{"id":705000,"date":"2026-05-31T02:56:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T02:56:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/705000\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T02:56:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T02:56:24","slug":"science-news-this-week-exploding-rocket-overshadows-nasas-next-steps-to-the-moon-doomsday-glacier-faces-big-loss-quantum-computer-ai-hybrid-shows-impressive-results-and-war-deepens-irans-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/705000\/","title":{"rendered":"Science news this week: Exploding rocket overshadows NASA’s next steps to the moon, ‘Doomsday Glacier’ faces big loss, quantum computer AI hybrid shows impressive results, and war deepens Iran’s water crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Space dominated this week’s science news, with NASA announcing its imminent next steps in plans to develop a permanent moon base<\/a> being slightly overshadowed by the spectacular explosion of a rocket intended to carry its payloads<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three uncrewed missions targeted for later this year will involve private companies carrying payloads to the lunar surface ahead of astronauts’ return by 2028. Nonetheless, some experts have voiced skepticism about NASA<\/a>‘s highly ambitious timeline, with the gigantic detonation of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket during a static “hotfire” test likely prompting significant delays.<\/p>\n

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In other space news, the solar system<\/a>‘s largest moon, Jupiter’s Ganymede, may be heating up<\/a> due to a unique and mysterious process linked to the planet’s inexplicable magnetic field, an unexpected effect is squeezing Mars’ atmosphere like toothpaste<\/a>, and bizarre, scratch-like patterns on Venus’ surface<\/a> have scientists scratching their heads.<\/p>\n

If that’s not exotic enough for you, we reported on the far-out mystery of the controversial “JuMBO” planets<\/a> discovered by the James Webb telescope<\/a>, alongside the telescope’s discovery of a “naked” black hole that’s heavier than its host galaxy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But you don’t need to go to space to find new ways of looking at the universe, as you can see in this fascinating interview on the uses of radio astronomy in space exploration and the search for aliens<\/a>. Indeed, you can gain that sense of awe by watching this new footage of a brilliant-green fireball meteor exploding over an erupting volcano<\/a> in the Philippines.<\/p>\n

Hybrid quantum computer AI can solve questions base models can’t<\/p>\n

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IBM researchers found that AI trained with a quantum computer showed significant enhancement.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: fotograzia via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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Today’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are notoriously prone to getting things wrong.<\/p>\n

To get more accurate, large language models historically (LLM) had to get bigger, using ever more parameters and thus gobbling up more compute time. Now, however, scientists have found a way around this seemingly inevitable tradeoff \u2014 and they did it by inserting a quantum computing component into the AI.<\/p>\n

Get the world\u2019s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n

The result led to a small reduction in the perplexity score \u2014 used to quantify the inaccuracies LLMs make in predicting their next tokens \u2014 and an improvement in the questions the hybrid AI could answer compared with a base model.<\/p>\n

Discover more technology stories<\/p>\n

\u2014Can AI really simulate human thinking? Research casts doubt on an influential study, suggesting an advanced model was just really good at memorizing patterns.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Scientists found the optimal robot body, and it has 20 legs \u202a\u2014\u202c watch it scale walls and move through trees<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014OpenAI’s internal AI model just solved an 80-year-old math problem \u202a\u2014\u202c and mathematicians verified it<\/a><\/p>\n

Life’s Little Mysteries<\/p>\n

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Jet lag is a mismatch between our internal body clock and our time zone.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

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If you’ve taken a long-haul flight before, you’re likely well aware of what jet lag feels like \u2014 the enervating feeling of temporal discombobulation that lingers for days after hopping into a new timezone. But what’s going on in our bodies to cause it? And can it be prevented?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014If you enjoyed this, sign up for our Life’s Little Mysteries newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

“Doomsday Glacier” will lose ice shelf<\/p>\n

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Thwaites Glacier has been melting rapidly since the 1980s.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: NASA)<\/p>\n

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Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” because its collapse would raise global sea levels by 2.1 feet (65 centimeters) and flood coastal communities worldwide.<\/p>\n

