensted-Jensen, and Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup, this vivid ritual tale immerses participants in a dynamic, intense journey through various corners of queer subculture, nightclubs, and backrooms, ultimately leading them across the sea. It’s captivating, disquieting, and profoundly moving. Visitors often navigate aimlessly, as I noted.
Initially, many stories at Venice oversimplified the experiences to comfort newcomers intimidated by technology. However, the medium is now gaining assurance. It has matured from its infancy to adolescence. This art form has evolved to become more robust, daring, and psychologically intricate. It’s no coincidence that many immersive experiences at Venice explore themes of ancestors and descendants, examining the connections between both. Moreover, numerous experiences unfold in mobile environments, fragile bridges, and open elevators. The medium reveals its current state—somewhere between stages of transit, perpetually evolving. It journeys between worlds, fervently seeking its future trajectory.
Groundbreaking research by NASA’s twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly monitored aging indicators in both siblings, with Mark remaining on Earth while Scott spent 340 days in space.
Six months later, several changes in Scott persisted, including DNA damage, cognitive decline, and telomere shortening that affects chromosome protection. This was highlighted in the Journal Science.
Recent research published in Cell Stem Cell reveals that stem cells also show signs of aging due to stress from space flight.
According to Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at UC San Diego, these cells are “aging ten times faster in space than on Earth.”
Stem cells are unique cells capable of differentiating into various tissue types. Their accelerated aging poses a concern as it diminishes the body’s natural ability to repair tissues and organs.
This new research comes at a time of increasing interest in space exploration, with government plans for long-term lunar missions and private companies sending consumers and celebrities into space. Understanding these health risks is crucial for safer space travel. Additionally, studying the acceleration of intracellular aging aids researchers in comprehending biological processes at a slower pace.
Astronauts and twin brothers Scott and Mark Kelly at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2016. Houston Chronicle /Hurst Newspaper /Houston Chronicle by Getty Image
Researchers utilized bone marrow stem cells sourced from individuals who underwent hip replacement procedures. These cells were cultivated in “nanobioreactors,” essentially small, clear blood bags no larger than an iPhone that facilitate biological processes. The nanobioreactor was housed in a monitored environment known as cubelabs.
Samples from each patient were divided into two cubelabs; one was sent to space, while the other remained on Earth.
The samples intended for space travelled aboard the International Space Station across four commercial resupply missions conducted by SpaceX. Overall, the samples experienced microgravity for 32-45 days, the weightlessness found in orbit. For comparison, the Earth-bound cells were maintained in a cube lab setup.
Cubelabs monitored cell conditions throughout the journey and terrestrial duration, capturing daily images using a microscope. Upon the return of the space-stressed stem cells to Earth, researchers conducted comparisons against ground controls, sequenced the genome, and performed additional analyses.
Edward Saatchi, CEO of the interactive AI filmmaking studio Fable, is overseeing the project. In a statement to Indiewire, he stated, “We’re starting with Orson Welles because he is the greatest storyteller of the last two centuries… Many people hold valid concerns about AI’s influence on cinema.”
The report indicates that the showrunner is collaborating with filmmaker Brian Rose, who has been working since 2019 to reconstruct the missing segments through animation and VFX expert Tom Clive.
Welles began production in 1942 on Ambersons, following his Oscar-winning debut with Citizen Kane. He had previously adapted the novel into a radio drama in 1939.
Unfortunately, some footage from the completed film was cut after unfavorable audience test screenings, and Welles lost final cut rights due to negotiations with the studio. While editing the film, he traveled to Brazil and started work on It’s All True, ultimately re-editing Ambersons’ finale. RKO stated that Welles felt “completely betrayed.” The master negative of the excised footage was later destroyed to free up storage space.
Numerous efforts have been made to restore or recreate the film. The working print sent to Welles in Brazil is believed to be lost. Filmmaker Joshua Grossberg is leading the search for this elusive footage. A reconstruction using still photographs was showcased at the Locarno Film Festival in 2005.
However, the search has informed Hollywood reporters that the showrunners do not hold the rights to The Magnificent Ambersons, making it unlikely that the resulting footage will be shown outside of academic settings and exhibitions. “The aim isn’t to monetize the 43 minutes, but to make it available after 80 years of speculation on whether this was the best film in its original form,” they stated.
Regulators from the European Union imposed a hefty fine of 2.95 billion euros ($3.5 billion) on Google for breaching competition laws by prioritizing its own digital advertising service.
As the administrative body for the 27-nation bloc and the leading antitrust authority, the European Commission mandated U.S. companies to cease their “self-preferences” and implement measures to eliminate “conflicts of interest” in the advertising technology supply chain.
The findings of the committee’s investigation indicated that Google “exploits” its dominant role within the ad technology sector.
In response, Google labeled the decision “incorrect” and announced plans to appeal.
Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s global regulatory director, commented, “This demands changes that could negatively impact countless European businesses by imposing unjust fines and inhibiting their profitability.”
This decision follows more than two years after the European Commission first raised antitrust accusations against Google. At that time, the Commission asserted that selling off parts of Google’s profitable digital advertising enterprise was the only viable way to address antitrust issues. However, this decision signifies a departure from their earlier stance and arises amid renewed tensions over trade, tariffs, and technology regulations between Brussels and the Trump administration.
Top officials in the EU have previously indicated that forced divestitures are being considered since past penalties against Google have proven ineffective in curbing anti-competitive practices, allowing the company to continue its behavior in other forms.
The committee’s penalty stems from a formal investigation initiated in June 2021, assessing whether Google compromised rival publishers, advertisers, and ad tech services in order to favor its own online display ad technology. Online display ads typically include banners and text that are customized based on user browsing patterns.
Mulholland asserted: “We are not anti-competitive in offering our services to advertisers and publishers. The alternatives to our services have never been more abundant.”
Many theories exist around the “ideal” sleeping position. One common belief suggests that sleeping on the left side aids digestion.
This notion stems from basic anatomical structure. The stomach is positioned on the left, and its outlet (pylorus) tilts slightly to the right, leading into the small intestine.
Some studies indicate that sleeping on the left side could help decrease acid reflux compared to sleeping on the right, as this position may prevent stomach acid from rising into the esophagus.
If you experience reflux or heartburn, it may be worth experimenting with this position.
That said, digestion occurs regardless of your sleeping posture. So unless you have a specific digestive issue like reflux, your position likely won’t make a significant impact.
Additionally, sleep involves more than just digestion. Sleeping on your back is often recommended to alleviate pressure on the neck and hips. However, this position may contribute to snoring and sleep apnea as it can cause the tongue to fall backward and partially obstruct the airways.
Side sleeping is the most prevalent choice, as it tends to keep airways open, reducing snoring and sleep apnea.
Pregnant women frequently sleep on the left side to enhance blood flow to the baby and alleviate pressure on the liver, though sleeping on the right side is usually acceptable as well.
For those experiencing back or pelvic pain (especially during pregnancy), placing a pillow between your knees can help reduce pressure on the lower back.
So, what is the best sleeping position?
In the end, there is no single best position for everyone. While left-side sleeping may offer benefits for reflux and pregnancy, comfort, spinal support, and the quality of sleep should take precedence for most individuals.
Honestly, no matter how meticulously you position yourself at bedtime, you often wake up drooling on your pillow in a completely different stance!
This article answers the query posed by Tim Hatley of Lincoln: “What is the best place to sleep?”
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Humanity, an artificial intelligence firm, has agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement in response to a class action lawsuit filed by the author of a specific book, who alleges that the company used a pirated copy of their work to train chatbots.
If a judge approves the landmark settlement on Monday, it could signify a significant shift in the ongoing legal conflict between AI companies and writers, visual artists, and other creative professionals who are raising concerns about copyright violations.
The company plans to compensate the author approximately $3,000 for each of the estimated 500,000 books involved in the settlement.
“This could be the largest copyright restoration we’ve seen,” stated Justin Nelson, the author’s attorney. “This marks a first in the era of AI.”
Authors Andrea Burtz, Charles Greber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, who were litigated against last year, now represent a wider group of writers and publishers whose works were utilized to train the AI chatbot Claude.
In June, a federal judge issued a complex ruling stating that training AI chatbots on copyrighted books is not illegal. Unfortunately, Humanity acquired millions of books from copyright-infringing sources inadvertently.
Experts predict that if Humanity hadn’t settled, they would likely have lost the lawsuit as it was set to go to trial in December.
