NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to get up close and personal with Jupiter's extreme volcanic moon on Saturday, December 30.

The orbiter will pass 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) above Io's scorching surface during this unprecedented close approach. According to NASA, this is the closest approach to Io by any probe in over two decades.

This close encounter is expected to yield a wealth of data, unlocking mysteries surrounding the moon's volcanic activity.

"By combining data from this flyby with our previous observations, the Juno science team is studying how Io's volcanoes vary,"

When you eat a large meal, your stomach sends signals to your brain that create a feeling of fullness, which helps you realize it's time to stop eating. A stomach full of liquid can also send these messages, which is why dieters are often advised to drink a glass of water before eating.

MIT engineers have now come up with a new way to take advantage of that phenomenon, using an ingestible capsule that vibrates within the stomach. These vibrations activate the same stretch receptors that sense when the stomach is distended, creating an illusory sense of fullness.

In a study appearing in Nature, the researchers showed that these compounds could kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) grown in a lab dish and in two mouse models of MRSA infection. The compounds also show very low toxicity against human cells, making them particularly good drug candidates.

A key innovation of the new study is that the researchers were also able to figure out what kinds of information the deep-learning model was using to make its antibiotic potency predictions. This knowledge could help researchers to design additional drugs that might work even better than the ones identified by the model.

Astrobotic, a leading space robotics company, declared that its Peregrine lunar lander has accomplished all integration milestones and has been successfully mated with United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket payload adapter.

The announcement revealed that after a meticulous three-week campaign for fueling and final checkouts, the Peregrine spacecraft is prepared for a groundbreaking mission to the Moon set for launch on January 8, 2024.

The past year has given many of us reason to pause. We are losing in a race to prevent planetary tipping points — the climate is changing faster than expected, and humanity has already breached six of the nine sustainable planetary boundaries (for biodiversity loss; climate, freshwater and land-system change; biogeochemical flows; and novel entities). Summer Antarctic sea ice shrank to its lowest recorded extent in 2023, a year that is on track to be the warmest on record.

But, looking to 2024, [we're] hopeful that the world can turn in a better direction...

The researchers use chlorine and UV light to create a chain reaction that breaks down methane just like nature does but way faster.

A new approach called Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) developed by researchers at the University of Copenhagen can break down methane roughly 100 million times faster than nature. The team has now spun out a company that aims to make this technology available to society.

As more solar panels go out of service, there is a need for businesses to recycle them and put components into a circular economy.

The world is currently focused on phasing away fossil fuels and ushering in a carbon-less way of generating energy. Much of this plan rests on solar panels, which can trap sun rays and convert them into electricity. The technology has been improving over the years but also presents a problem now that the first wave of solar installations has come to the end of its life cycle.

Arizona-based We Recycle Solar aims to offer customers a better option than to dump the panels. It has partnered with various solar panel manufacturers, contractors, and utility companies to source older solar panels...

China has unveiled plans for the "world's first" nuclear-powered container ship, signaling a significant leap in maritime technology.

The key feature of this monumental vessel lies in its propulsion system – a cutting-edge fourth-generation molten salt reactor utilizing thorium, a radioactive metal abundant and cost-effective in China. This marks a departure from traditional uranium reactors, offering enhanced safety and efficiency. Unlike uranium reactors that require copious amounts of water for cooling, the thorium-based reactor operates at elevated temperatures and low pressure, reducing the risk of meltdowns.

A spin-off from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) called EtaVolt has developed a nifty device that can rejuvenate and extend the life of old (and new) photovoltaic (PV) panels. The technology has been extensively field-tested and can be used on around 90% of all existing PV panels available worldwide. The technology has been successfully commercialized and is ready to scale up for widespread market exposure.

A game-changer for solar
EtaVolt’s technology is a game-changer in the solar industry, especially in tropical regions like Singapore, where panels degrade quickly due to harsh environmental conditions.

Due to harsh environmental conditions, solar panels lose their efficiency soon after installation, especially during the first year. This drop in performance can be up to 10% or more over the panels' lifespan. This, EtaVolt explains, translates to an estimated energy loss of US$2 billion globally, based on the global 1-terawatt solar power capacity.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a rapidly growing threat to public health.

Without new antibiotics, even common injuries and infections harbor the potential to become lethal.
Scientists are now one step closer to eliminating that threat, thanks to a Texas A&M University-led collaboration that has developed a new family of polymers capable of killing bacteria without inducing antibiotic resistance by disrupting the membrane of these microorganisms.

"The new polymers we synthesized could help fight antibiotic resistance in the future by providing antibacterial molecules that operate through a mechanism against which bacteria do not seem to develop resistance," said Dr. Quentin Michaudel, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and lead investigator in the research, published Dec. 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For the first time, scientists have sequenced the genome of a mysterious species of giant bacterium that can be seen without a microscope.

The discoveries about their reproductive strategies, survival mechanisms, and distinct metabolic mechanisms – similar to mitochondria – may one day be useful in developing sustainable energy technologies and increasing efficiency in agriculture.

A new survey using satellite imagery and ground penetrating radar has revealed signs of volcanic activity that's far more recent than anyone ever expected.

The study, conducted over a plain known as the Elysium Planitia, reveals volcanic activity that has taken place within the last 120 million years. In fact, some of the identified volcanic activity has been dated to just 1 million years ago.

That's very recent, geologically speaking; and, although we have yet to observe any volcanic activity actually taking place, it suggests that, somewhere on Mars, it might be.

The case suggests that vocal cord paralysis might be a rare complication of COVID infection, caused by the virus' effect on the nervous system.

"Given how common this virus is among children, this newly recognized potential complication should be considered in any child presenting with a breathing, talking or swallowing complaint after a recent COVID-19 diagnosis," lead researcher Dr. Danielle Larrow, a resident at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, said in a news release.

"This is especially important as such complaints could be easily attributed to more common diagnoses such as asthma," she said.
While there have been several reports of vocal cord paralysis in adults, this is the first report of the complication in a teenager, researchers said.

A UNIGE team shows that the human brain is capable of identifying the vocalizations of certain primate species, if they are close to us and if the frequencies used are also close to our own.

Are we able to differentiate between the vocal emissions of certain primates? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) asked volunteers to categorize the vocalizations of three species of great apes (Hominidae) and humans. During each exposure to these "onomatopoeia," brain activity was measured...

"These results indicate the potential for an easy and novel method for early detection of autism and development coordination disorder," said senior author Lisa Aziz-Zadeh, a professor at the USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. "This is especially important as motor signatures appear early in autism—usually before social symptoms. And this methodology does not involve potential biasing by the assessor."

"Early identification allows for tailored therapeutic approaches, which result in better long-term developmental outcomes," said first author Christiana Dodd Butera, a postdoctoral fellow at USC Chan. "Having the appropriate therapy for the appropriate child at the most impactful time in development would be the long-term goal of this detection work."