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Sticky Substance Discovered in Asteroid Bennu Samples

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This rubbery material is a first for space observations and likely originated during the early formation of the solar system as Bennu’s parent asteroid heated up. Initially soft and pliable, it hardened into an ancient “space gum” made up of a polymer rich in nitrogen and oxygen. The presence of such complex molecules may have contributed essential chemical precursors for the emergence of life on Earth, making their discovery in Bennu’s pristine samples crucial for scientists studying the origins of life and the potential for life beyond our planet.

Electron micrograph of particles taken from a Bennu sample. Image credit: Sandford et al., doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02694-5.

Bennu’s parent asteroid originated from material in the solar nebula (the rotating cloud of gas and dust that formed our solar system) and was composed of various minerals and ice.

As the asteroid warmed from natural radiation, compounds known as carbamates were created through reactions involving ammonia and carbon dioxide.

Despite being water-soluble, carbamates can persist long enough to polymerize and interact with other molecules, forming larger, more complex chains that are water-resistant.

This indicates that the parent asteroid formed before it became a watery environment.

“With this unusual material, we may be observing one of the earliest transformations that occurred in this rock,” stated Dr. Scott Sandford, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center.

“In this ancient asteroid, formed in the early epochs of our solar system, we are witnessing events close to the dawn of time.”

The study explored the properties of this gum-like substance from Bennu.

As more information was revealed, it became apparent that the material was deposited in layers over ice and mineral grains present on the asteroid.

This material was also flexible, resembling the texture of used gum or soft plastic.

During their analysis, researchers observed that this peculiar material could bend and create indentations when pressure was applied.

The object was translucent and became brittle upon radiation exposure, reminiscent of a lawn chair left outdoors for several seasons.

“Analyzing its chemical composition shows that it contains similar chemical groups found in polyurethane on Earth, thus making this Bennu material comparable to ‘space plastic’,” Dr. Sandford explained.

“However, the material from ancient asteroids goes beyond just being polyurethane, which is a structured polymer.”

“It has a more random assortment of connections, with varying elemental compositions for each particle.”

The team’s findings were published in the Journal on December 2, 2025, in Nature Astronomy.

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SA Sandford et al. Nitrogen- and oxygen-rich organic material indicates polymerization in preaqueous low-temperature chemistry in Bennu’s parent body. Nat Astron published online on December 2, 2025. doi: 10.1038/s41550-025-02694-5

Source: www.sci.news

Review of “Internet Storage”: Nick Clegg’s New Tech Book Lacks Substance

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Nick Clegg, vice president of Global Affairs and Communications at Meta, speaks via web broadcast from the Altice Arena during the 2021 Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, attended by approximately 40,000 participants. (Credit: Hugo Amaral/SOPA Images via Zuma Press Wire)

At the time, Nick Clegg, an executive at Meta, addressed the Technology Summit in Portugal in 2021.

Hugo Amaral/SOPA Images via Zuma Press Wire/Alamy

How to Save the Internet
Nick Clegg (Bodley Head (UK, Now, US, November 11))

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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ADHD Medications Lower the Risk of Crimes, Substance Abuse, and Accidents

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ADHD symptoms can be effectively managed through medication and therapy

Alex Di Stasi/Shutterstock

A study involving 150,000 participants in Sweden found that individuals using medications to control their symptoms face a diminished risk of suicidal behavior, criminal charges, substance misuse, accidental injuries, and traffic incidents. Prior research supports this, yet the team behind this latest study claims it’s the most substantial evidence available to date.

“This represents the best methodology, akin to a randomized trial,” states Zheng Chang from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

When considering medications for ADHD management, the wider impact of avoiding these treatments might not be fully recognized, according to Samuelle Cortese from the University of Southampton, UK. He suggests parents often become preoccupied with immediate academic challenges but should also consider potential long-term outcomes.

“Neglecting ADHD can be risky,” he emphasizes. “Current evidence indicates that treatment lowers these risks.”

Individuals with ADHD frequently struggle with attention and exhibit impulsivity. Randomized controlled trials indicate that medications are effective in handling immediate symptoms.

Such trials involve randomly assigning individuals to either receive treatment or not, regarded as the gold standard in medical research. However, no randomized studies have yet evaluated the broader effects of ADHD medications, forcing researchers to rely on observational studies, which do not definitively prove that medication leads to noted behavioral changes.

Recently, Chang, Cortese, and their team executed a method known as target trial emulation. They utilized Swedish medical and legal records to compare patients who began ADHD medication promptly after diagnosis with those who delayed.

The results indicated that those using ADHD medications were 25% less likely to face criminal charges or experience substance problems. They also recorded a 16% reduction in traffic accident involvement, a 15% lower risk for suicide attempts, and a 4% decrease in accidental injuries.