“We’re eager to see how this unfolds in the future,” commented William Long, a legal analyst at Wolters Kluwer.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco is scheduled to hear the terms of the settlement on Monday.
Why are books important to AI?
Books are crucial as they provide the critical data sources—essentially billions of words—needed to develop the large language models that power chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Judge Alsup’s ruling revealed that Anthropic had downloaded over 7 million digitized books, many of which are believed to be pirated. The initial download included nearly 200,000 titles from an online library named Books3, created by researchers other than OpenAI to build a vast collection utilized for training ChatGPT.
Burtz’s debut thriller, The Lost Night, served as the lead plaintiff in this case and was also part of the Books3 dataset.
The ruling revealed that at least 5 million copies had been ingested from around 2 million instances found on Pirate websites like Library Genesis.
The Author Guild informed its thousands of members last month that it anticipated losses of at least $750 per work, which could potentially be much higher. A sizeable settlement award of about $3,000 per work could indicate a reduced pool of impacted titles after taking duplicates and non-copyrighted works into account.
On Friday, Author Guild CEO Mary Raysenberger stated that the settlement represents “a tremendous victory for authors, publishers, and rights holders, sending a strong message to the AI industry about the dangers of using pirated works to train AI at the expense of those who can’t afford it.”
What would occur if a Super Collider encircled the moon? Surprisingly, scientists and engineers are intrigued by the concept of a Super Collider of the Moon.
This type of machine operates similarly to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN near Geneva, which is the world’s most extensive and highest-energy particle accelerator. These “atomic smashers” generate two beams of particles that travel in opposing directions through ultra-high navigational rings.
A robust superconducting electromagnet propels the beams to nearly the speed of light. When these beams collide with detector instruments, they produce a cascade of additional particles that can be measured and analyzed.
The greater the energy of the particles involved, the more substantial the mass of the collider’s “products”.
Numerous inquiries in contemporary particle physics necessitate exploring this high mass parameter space. Consequently, physicists are eager to construct larger, more powerful colliders. The moon, in this case, serves as an ideal location.
One study from 2022 explored the concept of atomic smashers surrounding the moon, spanning approximately 11,000 km (6,835 miles). This collider could operate at 1,000 times the energy of the LHC, enabling physicists to search for new particles and phenomena.
The Large Hadron Collider has enabled us to deduce important properties of dark matter. A nuclear clock may further illuminate this enigmatic material that constitutes most of the universe. – Photo Credit: Getty Images
While it is challenging to foresee the discoveries that such an enormous accelerator might yield, scientists hope it could provide insights into the evolution of the universe and its colossal structures.
But why construct these machines on the moon instead of Earth? Essentially, it boils down to real estate. Colliders exceeding 10,000 km (6,214 miles) in diameter present numerous geological, technical, and political challenges on our planet.
Conversely, the moon offers several advantages. Building a circular tunnel beneath its surface and maintaining the essential superconducting ring would be easier (and more cost-effective).
Additionally, the moon is more geologically stable than Earth and has a plentiful supply of solar energy.
Engineers estimate that establishing a Super Collider on the moon would take over 20 years, assuming human presence is established there. Thus, the prospect of a “Mega-Collider” materializing in this century appears slim.
This article addresses the question posed by Faye Holmes via email: “What if we made a Super Collider around the Moon?”
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WThe chief executive of the Financial Times suggested this summer at a media conference that competing publishers might explore a “NATO” alliance to bolster negotiations with artificial intelligence firms.
Nevertheless, John Slade’s announcement regarding a “pretty sudden, sustained” drop in traffic from readers via search engines quickly highlighted the grave threat posed by the AI revolution.
Queries submitted on platforms like Google, which dominate over 90% of the search market, have been central to online journalism since its inception, with news outlets optimizing their headlines and content to secure high rankings and lucrative clicks.
Currently, Google’s AI summary appears at the top of the results page, presenting answers directly and reducing the need for users to click through to the original content. The introduction of the AI mode tab, which responds to queries in a chatbot format, has sparked fears of a future dominated by “Google Zero,” where referral traffic dwindles.
“This is the most significant change in search I’ve witnessed in decades,” states a senior editorial tech executive. “Google has historically been a reliable partner for publishers. Now, certain aspects of digital publishing are evolving in ways that could fundamentally alter the landscape.”
Last week, the owner of the Daily Mail revealed that the AI summary was officially in place following Click-Through traffic to a competitive market review of Google’s search services.
DMG Media and other major news organizations, including the Guardian Media Group and the Magazine Trade Body, the PPA, have advocated for the competitive watchdog. Urge Google for more transparency regarding AI summaries and traffic metrics provided to publishers as part of an investigation into tech company search monopolies.
Publishers are already experiencing financial strain from rising costs, declining advertising revenue, reduced print circulation, and changing readership trends. Google insists that they must accept agreements regarding how their content is utilized in AI systems or face the loss of all search results.
Besides the funding threat, concerns about AI’s impact on accuracy persist. Historical iterations advised users to consume harmful items, and although Google has since enhanced its summaries, the issue of “hallucinations” — where AI presents inaccurate or fabricated information as truth — remains, alongside inherent biases when machines, not humans, interpret sources.
Google Discover has supplanted search with content as the primary source of traffic clicks. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
In January, Apple pledged to improve its AI feature that summarized BBC News alerts with the company’s logo on the latest iPhone model. The alert misleadingly stated that a man accused of murdering a US insurance executive had taken his own life and falsely claimed that tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
Last month, in a blog post, Liz Reid, Google’s search manager, claimed that AI had not yet been integrated into searches. “Driving more queries and quality clicks”.
“This data contradicts third-party reports that inaccurately suggest a drastic reduction in overall traffic,” she stated. “[These reports] are often based on flawed methodologies, isolated instances, or traffic alterations that occurred prior to the deployment of AI functionalities during searches.”
She also mentioned that overall traffic to all websites remains “relatively stable,” though “spacious” webs mean that user trends are redirecting traffic to different sites.
Recently, Google Discover, which delivers articles and videos tailored to user behavior, has taken precedence over search as the main source of traffic.
However, David Buttle, founder of DJB Strategy, stated that the services linked to publisher search transactions do not supply the quality traffic most publishers require to support their long-term strategies.
“Google Discover holds no product significance for Google,” he explained. “As traffic from general search diminishes, Google can concentrate more traffic on publishers. Publishers are left with no choice but to comply or face losing organic search, which often rewards ClickBaity content.”
Simultaneously, publishers are engaged in a broader struggle against AI companies looking to exploit content to train extensive language models.
The creative sector is rigorously lobbying the government to prevent AI firms from using copyrighted materials without authorization, urging for legislation.
The February Make It Fair campaign highlighted threats to the creative sector posed by Generative AI. Photo: Geoffrey Swaine/Rex
Some publishers have reacted against bilateral licensing agreements with AI companies, including the Financial Times, German media group Axel Springer, the Guardian, and Nordic publisher Schibsted. Others, like the BBC, have initiated actions against AI companies for alleged copyright infringement.
“It’s a double-edged attack on publishers, almost a ‘Pinker move’,” remarks Chris Duncan, a senior executive at News UK and Bauer Media, also leading the consultancy Seadelta. “Content is vanishing into AI products without appropriate compensation, while AI summaries are embedded within products, negating the need for clicks and effectively draining revenue from both ends. It’s an existential crisis.”
Publishers are pursuing various courses of action, from negotiations and litigation to regulatory lobbying, while also integrating AI tools into their newsrooms, as seen with the Washington Post and Financial Times launching their AI-powered chatbots and solutions for climate inquiries.
Christoph Zimmer, chief product officer at Germany’s Der Spiegel, notes that while current traffic remains steady, he anticipates a decline in referrals from all platforms.
“This is part of a longstanding trend,” he states. “However, it has affected brands that haven’t prioritized direct audience relationships or subscription growth in recent years, instead depending on broad content reach.”
“What has always been true remains valid. Prioritizing quality and diverse content is essential; it’s about connecting with people, not merely chasing algorithms.”
Publication industry leaders emphasize that efforts to negotiate deals for AI models to aggregate and summarize news are rapidly being replaced by advancements in models interpreting live news updates.
“The initial focus was on licensing arrangements for AI training to ‘speak English,’ but that will become less relevant over time,” asserts an executive. “We’re transitioning towards providing news directly. To achieve this, we require precise, live sources — a potentially lucrative market publishers are keen to explore next.”
PPA CEO Saj Merali emphasizes the need for a fair equilibrium between technology-induced changes in consumer digital behavior and the just compensation for trustworthy news.