This week, we reported that a key shelf buttressing the glacier is set to fall apart this year.<\/p>\n

It sounds depressing, but that doesn’t necessarily spell immediate doom. While scientists can’t put an exact timeline on Thwaites Glacier’s collapse, they don’t think it will be anytime soon. That at least gives people living in cities such as New York, Boston, and Miami a little time to consider moving inland.<\/p>\n

Discover more planet Earth news<\/p>\n

\u2014A single day of attacks on Iranian oil refineries released as much sulfur dioxide as a volcanic eruption<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014The ‘Doomsday Glacier’ is poised to lose its ice shelf this year. An Antarctic researcher explains what that means for global sea levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Gold glitters around Ghana’s ‘lake of souls’ thanks to catastrophic meteor strike \u2014 Earth from space<\/a><\/p>\n

Also in science news this week<\/p>\n

\u2014Chemists create ‘water armor’ that prevents stains and germs from sticking to clothing \u202a<\/a><\/p>\n

\u20141,200-year-old gold hoard discovered in Saudi Arabia may have been buried by a medieval pilgrim<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014The Romans and Vikings left few genetic traces of their occupations of Britain, research suggests<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014Diagnostic dilemma: Whiplike rashes appeared on a woman’s back after she ate shiitake mushrooms<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014A new test could flag people at risk for anemia by filming their eyeballs \u2014 no needles required<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014It’s illegal to repair most of our devices. There’s a surprising reason for that.<\/a><\/p>\n

Science Spotlight<\/p>\n

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War is deepening a water crisis in Iran that has depleted the country’s surface water, as well as its groundwater resources.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Roshanak Rouzbehani)<\/p>\n

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The U.S.-Israeli war has come at a price measured not just in military expenditures but in human lives, key infrastructure and rising energy prices.<\/p>\n

But some costs of the war aren’t immediately apparent. One of the less-publicized tolls, for example, is the effect on Iran’s water system, which was already collapsing before the current war. In this Science Spotlight<\/a>, Live Science staff writer Sascha Pare<\/a> walks us through how the water crisis originated, how the war made things worse, and whether the situation can be turned around.<\/p>\n

Something for the weekend<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for things to keep you busy over the weekend, here are some of the best news analyses, crosswords, interviews and opinion pieces published this week.<\/p>\n

\u2014‘It’s being promoted like there’s absolutely no risk’: Why some experts say melatonin should be considered a drug rather than a supplement<\/a> [News analysis]<\/p>\n

\u2014Live Science crossword puzzle #45: The tallest waterfall on Earth \u2014 10 across<\/a> [Crossword]<\/p>\n

\u2014‘We can identify these really early, before the clinical diagnosis’: Epigenetic markers may help explain why Native Hawaiians are aging faster<\/a> [Interview]<\/p>\n

\u2014AI-generated images are making it impossible to distinguish truth from fiction. We need laws and AI watermarks to protect our shared reality.<\/a> [Opinion]<\/p>\n

Science news in pictures<\/p>\n

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This stunning photo of the Whirlpool Galaxy could reveal clues to how stars form.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/ASU)<\/p>\n

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This snapshot of the bruised-blue Martian surface was taken by NASA’s Psyche spacecraft as it passed within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometers) of the Martian surface on May 15.<\/p>\n

The image \u2014 a close-up of the double-ringed Huygens crater and the cratered southern highlands that surround it \u2014 was captured by the probe to test its multispectral cameras before it arrives at the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche in 2029. The enhanced-color processing in the photos revealed veins of hidden mineral deposits, hence the blue.<\/p>\n

Follow Live Science on social media<\/p>\n

Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp Channel<\/a> for the latest discoveries as they happen. It’s the best way to get our expert reporting on the go, but if you don’t use WhatsApp we’re also on Facebook<\/a>, X (formerly Twitter)<\/a>, Flipboard<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a> and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\nScience news this week
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