“Understanding if medication can influence daily life beyond mere symptom alleviation is invaluable,” stated Adam Guastella during an interview with the UK Science Media Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. “This knowledge will also assist governments and policymakers in recognizing the potential societal benefits of comprehensive care, including mental health and criminal justice outcomes.”

If you need someone to talk to, please reach out: UK Samaritans: 116123 (samaritans.org); US 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988 (988lifeline.org). Find more helplines at bit.ly/suicidehelplines for other regions.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

What is the substance being sprayed on the California wildfires?

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The primary purpose of the pink dye is simply to allow firefighters and pilots to accurately create and identify lines of flame retardant.

“Essentially, this allows the pilot to see where the line will be dropped,” Horn said. “If it’s clear, they won’t know where the deceleration line is.”

Phos-Chek fades over time when exposed to sunlight and washes away with water, so it won’t permanently stain your landscape.

Neptune Aviation, a Montana-based air tanker company, is one of the services currently delivering fire retardant to areas affected by the fires. The company has contracts with the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Nick Lin, vice president of operations for Neptune Aviation, said three of the company’s air tankers are in use in Southern California. He explained that the aircraft were using designated air tanker bases set up by the government.

“We go to a pre-established tanker base where we mix the flame retardant and pump it onto the plane. Think of us like a dump truck. We take the product from A to B,” he said.

On Monday, pink flame retardant was discovered at a home in the hills of Mandeville Canyon in Los Angeles.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Neptune Aviation flew at least 93 missions and transported an additional 280,000 gallons of retardant for firefighting efforts, Lin added.

To protect the ecosystem, the Forest Service and Department of the Interior require aircraft to avoid dropping flame retardants within 300 feet of waterways (ground deliveries must also avoid waterways). However, some exceptions are allowed, such as when “the potential damage to natural resources outweighs the potential loss of aquatic life.” According to the Forest Service.

The main environmental issue associated with flame retardants is the presence of heavy metals. A study last year suggested that some versions of Phos-Chek contained higher levels of metals such as cadmium and chromium than would be considered safe according to regulatory standards. Heavy metals are not added directly to the product, but can come from naturally occurring impurities.

But Horne said the version of Foscheck dropped in California is “a different product than it was a few years ago.”

A Mandeville Canyon trail entrance sign was covered in pink flame retardant in Los Angeles on Monday.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Yifan Zhu, a professor of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles, said the benefits of using flame retardants outweigh the risks.

“There is little evidence that there are any serious long-term health effects in people associated with it,” Zhu said.

He added that the immediate health risks posed by wildfire smoke, which contains high levels of particulate matter, outweigh potential concerns related to flame retardants.

Exposure to smoke pollution can cause a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including difficulty breathing, bronchitis, and heart attacks. According to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Carbon and nitrogen-based substance nearly as hard as diamond.

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This carbon nitride is almost as hard as diamond.

Dominic Ranier and others

An elusive material that scientists have wanted to create for decades has finally been synthesized under tremendous heat and pressure. Its hardness is almost the same as diamond. It can be used as cutting tools, sensors, and even explosives.

In 1989, researchers theorized that materials made from carbon and nitrogen would be less compressible and more resistant to shear than the hardest known material, diamond. However, efforts to achieve this have failed.

now, dominique raniel He and his colleagues at the University of Edinburgh in the UK created a small sample of the material, a type of carbon nitride. They achieved this by compressing carbon and nitrogen between the points of the diamond at a pressure 700,000 times that of atmospheric pressure and heating it to 3000°C with a laser.

Diamond has a hardness of approximately 90 gigapascals, and the second hardest material known to date, cubic boron nitride, has a hardness of 50 to 55 GPa. Ranier said the new material scores between 78 and 86 GPa, depending on which of the three crystal structures it forms.

Quote from Works from 1989 The idea that the hardness of this substance exceeds that of diamond has now been overturned, and it is now believed that no substance exceeds it.

“There is a huge gap between diamonds and diamonds.” [previous] Second best. So we’re starting to bridge that gap and close it,” Lanier says. He said the new material is called carbon nitride, even though there are existing materials made from these two very different elements, adding that the more chemically accurate name is “a bit of an overstatement.” The researchers said they welcome proposals.

The samples are only 5 micrometers wide and 3 micrometers deep, which could make large-scale production difficult. Compressing the sample using larger diamonds could theoretically create larger pieces of material, but more intense compression would be required to form them.

This would make carbon nitride much more expensive to purchase than diamond. But Lanier said the material has advantages over diamond, such as generating electrical signals under pressure, which could be useful in sensors. Its high energy density also has the potential to make it a powerful explosive that is less toxic to the environment than current alternatives, Lanier said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com