“What remains at the core is something consumers require,” she explains. “AI needs credible content. There’s a shift in how consumers prefer to access information, but they must have confidence in what they read.”
“The industry has historically shown resilience through significant digital and technological transitions, yet it is crucial to ensure pathways that sustain business models. At this point, the AI and tech sectors have shown no commitment to support publishers’ revenue.”
Finding tales of animals getting tipsy isn’t hard. A Swedish moose was discovered with its head trapped in a tree after indulging in fermented apples, creating a surprisingly enchanting sight.
In Botswana, elephants revel in the fruits of Marula. My pet mouse eagerly taps into my homebrew and laps up the spills. They all appeared intoxicated — or did they?
If you know where to look, nature offers a vast pub that serves up alcoholic delights in the form of fermented fruits, sap, and nectar. Unlike humans, different animals exhibit varying levels of tolerance.
Generally, humans who frequently consume fermented foods metabolize alcohol faster and are less impacted by it.
Consider the Malaysian pentailed shrews, which have adapted to thrive on the fermented nectar of Beltum Palm. Despite consuming amounts equivalent to 10-12 glasses of wine (relative to their size), they show no signs of addiction.
The same holds true for certain native bats in Central and South America. They often feast on fermented fruits and nectar, and can maintain flight even when their blood alcohol concentrations exceed three times the legal limit for humans.
However, cedar waxwings in North America have a different story. These birds savor a variety of berries but occasionally overindulge on the fermenting berries of Brazilian chili pepper trees. This rarely ends well.
A Swedish moose is found with its head trapped in a tree after consuming fermented apples – Photo credit: Getty
These birds struggle to fly straight, often crashing into windows and fences.
Tests conducted on deceased birds like these revealed that their livers can reach a blood alcohol concentration of up to 1,000 parts, which is deadly for humans.
So, for any waxwing out there, remember three crucial tips: never “drink” and fly, know your limits, and alcohol-free berries are always within reach!
This article answers the question posed by Joshua Newman from Peterborough: “Can animals get drunk?”
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“IAfar, the deputy commander of the “Davinci Wolves,” shares insights about the critical role of one of Ukraine’s renowned battalions in countering ongoing Russian attacks.
Amid the aftermath, the remaining forces strive to form around ten units to assault Ukrainian positions. It requires funding – “We’ve eliminated 11 individuals in the past 24 hours,” Afer remarks. Previously, attacks occurred once or twice daily, but the situation is now relentless. According to Da Vinci’s commander, the Russian troops seem to be operating under near-suicidal orders, driven by fear of their superiors.
At the command center of the Da Vinci Wolves BattalionAt the command center of the Da Vinci Wolves Battalion
A reconnaissance drone tracks a scorched treeline to the west of Pokrovsk. The imagery is relayed to Da Vinci’s command center, situated at one end of a 130-meter underground bunker. “Even taking a moment to relax is perilous,” Afer notes, as the team operates around the clock. Constructed in four or five weeks, the bunker features multiple rooms, including barracks for resting, alongside drawings by children and family reminders. The week’s menu adorns the wall.
Three and a half years into the Ukrainian conflict, there has been no progress on Donald Trump’s August peace initiative. As the war evolves, Afer elaborates on advancements in FPV (first-person view) drones, piloted remotely via onboard cameras. The so-called kill zone currently extends “12-14 kilometers” behind the frontline. A $500 drone, flying at speeds of up to 60mph, can maneuver within this area. “It’s all about logistics,” he explains, referring to food, ammunition, and medical supplies transported on foot or with the aid of ground drones.
Heavy machine gun near the temporary base of Da Vinci Battalion
Additionally, various types of ground drones are stationed in the countryside Dacha, currently occupied by Da Vinci soldiers. This concept rapidly evolved from an idea to a practical application. The drones include remote-controlled machine guns and flatbed robotic vehicles, such as the $12,000 Termit, capable of traversing rough terrain while carrying 300kg over 12 miles at a maximum speed of 7 mph.
Photo of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Termit drone.
These ground drones also contribute to saving lives. “Last night, we sustained two fractured legs and a chest injury,” Afer recounts. The entire rescue operation consumed “nearly 20 hours,” during which two soldiers successfully transported the injured man on a ground drone over a mile, delivering him to a safe village. Thankfully, the soldiers survived.
Da Vinci reports that their position remains secure, but the relentless Russian infiltration attempts effectively reveal locations where defenses are weak or coordination between nearby units is lacking. Recently, Russian forces breached Ukrainian territory, advancing 12 miles northeast of Pokrovsk, near Dubropyria. This marks a precarious moment in a critical sector, coinciding with Trump’s summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Initially, reports suggested countless soldiers had breached the area, but the confirmed figure appeared substantially higher. Ukrainian military sources estimate that roughly 2,000 Russians were involved, with 1,100 casualties reported during the offensive led by Ukraine’s newly formed 14th Chebona Karina Brigade from the Azov legions.
That night, another dacha was used by Da Vinci, where individuals stayed in the garden, and moths circled the light. Within, a specialized drone jammer occupies a gaming chair and is surrounded by seven screens mounted on fans and supported by intricate carpentry.
Although sensitive to the imagery, team leader Olexandre discusses the jammer’s operations, referring to him by the call sign Shoni. They both have the capability to intercept video feeds from the FPV drones, with three screens dedicated to capturing footage for reconnaissance. Upon detection, their mission is to identify the drone’s radio frequency and to secure the jammer at ground level (except when dealing with fiber optic drones that utilize up to 12 miles of fixed wiring instead of wireless connections).
“We manage to block about 70%,” shares Shaune, acknowledging that Russian forces achieve similar success rates. In their area, they encounter about 30-35 enemy drones daily, with some days witnessing even higher interception rates. “Last month, we seized control of the airspace. We intercepted their pilots expressing their inability to fly due to radio signals,” he adds, although these achievements waned after Russian artillery targeted their jamming equipment. The nature of battle is dynamic, with Shaune concluding, “It has become a drone war, where we wield shields while attacking with swords.”
Olexandre, call sign Shauni, resting in the kitchen
One drone pilot can undertake 20 missions within a 24-hour span. Sean manages to operate an FPV for prolonged periods, often for days, while strategically hiding miles behind the frontlines. The primary objective, particularly with Russians under attack, is targeting infantry. Sean candidly remarks that he “neutralizes at least three Russian soldiers” in this ongoing aerial and ground conflict. When asked if this makes it easier to eliminate adversaries from a distance, he responds, “I don’t know; I just know.” Dubok, another FPV pilot, shares this sentiment while sitting alongside Sean.
Other anti-drone measures are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Ukraine’s third brigade is stationed in the North Kalkiv sector, east of the Oskill River, while extensive defensive efforts are ongoing to the west. Inside their base, team members scan radar displays for signs of primarily Russian Supercams, Orlan, and Zara reconnaissance drones. Upon identifying a target, they launch an Albulet Interceptor, deploying two drones from the fields of sunflowers. This small delta-wing drone, made of black polystyrene, is operable with one hand and costs around $500.
Buhan, a pilot of a drone crew with Albaret interceptors in the position of the 3rd Attack Brigade in the Kharkiv regionAlvalet interceptor in the dugout of the 3rd Attack Brigade in the Kharkiv region
The Alvalet can reach a remarkable speed of 110 mph, though it features a limited battery life of just 40 minutes. It is piloted from a bunker using a control system designed for enthusiasts, guided by the onboard camera. The aim is to deploy its hand-ren bullets close enough to the Russian drones to ensure detonation. “If you’ve never flown an FPV drone before, it’s simple to learn,” Buhan shares, one of the drone operators.
Amidst an unusually wet and cloudy August, the adverse weather creates a rare lull in drone activity, as the Russians refrain from operating under such challenging conditions. The crew hesitates to activate the Albulet for fear of losing it, providing an opportunity for conversation. Buhan states he was a trading manager prior to the war, while DAOS was involved in investments. “Had it not been for the war, my life would have taken a different path,” he reflects. “But we all must unite to fight for our freedom.”
Do the pilots feel apprehensive about continuing their fight in what seems to be an endless conflict? The two men look towards me and nod, their silence speaking volumes.
In a recent study, researchers examined the ancient microbial DNA of 483 mammoths, preserved for over a million years. This included 440 newly analyzed unpublished samples from Steppe Mammoths dating back 1.1 million years. Through metagenome screening, contaminant filtering, damage pattern analysis, and phylogenetic inference, they identified 310 microorganisms linked to various mammoth tissues.
