Many mini-Neptunes once thought to be lava worlds may actually have solid surfaces
A new study finds that many “mini-Neptunes”—perhaps the most common planets in the galaxy—are under so much pressure…
Parabolic flight experiment highlights flame dynamics in microgravity
Credit: J. van Loon Casting a swirling shadow, a glowing candle flame sways eerily before flaring up once…
Are there different types of black holes? New method puts Einstein to the test
At the current resolution of telescopes, black holes predicted by different theories of gravity still look very similar.…
Superconducting qubit that lasts for over 1 millisecond is primed for industrial scaling
A Princeton team has reported their new qubit lasts for over 1 millisecond, three times longer than the…
Thin-film strontium titanate sets electro-optic performance record at cryogenic temperatures
(a) Thin-film 200-mm strontium titanate (SrTiO3) grown on silicon wafer. (b) Transmission electron microscope image highlighting the crystallinity…
Scientists produce powerhouse pigment behind octopus camouflage
An octopus camouflages itself with the seafloor. Credit: Charlotte Seid Scientists at UC San Diego have moved one…
Simulations suggest the early universe helped black holes grow big, but not in the long run
Illustration of a black hole growing at an extremely fast (super-Eddington) rate. Credit: NOIRLab/AURA/NSF/P. Marenfeld At the heart…
Physicists achieve high precision in measuring strontium atoms using rubidium neighbor
Small clouds of strontium atoms (blue) and rubidium atoms (red) are trapped together. The well-known properties of rubidium…
Pink sea anemone that ‘builds a home’ for hermit crabs discovered off Japan’s deep-sea coast
Paracalliactis tsukisome, a newly discovered sea anemone living in symbiosis with hermit crabs on the deep-sea floor off…
Light can reshape atom-thin semiconductors for next-generation optical devices
A team of Rice University researchers and collaborators showed that a two-layer Janus TMD material—molybdenum sulfur selenide stacked…
Picture of universe getting clearer—but much remains unknown
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Even though we can explore the universe with great precision, there is still a…
International Space Station nears its end. Inside NASA’s plan
Plans are underway to determine how best in the years ahead to retire and deorbit the aging International…