For the first time, researchers have found that the number of electrical discharges on a spacecraft directly correlates to the number of electrons in the surrounding environment—information that could help scientists better understand how to protect equipment in space. Spacecraft environment discharges (SEDs) are transient electrical breakdowns that can damage sensitive onboard electronics and communication systems.

"We've long known that these SEDs exist," said Amitabh Nag, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and lead author on a new paper detailing the research.

"But we haven't understood the relationship between the electrons in the space environment and SEDs. To do that, we needed two sensors on a single spacecraft: one that looked at the number and activity of electrons, and another that looked at the radio frequency signal."

What can the galactic habitable zone (GHZ), galactic regions where complex life is hypothesized to be able to evolve, teach scientists about finding the correct stars that could have habitable planets?

This is what a recent study accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated a connection between the migration of stars, commonly called stellar migration, and what this could mean for finding habitable planets within our galaxy. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the astrophysical parameters for finding habitable worlds beyond Earth and even life as we know it.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has changed how people interact, but it also poses a global risk to human dignity, according to new research from Charles Darwin University (CDU).

Lead author Dr. Maria Randazzo, from CDU’s School of Law, explained that AI is rapidly reshaping Western legal and ethical systems, yet this transformation is eroding democratic principles and reinforcing existing social inequalities.

She noted that current regulatory frameworks often overlook basic human rights and freedoms, including privacy, protection from discrimination, individual autonomy, and intellectual property. This shortfall is largely due to the opaque nature of many algorithmic models, which makes their operations difficult to trace.

The black box problem
Dr. Randazzo described this lack of transparency as the “black box problem,” noting that the decisions produced by deep-learning and machine-learning systems cannot be traced by humans. This opacity makes it challenging for individuals to understand whether and how an AI model has infringed on their rights or dignity, and it prevents them from effectively pursuing justice when such violations occur.

“This is a very significant issue that is only going to get worse without adequate regulation,” Dr. Randazzo said.

“AI is not intelligent in any human sense at all. It is a triumph in engineering, not in cognitive behaviour.

“It has no clue what it’s doing or why – there’s no thought process as a human would understand it, just pattern recognition stripped of embodiment, memory, empathy, or wisdom.”

What did sauropods eat, and how far did they travel to meet their enormous food demands? An international team of researchers has reconstructed the feeding behavior of these long-necked dinosaurs by applying advanced dental wear analysis. Their study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, shows that microscopic wear patterns on tooth enamel can reveal unexpected details about migration, climate influences, and how different species shared ecological niches 150 million years ago.

The insecticide chlorpyrifos is a powerful tool for controlling various pests, making it one of the most widely used pesticides during the latter half of the 20th century.

Like many pesticides, however, chlorpyrifos lacks precision. In addition to harming non-target insects like bees, it has also been linked to health risks for much larger animals – including us.

Now, a new US study suggests those risks may begin before birth. Humans exposed to chlorpyrifos prenatally are more likely to exhibit structural brain abnormalities and reduced motor functions in childhood and adolescence.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have identified a previously unknown state of quantum matter. According to the team, this discovery could pave the way for computers that recharge themselves and withstand the extreme conditions of deep space exploration.

“It’s a new phase of matter, similar to how water can exist as liquid, ice, or vapor,” said Luis A. Jauregui, professor of physics & astronomy at UC Irvine and corresponding author of the new Physical Review Letters. “It’s only been theoretically predicted – no one has ever measured it until now.”

The phase behaves like a fluid formed by electrons and their counterparts, known as “holes,” which spontaneously pair together to create exotic structures called excitons. In a surprising twist, both electrons and holes rotate in the same direction. “It’s its own new thing,” Jauregui said. “If we could hold it in our hands, it would glow a bright, high-frequency light.”

Plastics that support modern life are inexpensive, strong, and versatile, but are difficult to dispose of and have a serious impact when released into the environment. Polyethylene, in particular, is the most widely produced plastic in the world, with more than 100 million tons distributed annually. Since it can take decades to decompose—and along the way can harm wildlife and degrade into harmful microplastics—its disposal is an urgent issue for mankind.

In 2017, European researchers discovered a potential solution. The larvae of wax moths, commonly known as wax worms, have the ability to break down polyethylene in their bodies. Wax worms have been considered a pest since ancient times because they parasitize beehives, feeding on beeswax. However, we now know that they also spontaneously feed on polyethylene, which has a chemically similar structure.

Scientists have developed a more efficient way to generate oxygen for astronauts that could help with future missions into deep space.

Current life-support systems such as those on the International Space Station (ISS) rely on bulky centrifuges to separate the oxygen and hydrogen bubbles created when water is split by electricity, a process known as electrolysis. On Earth, bubbles rise away from electrodes, but in microgravity, spinning is required to separate them. This method works, but the equipment is heavy, power-hungry and is ill-suited for long-duration missions to the moon or Mars.

A new study led by Alvaro Romero-Calvo of the Georgia Institute of Technology, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Bremen’s Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) and the University of Warwick, has demonstrated a simpler, lighter and more sustainable solution in the form of magnets.

Just 500 million years after the Big Bang, a colossal black hole, 300 million times the mass of the Sun, was already blazing at the heart of a tiny, brilliant galaxy. Found with JWST, this discovery could explain the strange "Little Red Dots" seen in the early cosmos and rewrites what we thought was possible for black hole growth.

After up to 45 days in their father’s brood pouch, baby seahorses—each around the size of a jelly bean—float together in small groups, wrapping their tails around one another as they travel.

Get ready for autumn skies 🍂

In September, you’ll get a good look at Saturn and see a celestial trio before sunrise mid-month. Get more details about what to expect from this month’s night skies: https://t.co/ClHjcD6zgu

New research investigates the possibility that different spacecraft could visit Comet 3I/ATLAS, giving scientists a unique on-location view of the interstellar visitor, or even offering the chance to collect material that could be much older than the bodies of our solar system.

For decades, scientists have wrestled with a simple question: what happened to the Moon’s magnetism? Instruments on orbiting spacecraft once detected strong magnetic signatures in lunar surface rocks, indicating a powerful field in the past. Yet the moon itself has no inherent magnetism today.

Researchers at MIT now believe they may have uncovered the answer. Their hypothesis suggests that the Moon once possessed a faint magnetic field, and when a massive impact occurred, it produced a burst of plasma that temporarily strengthened this field, particularly on the far side of the Moon.

The SWOT satellite captured the tsunami triggered by Russia’s Kamchatka earthquake on July 30.

By providing data on the wave’s height, shape, and direction, SWOT is helping scientists improve tsunami forecast models and protect coastal communities. https://t.co/BL8QjUrWaj

We're going up, up, up, it's our moment! 🎶

NASA's Roman Telescope has passed its deployment test at NASAGoddard.

The test ensures Roman's solar panels and deployable aperture cover will unfold as planned in space.

Learn more: https://t.co/YqQvrK33Z2

ESA HQ is opening its doors to the public for the first time on 20 September!

Register now to visit us in Paris ➡️ https://t.co/7Ze9k00b0S