Ginet et al. Partial genome reconstruction of erysipelothrix, representing the oldest confirmed host-related microbial DNA from the oldest mammoth samples. Image credit: Ginet et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.08.003.
“Envision a mammoth tooth from a million years ago,” stated Dr. Benjamin Ginette, a postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm’s Paleogenetic Centre and the Swedish Museum of Natural History.
“Imagine if it still harbors traces of ancient microorganisms that existed alongside this mammoth?”
“Our findings push the boundaries of microbial DNA research beyond a million years, unlocking new avenues for understanding how host-associated microorganisms evolved in tandem with their hosts.”
The team discovered six microbial groups consistently linked to mammoth hosts, including relatives of Actinobacillus, Pasturella, Streptococcus, and erysipelothrix. Some of these microbes may have been pathogenic.
For instance, one Pasturella bacteria identified in this study is closely related to the pathogens responsible for a fatal outbreak among African elephants.
Given that African and Asian elephants are the closest living relatives of mammoths, these results raise concerns about whether mammoths could also be susceptible to similar infectious diseases.
Remarkably, scientists have reconstructed a partial genome of erysipelothrix from a Steppe Mammoth that lived 1.1 million years ago, marking the oldest known host-related microbial DNA ever recovered.
This advances our understanding of the interactions between ancient hosts and their microbiota.
“As microorganisms evolved rapidly, acquiring reliable DNA data spanning over a million years has felt like tracing a path that continually rewrites itself,” noted Dr. Tom van der Bark of the Paleobiological Centre and the Museum of Natural History in Sweden.
“Our discoveries illustrate that ancient artifacts can retain biological insights far beyond the host genome, offering a perspective on how microorganisms influenced Pleistocene ecosystem adaptation, disease, and extinction.”
Determining the exact impact of the identified microorganisms on mammoth health is challenging due to DNA degradation and limited comparative data, but this study provides an unparalleled view into the microbiota of extinct megafaunas.
The findings suggest that multiple microbial lines coexisted with mammoths for hundreds of thousands of years, spanning vast geographical areas and evolutionary timescales, from the extinction of woolly mammoths on Lengel Island over a million years ago to their decline around 4,000 years ago.
“This research opens a new chapter in understanding the biology of extinct species,” says Professor Love Darren, a researcher at the Swedish Museum of Natural History and the Paleogenetic Centre at Stockholm University.
“Not only can researchers study the mammoth genome itself, but they can also begin to explore the microbial communities that cohabited with it.”
This study was published this week in the journal Cell.
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Benjamin Ginet et al. Ancient host-related microorganisms recovered from mammoths. Cell published online on September 2, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.08.003
Jupiter showcases the most brilliant and magnificent auroras in the solar system. Near its poles, these shimmering lights provide insight into how its moons and planets engage with the solar wind propelled by Jupiter’s magnetic field. In contrast to Earth’s auroras, the largest of Jupiter’s moons generates its own unique auroral signature within the planet’s atmosphere. The auroras linked to these moons, referred to as satellite footprints, illustrate the interactions of each moon with its immediate spatial environment.
Junho captures the mark on Jupiter in all four Galilean Moons. The aurora associated with each are labelled IO, EUR (europa), Gan (for Ganymede), and Cal (for Callisto). Image credits: NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/UVS TEAM/MSSS/GILL/Jónsson/Perry/Hue/Rabia.
Prior to NASA’s Juno Mission, three of Jupiter’s largest moons—Io, Europa, and Ganymede—were known to produce distinct auroral signatures.
However, the farthest moon, Callisto, remained an enigma.
Despite numerous attempts using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, Callisto’s footprints were faint and difficult to detect, often overshadowed by the bright Main Auroral Oval, the region where auroras are prominently observed.
NASA’s Juno Mission has been in orbit around Jupiter since 2016, providing an unprecedented close-up view of these polar light displays.
To capture Callisto’s footprint, the main auroral oval needs to be bypassed while imaging the polar regions.
Additionally, to incorporate it into the suite of instruments analyzing the fields and particles within Juno’s payload, the spacecraft’s path must cross the magnetic field line linking Callisto to Jupiter.
These necessary conditions coincidentally occurred during Juno’s 22nd orbit of the giant planet in September 2019, leading to the discovery of Callisto’s Auroral Footprint and offering samples of the magnetic fields related to particle populations, electromagnetic waves, and interactions.
Jupiter’s magnetic field extends far beyond its largest moon, forming a vast area (magnetosphere) where solar wind flows from the sun.
Just like solar storms on Earth can push the Northern Lights to lower latitudes, Jupiter’s auroras are also influenced by solar activity.
In September 2019, a significant and dense solar stream impacted Jupiter’s magnetosphere, causing the auroral ellipse to shift towards the equator, revealing a faint yet distinct feature associated with Callisto.
This finding confirms that all four Galilean moons leave their imprint on Jupiter’s atmosphere, with Callisto’s footprints closely resembling those of its inner companions, thus completing the family portrait marked by Galilean Moon Auroras.
“Our observations substantiate the electrodynamic coupling between Callisto and Jupiter,” stated Dr. Jonas Lavia, a researcher at Astrophysics-Planetology and CNRS, along with colleagues.
“This combination will undergo further examination by NASA’s JUICE mission, which was successfully launched in April 2023. This mission will facilitate repeated explorations of Callisto and its local environment, enhancing our understanding of the magnetospheric interactions between Callisto and Jupiter.”
“Reported in situ and remote observations complete the family portrait of the footprints of Galilean Moon Auroras, addressing a long-standing question about whether Callisto’s electromagnetic interactions differ fundamentally from the inner three Galilean satellites.”
“The observed similarities in both the auroral structure and the in situ characteristics of electrons point to the universal physical mechanisms at play in the magnetospheric interaction of moons and stars, akin to other binary systems accessible within the solar system and beyond.”
The team’s paper was published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
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J. Ravia et al. 2025. in situ Remote observation of Callisto’s UV footprint by Juno spacecraft. Nat Commun 16, 7791; doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62520-4
Paleontologists from the University of Leicester studied two immature fossilized skeletal remains of Pterodactylus antiquus, individuals whose wings were damaged and were discovered in Solnhofen limestone, southern Germany. Their findings reveal that these creatures were sadly victims of a powerful Jurassic storm, which created the perfect conditions for fossilization, leading to the preservation of hundreds of similar specimens.
Artistic representation of the hatchling Pterodactylus antiquus, inspired by fossil discoveries, struggling through a tumultuous tropical storm. Image credit: Rudolf Hima.
“Dating back 153-148 million years, the Jurassic Solnhofen limestone deposits in Bavaria, southern Germany, are renowned for their remarkably preserved fossils, including many examples of various pterosaurs, flying reptiles from the Mesozoic era.”
“A puzzling aspect of this site is that while Solnhofen is home to hundreds of pterosaur fossils, almost all are small, immature specimens that are remarkably intact.”
“In stark contrast, larger adult pterosaurs are infrequently found and typically represented by isolated fragments, such as skulls or limbs.”
“This trend contradicts expectations, as larger, more resilient animals should theoretically have a greater chance of fossilization than fragile juveniles.”
In their latest study, the researchers examined the fossilized remains of two immature pterosaurs from the Solnhofen limestone.
These individuals belong to Pterodactylus antiquus, a species that inhabited Germany during the late Jurassic period.
With a wingspan of under 20 cm (8 inches), these hatchlings represent the smallest known pterosaurs.
Both specimens exhibit identical injuries: a clean, sloping fracture in the humerus.
Newborn specimens of Pterodactylus antiquus from Solnhofen limestone, Germany. Scale bar – 20 mm. Image credit: Smyth et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006.
One specimen’s left wing and another’s right wing appear broken in a manner consistent with a strong twist, likely caused by a sudden gust of wind rather than impact with a hard object.
The unfortunate pterosaur was likely submerged beneath the lagoon’s surface, overwhelmed by storm waves, and swiftly sank to the seabed, where it was quickly buried by a fine layer of mud stirred up by the tempest.
This rapid entombment facilitated the exceptional preservation observed in the fossils.
It’s reminiscent of a scene only days or weeks after the animals’ demise, with preservation so remarkable that while no significant skeletal trauma is evident, many other small, very young pterosaurs are found within the Solnhofen limestone.
These juvenile pterosaurs, unable to withstand the storm’s ferocity, were also drawn into the lagoon.
This discovery clarifies why smaller fossils are so well preserved—due to the direct aftermath of the storm, which was a common cause of death for pterosaurs in the region.
“For centuries, scientists believed the Solnhofen lagoon ecosystem was primarily composed of small pterosaurs,” stated Dr. Smith.
“However, we now recognize that this perspective was quite skewed; many of these pterosaurs were not lagoon dwellers.”
“Most were likely immature individuals that lived on nearby islands, inadvertently caught in a powerful storm.”
A study detailing these findings was published today in the journal Current Biology.
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Robert S. Smith et al. Fatal incidents in juvenile pterosaurs and selective sampling within fossil Solnhofen communities. Current Biology, published online September 5th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.006
NASA is moving full steam ahead, at least according to Sean Duffy, the agency’s agent manager.
During an internal employee town hall on Thursday, Duffy cautioned that he could “make safety an adversary of progress” in the quest for a new space race, as reported in meeting notes acquired by NBC News.
“We must prioritize safety, collaborating with FAA and DOT, yet sometimes that same safety focus can obstruct our progress,” said Duffy, who is also the Secretary of Transport.
“We need to embrace some risks and encourage innovation to carry out this mission. There’s always a balance, but we cannot hold back due to fear of risk.”
A spokesperson from NASA stated the agency remains committed to safety.
Duffy’s remarks arise amidst ongoing turmoil at NASA, where questions about the agency’s budget and priorities have persisted for years. Since the Trump administration began, NASA and other agencies have experienced significant funding and personnel cuts in an effort to downsize the federal workforce.
At a Senate hearing this week, Duffy expressed his frustration about the “shadows cast on everything happening at NASA.”
Image of the moon, captured on February 15, 2025, by Lunar Lander, resilience of Ispace from an altitude of 14,439 km. iSpace via business wire via AP file
“If that’s the narrative we crafted, I’ll be in trouble,” Duffy remarked. “We beat the Chinese to the moon. We’ll ensure it’s done safely, quickly, and accurately.”
Facing a Time Crunch
He emphasized that time is not in NASA’s favor.
“We are under pressure to perform effectively, rapidly, and safely,” Duffy stated.
NASA’s Artemis program plays a critical role in American efforts to return astronauts to the moon, aiming for regular lunar missions before eventually heading to Mars.
The U.S. previously dominated the Moonshot era during the Apollo program from the 1960s to 1970s, yet its long-standing advantages are now at risk. Competitors like China, Russia, India, and Japan are also aspiring for lunar missions, igniting a new space race.
China, in particular, is swiftly advancing its human spaceflight initiatives. Recently, they tested new lunar mission equipment and rockets, a key step towards realizing their ambitions.
China aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, and has announced plans to potentially build a nuclear power plant on the moon in collaboration with Russia to provide electricity.
In the U.S., President Trump’s budget proposal suggested cutting NASA’s funding by over $6 billion.
Despite a proposed budget reduction of about 24%, Duffy maintained that the Artemis program will proceed, although “cost-cutting is vital.”
Around 4,000 NASA employees have taken a voluntary retirement plan as part of the Trump administration’s initiative to decrease the federal workforce.
In July, Reuters reported that over 2,000 senior employees from NASA are expected to exit due to the recent cuts.
Currently, Duffy believes NASA possesses the necessary resources and talent to accomplish its missions in the near future.
“If we fall short, I assure the President 100% that I will approach OMB, the House, and Senate to request additional funding,” Duffy declared.
“More funding doesn’t guarantee success, but I will seek it if needed,” he added.
Duffy stated that he plans to lead initiatives in government space exploration “in the near future.”
In recent research published in the journal Jama Network Open, it was found that daily walking volume and intensity are inversely related to the risk of chronic lower back pain. The results indicate that walking volume may provide more substantial benefits compared to walking intensity.
Individuals who engage in regular walking experience less back pain than those who do not walk frequently. Volume is more crucial than intensity. Image credit: Tung Lam.
Back pain impacts individuals of all ages and is a leading cause of functional health loss, accounting for an estimated 7.7% of all years lived with disability.
In the United States, lower back pain is the most prevalent form of chronic pain, contributing significantly to medical costs alongside neck pain.
The burden of back pain is expected to rise over the coming decades, presenting a major challenge for the sustainability of healthcare systems.
To mitigate this burden, it is important to identify modifiable factors that can be addressed through policies and preventive strategies.
Physical activity is advised in guidelines for managing chronic low back pain.
However, explicit recommendations for physical activity aimed at the primary prevention of chronic low back pain remain unclear.
Walking, a popular form of leisure physical activity among adults, is linked to a reduced risk of various non-communicable diseases and conditions.
Nevertheless, the relationship between walking and the risk of chronic lower back pain has been largely underexplored.
“Individuals who walk for over 100 minutes daily have a 23% lower risk of lower back issues compared to those who walk for 78 minutes or less,” explained PhD candidate Rayane Haddadj from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
“While it’s likely not shocking that physical activity benefits your back, until now, we lacked clarity on whether low-intensity walking could help.”
“Strength is also a factor in the risk of chronic back issues, but daily walking volume plays a more significant role.”
A total of 11,194 individuals took part in the Trøndelag Health Study (The Hunt Study).
This study is distinctive as it measured daily walking volume and strength through sensors worn on the participants’ thighs over the course of a week.
“These findings highlight the importance of allocating time for physical activity to prevent chronic back problems and other health issues,” remarked Professor Paul Jarl Mork of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
“In the long run, this can result in substantial savings for society.”
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Rayane Haddadj et al. 2025. The amount and intensity of walking and the risk of chronic lower back pain. Jama Netw Open 8 (6): E2515592; doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.15592
Lithium-rich brine from an evaporation pond in the Atacama Desert, Chile
John Moore/Getty Images
The extraction of lithium for batteries, essential for the electric vehicle movement and renewable energy utilization, poses significant environmental risks. Nonetheless, innovative solar-powered techniques for generating fresh water and lithium might improve sustainability.
Currently, most lithium is sourced from subterranean salt lakes in the Andes. The brine undergoes a concentration process through evaporation in outdoor ponds for several months, followed by the extraction of lithium carbonate, which consumes a substantial amount of freshwater. Additionally, when salty water is removed from the reservoir, freshwater from the surrounding rock can trickle down to fill the gap, leading to a decline in the water table, highlighting the negative impact of mining on water availability.
Numerous research initiatives are exploring Direct lithium extraction methods that bypass field evaporation. A notable approach, developed by Yu Tang and her team at Lanzhou University in China, has successfully generated usable freshwater and allowed for recovery back into the underground aquifers.
The team utilizes the unique structure of manganese oxides, which exhibit two crucial characteristics: they can convert a significant amount of sunlight into heat and selectively bond with lithium ions.
In their method, a thin stream of salt or seawater flows over a layer of manganese oxide exposed to sunlight. As the sun heats the material, water evaporates and lithium ions adhere to the oxide. Once these layers are saturated, acidic solutions can extract the ions, enabling the reuse of the material.
This process operates within a sealed environment that captures and condenses evaporated water for collection. The research team has tested small prototypes that successfully completed five cycles of lithium adsorption and release, with the collected water meeting the World Health Organization’s drinking water standards.
According to Ugo Bardi from the University of Florence, Italy, the approach is “very clever.” He suggests it could potentially offer a more sustainable lithium source.
“The paper appears credible,” Bardi notes. “One possible concern could be the material’s stability. How many cycles can it endure under real-world conditions?”
A potentially newly discovered galaxy from the James Webb Space Telescope
NASA, ESA, CSA, CEERS, G. Gandolfi
Astronomers might have found galaxies that formed very early in the universe, approximately 200 million years apart from their closest counterparts, but they caution that alternative explanations could exist.
Giovanni Gandolfi from the University of Padua, along with his team, examined data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in search of distant cosmic formations from the universe’s 13.8 billion-year timeline.
The greater the distance of a galaxy from Earth, the longer it takes for its light to reach us, and it will be redshifted due to the universe’s expansion.
Until now, the earliest confirmed galaxy identified by JWST, named Mom-Z14, has a redshift of 14.4, indicating that it has been moving toward us since the universe was just 280 million years old. Gandolfi and his colleagues, however, have reported finding 32 intriguing objects with redshifts, placing them at a time when the universe was merely 90 million years old. They have named this discovery Capotauro after the Italian mountains.
“Capotauro could represent the most distant galaxy we’ve encountered,” states Gandolfi.
The team derived their conclusion from observing minor fluctuations in a deep JWST survey of the sky that resemble a distant galaxy. By utilizing various filters on the telescope, they were able to determine the redshift of the light emitted by the galaxy, arriving at a count of 32.
If validated, this object might represent a very young galaxy in formation, or potentially a primitive black hole enveloped by a dense atmosphere.
Nonetheless, this presumed galaxy appears uncommonly bright, akin to those observed in later redshift instances like Mom-Z14, suggesting it has a mass approximating a billion times that of the Sun.
For a galaxy to reach such mass, its efficiency in converting gas into stars must be near 100%, according to Nicha Reese Chawarit from the National Institute of Astronomy in Thailand, indicating that the stars cannot explode. Modelling, however, suggests that achieving 10-20% or even lower is plausible. “I believe there’s something amiss,” she remarks.
If this is not a galaxy, Gandolfi and his team propose that the object could alternatively be a brown dwarf (a star that didn’t ignite). These alternative theories are also compelling, Gandolfi notes, particularly if it is a cold brown dwarf or distant planet, possibly 6000 light years away and at room temperature.
“It could represent one of the first substellar objects ever formed in our galaxy,” adds Gandolfi.
To confirm this, the team requires additional observing time on the JWST to precisely analyze the light from the object. Leethochawalit supports the notion that it may not be a galaxy but also states that such follow-up research could still be worthwhile.
“If it turns out to be a galaxy with a redshift of 32, then a lot of our previous assumptions might be entirely wrong,” she states.
World Capital of Astronomy: Chile
Discover the astronomical wonders of Chile. Explore some of the world’s most advanced observatories and experience the starry skies under some of the clearest conditions on Earth.
Broken bones often need a material to fill the void
Sopone Nawoot/Alamy
Researchers have discovered that with slight modifications, hot glue guns, typically used in crafting, can effectively and affordably mend damaged bones.
While bones can often heal themselves after minor injuries, serious trauma or tumor removal may leave cavities that require a synthetic plug to stimulate bone cell growth.
Although 3D printing can create tailored scaffolding to fill these gaps, the method necessitates scanning and remote fabrication, taking at least a week. While this pre-planned approach works for worn joints, it’s unfeasible for emergency surgeries.
To tackle this issue, John Seung Lee from Sungkyunkwan University in Korea and his team have created a solution that can be employed immediately during a single procedure.
They modified hot glue guns to lower their operating temperature from above 100°C to approximately 60°C and developed biological adhesive materials composed of hydroxyapatite (which makes up 50% of natural bone) and a biodegradable thermoplastic known as polycaprolactone.
During surgery, surgeons can utilize hot glue guns to rapidly fill bone voids, enabling bone cells to access these gaps and ultimately heal the injuries permanently over time.
“It’s essentially created from a standard hot glue gun,” Lee explains. “It significantly reduces time and costs.”
Lee and his colleagues assessed the glue gun’s effectiveness by repairing a 1 cm gap in a rabbit’s femur. Twelve weeks later, samples showed no complications or signs of separation between the adhesive and the bone, with bone mass being more than double that of control animals treated with traditional cement.
Furthermore, researchers found that two antibacterial agents can be integrated into the filaments to decrease infection risk, releasing the drugs gradually to the surgical site over several weeks.
Benjamin Olivere from the University of Nottingham in the UK is investigating 3D-printed scaffolds for bone repair but expresses skepticism, suggesting hot glue guns might become a more practical alternative compared to slower scanning and printing methods.
“Is it an intriguing idea? Absolutely. Is it feasible? Yes. Do I believe it’s plausible? Yes,” he states. “However, the practical application may be a different matter.”
Artist’s impressions of a pterodactyl hatchling battling a tropical storm
Rudolf Hima
The young pterodactyl appeared to have taken flight just days post-hatching, yet some individuals suffered broken wings during a turbulent storm that struck their lagoon habitat.
This immature pterodactyl possessed an adult-like wing configuration, showcasing strength and aerodynamic traits conducive to flight. However, paleontologists have long questioned whether newly hatched individuals were capable of flying.
At the Solnhofen site in southern Germany, countless plant fossils are trapped in limestone. During an examination using ultraviolet light at Haassov’s Museum Bergel, David Unwin and Robert Smith from the University of Leicester, UK, identified a fractured wing of a Pterodactylus antiquus specimen. They soon discovered another hatchling exhibiting the same wing fracture.
“We were astounded,” stated Unwin. “We are not easily shocked. Under UV light, it practically leapt out of the rock. Our immediate reaction was, ‘Bloody hell!’
Unwin and his team estimated that these two specimens, both measuring just 20 cm and still in their growth phase, lived around 150 million years ago, approximately two million years apart. At that time, the location was part of an archipelago, featuring numerous islands and saltwater lagoons, where intense tropical cyclones occasionally triggered rapid underwater landslides that helped preserve fossilized remains.
The hatchling’s bones exhibited a healthy structure without signs of rotation or healing, apart from clean, angled breaks in the humerus (the upper arm bones supporting the wings). These injuries resemble the typical wing damage that adult birds and bats sustain when navigating through oceanic storms.
Juvenile Pterodactylus antiquus skeletons from Solnhofen, Germany
University of Leicester
“The most plausible explanation for these unfortunate pterosaurs with fractured wings is that they were airborne during the incident,” Unwin notes.
“In calm conditions, they could potentially float, but turbulent, wave-driven surfaces would cause them to sink.”
These findings bring valuable evidence to the long-standing debate regarding flight capabilities in hatchling pterosaurs, according to researchers.
“I don’t believe they hatched and simply leapt into the air,” Unwin stated. “However, they were likely airborne almost immediately post-hatching. This is one reason why these very young specimens are represented in the fossil record today.”
Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope captured stunning new images of the Star Cluster Pismis 24, located in the heart of the nearby Lobster Nebula.
This web image showcases Pismith 24, with young stars clustering around the 5,500 light-year-old star in the Psycholpius constellation. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/A. PAGAN, STSCI.
Pismis 24 is located roughly 5,500 light years away from the Scorpius constellation.
This cluster, part of the Lobster Nebula, is the largest known star cluster to date.
“As a vibrant stellar nursery and one of the closest locales for the birth of a massive star, Pismith 24 provides unusual insights into the characteristics of large-scale stars,” Webb astronomers noted in a statement.
“This region serves as an excellent venue for exploring the traits of hot, young stars and their evolutionary paths.”
“It’s remarkable to be at the center of this dazzling cluster Pismith 24-1.”
“Within a mass of stars towering above the jagged orange peak, the tallest spire points directly at it.”
“Initially appearing as a massive single star, Pismis 24-1 was once considered the largest known star.”
“In reality, it comprises at least two stars, which cannot be resolved in a Webb image.”
“With respective masses of 74 and 66 solar masses, the two known stars rank among the largest and brightest ever observed.”
This latest image from Webb’s Nircam (near-infrared camera) reveals thousands of gem-like stars of varying sizes and colors.
“The largest and most astonishing, with six diffraction spikes, is the biggest star in the cluster,” an astronomer commented.
“The numerous small members of the cluster appear as white, yellow, or red, differing by star type and surrounding dust levels.”
Webb also highlights tens of thousands of stars positioned behind clusters that belong to the Milky Way galaxy.
A very hot infant star—almost eight times the temperature of the Sun—creates powerful winds and radiation, shaping a cavity in the walls of the star-forming nebulae.
The nebula far exceeds what Nilkham can observe.
Only a few of these are visible at the bottom right and top right of the image.
“Streams of hot ionized gas from the nebula ridge and a faint veil of star-lit gas and dust surround the towering peak,” the researchers explained.
“A dramatic spire protrudes from the glowing gas walls, resisting the relentless radiation and winds.”
“These spires resemble fingers pointing towards the hot young stars that carved them.”
“The intense forces that shape and compress these spires will likely lead to the formation of new stars within them.”
“The tallest spire measures approximately 5.4 light years from its tip to the bottom of the image.”
“Over 200 solar systems in Neptune’s orbit could fit within its tip, which is 0.14 light-years wide.”
“In this image, cyan represents hydrogen gas that has been heated or ionized by a large young star.”
“Dust molecules akin to Earth’s smoke are depicted in orange. Red signifies cold, dense molecular hydrogen; the darker the red, the thicker the gas. Black indicates dense gas that does not emit light.
Capturing birds in photographs can be quite challenging. Their speed, grace, and unpredictable nature can pose difficulties for photographers. Yet, their vibrant colors and iridescent feathers have long captivated those behind the camera. Today, a stunning array of images, showcasing the talent of over 50 photographers from across the globe, takes center stage in the Bird Center.
Birds: Modern Photographic Birds is a remarkable 200-page journey through the enchanting world of birds. Unlike typical bird books that categorize by species or habitat, Aviary adopts a fresh perspective. It presents six thematic chapters that explore the bond between humans and birds through imaginative performances such as “sanctuary” and “meetings.” The collection blends several disciplines, including art, fashion, documentary filmmaking, and ornithology.
Mario CEA, The Blue Trail, 2015.
Mario CEA
Some photographs astound with their simplicity, while others impress with their dynamic capture of movement and intricate details. For example, a striking image freezes a Kingfisher mid-dive, its vibrant blue stripes contrasting with the calm waters (as shown above), masterfully captured by Mariocia.
Red-crowned Crane Courtship.
Alan Walker
In Alan Walker’s image (above), two of the rarest and largest birds, the red-crowned cranes, engage in a courtship display, their heads elegantly arched as soft snow falls around them. Meanwhile, the radiant flamingos captured by Robert Clark appear to rest peacefully, their heads tucked into their feathers, evoking the essence of a traditional oil painting.
Aviary by Danáe Panchaud and William A. Ewing will be available September 11th, with official release on October 14th.
Elon Musk might become the first individual to exemplify a significant milestone as he targets ambitious goals set by Tesla, where he holds the largest shareholding, in a plan unveiled by the electric vehicle giant.
In the recent stock market update, Tesla detailed an incentive package that is unparalleled in corporate history, stating, “Yes, I’m interpreting this correctly.”
The company reported that Musk aims to elevate its market value from over $1 trillion today to an astonishing $8.5 trillion over the next decade.
If he achieves this level of growth, the 54-year-old mogul could obtain additional shares in the company, raising his stake from nearly 16% to more than 25%, thus propelling the world’s richest individual’s fortune to exceed $200 billion.
Current estimates of Musk’s net worth vary; however, live rankings from Forbes indicate that the South African-born entrepreneur’s wealth stands at $43.09 billion, while Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, follows with $200 billion.
This filing paved the way for a potential $55.8 billion bonus, linked to a compensation deal that Musk received in 2018, approved by Tesla shareholders.
“Ultimately, this new award aims to build on the successes of the CEO Performance Awards framework established in 2018, ensuring that Elon is compensated solely based on performance and motivating him to steer Tesla through its growth phase,” the company stated.
Tesla noted that the new plan also sets a profit goal of 28 times that of the 2018 scheme, depending on the success of new offerings, such as operating 1 million “Robotaxis” and developing 1 million AI-driven Humanoid Robots.
In defense of Musk’s potential compensation, Tesla noted: “His leadership propels Tesla to become the most valuable company in history.”
The projected $8.5 trillion market value more than doubles the current valuation of Nvidia, the leading chip manufacturer presently recognized as the world’s most valuable company.
There were moments when my brain struggled to engage with Nick Clegg’s new book, How to Save the Internet.
After a dull depiction of future families benefiting from artificial intelligence, I found myself flipping to page 131, encountering lengthy quoted segments, first from a Massachusetts tech professor, followed by an excerpt from an NPR article. Overwhelmed by monotony, I had to set the book aside.
However, Clegg, a former executive at Facebook’s parent company Meta and UK’s deputy prime minister from 2010 to 2015, prompted me to revisit it, sensing that valuable insights awaited.
During his tenure, Clegg experienced pivotal moments at Meta, including the two-year suspension of Donald Trump in 2021. His reflections on Meta’s policies are revealing. Despite rising authoritarianism, How to Save the Internet posits that Big Tech is responsible for shaping our online realities.
Yet, wisdom is scarce throughout the book, which is littered with passages from other journalists and researchers. When Clegg does offer his perspective, it often comes across as uninspired and bland: “If businesses can enhance productivity during work hours and glean insights swiftly, it will promote efficiency.” Hardly thrilling.
The book’s concluding chapter, where Clegg presents his grand vision to “save the Internet,” is equally underwhelming, claiming that the US should avoid business as usual while the Chinese AI model Deepseek caused significant market turmoil. He suggests a global agreement to counteract China, but fails to dive deeply into the implications.
What struck me more was Clegg’s explanation of Meta’s response after supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in a presidential ban. CEO Mark Zuckerberg allowed Clegg to make a crucial decision regarding the suspension. This was significant for private firms, yet the process seemed unclear. We were informed of the events, but left without a thorough understanding.
Given Clegg’s background, I’m left wondering why the book lacks a lasting impact. His experiences as a politician and tech executive are evident, yet he shares little of himself, which diminishes engagement with his audience. Questions surrounding AI’s socioeconomic implications and its potential to deepen inequality are posed but left unanswered.
The core issue with How to Save the Internet is its failure to convey substantial ideas. Politicians often shy away from firm stances. The Internet’s origins stretch back to military ARPANET, AI lacks true intelligence, and while social media connects us, it also leads to toxicity.
This reads more like a post-dinner speech or a polished think tank report, adorned with flashy aesthetics. If you’re interested in saving the Internet, proceed with caution.
Chris Stokell Walker is a technology writer based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
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Black and green teas including matcha exhibit various levels of L-theanine
inna finkova / alamy stock photos
L-theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid found in tea leaves. Its association with the calming effects of tea dates back to the 1940s, and it is now available as a supplement aimed at alleviating stress, enhancing focus, and improving sleep quality. Although studies on its effectiveness are still somewhat limited, there are intriguing insights that may suggest advantages for brain health, particularly for those experiencing anxiety.
What are the potential benefits of L-theanine?
Research on L-theanine shows promise but remains in the preliminary stages. “The research is limited, the sample sizes are small, and the results can vary,” says Crystal Haskell-Ramsay from Northumbria University, UK.
Nonetheless, findings from minor trials indicate that L-theanine may help reduce blood pressure during attention-demanding tasks, and during stressful periods, it might mitigate heart rate surges associated with cortisol, the stress hormone. Some evidence also points to its potential for enhancing relaxation and concentration.
How does L-theanine influence the brain?
Upon entering the bloodstream through the intestine, L-theanine is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. It shares similarities with brain glutamic acid and GABA, neurotransmitters responsible for regulating signals in the brain. Studies on rodents suggest that L-theanine may elevate levels of dopamine and serotonin, chemicals linked to various cognitive functions, including mood and reward.
Furthermore, L-theanine is known to increase alpha brain wave activity, which is associated with a calm yet alert state. “When you close your eyes, alpha waves increase instantly,” remarks Manuel Gomez Ramirez from Rochester University in New York.
Does it contribute positively to mood and well-being?
Generally, heightened alpha brain wave activity can enable better focus and diminish distractions, and L-theanine may amplify this effect. “The greater the alpha activity, the better the brain coordinates its surroundings,” explains Gomez Ramirez. The synergy between caffeine and L-theanine likely enhances this effect.
If L-theanine alleviates anxiety, this could elucidate its benefits for sleep. A review found that it may help individuals fall asleep more swiftly and enhance their overall sleep quality.
Is there sufficient L-theanine in tea?
Teas, particularly green varieties like matcha, contain varying amounts of L-theanine, averaging between 5-40mg per cup. While this could provide a mild effect, most research studies utilize dosages around 200 mg, akin to those commonly found in supplements.
How robust is the evidence for L-theanine?
Many studies involve small participants, focus on short-term outcomes, and frequently test just single doses or limited supplementation periods. “There’s certainly potential, but further work is required in this area,” states Amanda Bluman from the University of Canberra in Australia.
A noteworthy complication is that L-theanine is often studied in conjunction with other components, which complicates the interpretation of results. “It’s challenging to ascertain whether L-theanine is solely responsible,” mentions Haskell-Ramsay. “Disentangling which elements are effective is problematic.”
Moreover, Haskell-Ramsay cautions, “Many people take it consistently for long durations, so long-term data is lacking.”
Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute have completed a study outlining how the proposed spacecraft could fly by interstellar comets, offering valuable insights into properties of these bodies throughout the solar system. Leveraging recent findings from interstellar comet 3i/Atlas, they explored mission concepts and concluded that the proposed spacecraft could potentially intercept and observe 3i/Atlas.
Hubble captured this image of 3i/Atlas when it was 446 million km (277 million miles) from Earth on July 21, 2025. Image credits: NASA/ESA/David Jewitt, UCLA/Joseph Depasquale, Stsci.
In 2017, interstellar object 1i/’oumuamua became the first interstellar comet identified within the solar system.
Following that, the second interstellar comet, 2i/Borisov, was discovered in 2019, and recently, 3i/Atlas was identified this year.
“These novel types of objects present the first true opportunity for humanity to closely examine bodies formed in other star systems,” said Dr. Alan Stern, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute.
“Flybys of interstellar comets could yield unparalleled insight into their composition, structure, and characteristics, significantly enhancing our understanding of the solid body formation process in diverse star systems.”
Scientists estimate that numerous interstellar objects from distant origins cross Earth’s orbit each year, with up to 10,000 potentially entering Neptune’s orbit in certain seasons.
Dr. Stern and colleagues tackled unique design challenges while defining the costs and payload requirements for interstellar comet missions.
The hyperbolic trajectories and high velocities of these bodies present challenges for current avoidance methods, but this study indicated that Flybee reconnaissance is both feasible and cost-effective.
“The trajectory of 3i/Atlas falls within the intermittent range of missions we designed, and the scientific observations taken during such flybys would be groundbreaking,” stated Dr. Matthew Freeman from the Southwest Institute.
“The proposed mission would involve a rapid, frontal flyby, allowing us to gather substantial valuable data while also serving as a blueprint for future missions to other interstellar comets.”
The research establishes a significant scientific objective for its mission targeting interstellar comets.
Understanding the physical characteristics of a body sheds light on its formation and evolution.
Investigating the composition of interstellar comets may aid in explaining their origins and how evolutionary forces have shaped them since their inception.
Another objective is to thoroughly examine the coma of an object, the escaping atmosphere emanating from its center.
To devise mission orbital options, researchers created software to generate representative synthetic populations of interstellar comets, calculating the minimum energy trajectories from Earth to each comet’s pathway.
Software analyses have indicated that low-energy rendezvous trajectories are achievable, often requiring fewer resources during launch and flight compared to other solar system missions.
Scientists utilized the software to determine the trajectory the proposed spacecraft may have taken from Earth to intercept 3i/Atlas.
They found that the mission could potentially have reached 3i/Atlas.
“It’s incredibly promising regarding the emergence of 3i/Atlas,” noted Dr. Mark Tapley, an orbital mechanics expert at the Southwest Research Institute.
“We have demonstrated that there’s no need to launch any existing technology or mission frameworks that NASA has already employed to engage these interstellar comets.”
A significant figure was missing as Donald Trump hosted leaders from America’s largest tech firms in the stunning national dining room of the White House on Thursday evening. Once a close ally of Trump, Elon Musk was a frequent topic of discussion but did not attend.
The dinner featured notable attendees such as Mark Zuckerberg from Meta, Bill Gates from Microsoft, Tim Cook from Apple, and Sam Altman from OpenAI. Only a few months earlier, a mask had rested on Trump’s right hand during similar gatherings. Musk, CEO of Tesla, stated on his social media platform X that he was invited but couldn’t make it. He intended to send representatives while spending the day posting content attacking immigrants and trans people.
The White House declined to comment on Musk’s absence from the dinner.
Originally scheduled to take place in the newly renovated Rose Garden, the event was moved indoors due to predictions of thunderstorms. It commenced with praise from various tech leaders, followed by a brief question-and-answer session with reporters.
The absence of masks marks a noteworthy shift under Trump’s leadership, whether the decision was voluntary or not. I often joked post-election, “Elon won’t leave; I can’t get rid of him.” The empty seats underscore the growing divide between Trump and Musk since the latter distanced himself earlier this year. This separation has diminished Musk’s political influence, despite his heavy financial investments aimed at supporting Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign.
Musk’s absence also mirrors a previous White House event that was a pivotal moment in his political journey. In 2022, then-President Joe Biden did not invite Musk to the electric vehicle summit, drawing criticism from the Autoworkers Union over concerns. At that time, Musk had not publicly aligned himself with the Republican Party, and he expressed his discontent with Biden’s snub, vowing not to support him. This decision ultimately proved detrimental for Democrats.
This incident clearly resonated with Musk, who tends to hold grudges similar to Trump. Even on the day of the dinner, he expressed his frustration towards Biden rather than his current ally, retweeting a clip from 2023 where he addressed Biden’s snub, declaring, “I’m going to start a fight, but I’m going to finish them.”
In the following years, Musk grappled with political rights, transforming X into a hub for far-right influencers. With over 200 million followers, he frequently retweeted disinformation about Democrats, alleging that immigrants were conspiring to illegally influence elections worldwide. Musk also became one of Trump’s staunchest and wealthiest supporters, donating nearly $300 million to Trump’s re-election efforts and Republican initiatives.
Musk’s support for Trump placed him in a pivotal position following Trump’s rise to power, as the tech mogul spearheaded initiatives for “government efficiency” and significantly dismantled federal agencies. He became a common presence at political dinners and events. However, a year after the British government made incendiary anti-immigrant statements, Musk was not invited to a major technology summit.
Musk and Trump’s relationship deteriorated over differing policy views in May, particularly after Musk publicly opposed a significant bill signed by Trump. This led to accusations against Trump regarding his connections to the infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, causing Musk to largely disappear from prominent government events. Although Trump has praised Musk as a “genius,” he acknowledged on Wednesday night that Musk “has had some issues,” and the two have not been seen together since this fallout.
Despite Musk stepping back from the White House event, other tech leaders have filled the void. Earlier this month, Trump welcomed Apple CEO Tim Cook to the White House. Meanwhile, discussions among Trump’s aides about cutting government contracts with Musk, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, ultimately revealed that terminating these contracts could jeopardize too many essential projects.
Had Musk attended the dinner on Thursday, it would have created an uncomfortable dynamic, particularly given the presence of two companies he is currently opposing: Apple and OpenAI, led by his former collaborator and now rival, Altman. Like Trump, Musk has also publicly criticized Gates, particularly after the Microsoft founder’s alleged ties to Epstein, even accusing him of “killing children” through cuts to foreign aid.
Astronomers utilized a Gemini Multi-Object Spectrometer (GMO) at the Gemini South Telescope, part of the NSF’s International Gemini Observatory in the Chilean Andes, to capture new multi-color images of the interstellar comet 3i/Atlas.
This image of 3i/Atlas was captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMO) on August 27, 2025 at the Gemini South Telescope. Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NSF / AURA / Shadow The Scientist / J. Miller Array / M. M. Rodriguez, nsf/crask of rects Anchorage & Noirlab/M. Zamani, NSF’s Noirlab.
3i/Atlas was identified on July 1, 2025, by a NASA-supported Atlas (Asteroid Ground Shock Last Alert System) Survey Telescope in Riojartad, Chile.
The comet is anticipated to approach the Sun at a distance of 1.4 AU (210 million km, or 130 million miles) around October 30, 2025.
The latest images from Gemini/GMOS reveal a broad coma and tail extending roughly 1/120th of a degree across the sky, away from the Sun.
These features appear significantly more pronounced compared to earlier images of the comet, indicating that 3i/Atlas is becoming increasingly active as it traverses the inner solar system.
Recent observations also imply that the dust and ice from the comet closely resemble those of solar comets, suggesting a commonality in the processes that govern the formation of planetary systems around other stars.
“As 3i/Atlas journeys back into the depths of interstellar space, these images serve as both scientific milestones and enigmatic clues,” states Dr. Karen Meech, an astronomer from the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.
“They remind us that our solar system is merely a fragment of a vast, dynamic galaxy, where even transient visitors can leave a lasting impact.”
Alongside capturing a stunning image, the primary scientific aim of the observation session was to obtain the comet’s spectrum, which corresponds to the wavelengths of the emitted light.
The resulting spectra provide critical insights into the composition and chemistry of the comet, enabling scientists to understand its changes as it navigates through the solar system.
“The main goal was to observe the color of the comet to glean information about the composition and size of the coma dust particles, as well as to obtain the spectrum for direct chemical analysis,” noted Dr. Mace.
“We were thrilled to witness the growth of the comet’s tail and to see our first hints of chemistry from the spectrum, indicating particle changes since earlier Gemini observations.”
“These observations yield both awe-inspiring visuals and invaluable scientific data,” asserts Dr. Bryce Bolin, a researcher at Eureka Scientific.
“Each interstellar comet acts as a messenger from another stellar system, and by examining its light and color, we can begin to appreciate the diversity of worlds beyond our own.”
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