Two launches this week delivered 61 more satellites to orbit for the Amazon Leo broadband network. Welcome to Edition 8.39 of the Rocket Report! There’s a lot of news to share in the universe of powerful rockets this week, and we’re delighted to sum it up in this week’s…
Using AI tools, the team reworked part of the ribosome to need one less amino acid. The genetic code is central to life. With minor variations, everything uses the same sets of three DNA bases to encode the same 20 amino acids. We have discovered no major exceptions to…
Study authors say courts should reconsider rulings in light of this new evidence. Even before the Trump administration went to war against DEI and attempts to address historical discrimination, diversity efforts in the US were controversial. A pivotal moment came in 2023, when the Supreme Court ruled that race-based…
University of Oregon scientists repurposed battery-testing tool to better measure coffee’s flavor profile University of Oregon chemist Christopher Hendon loves his coffee—so much so that studying all the factors that go into creating the perfect cuppa constitutes a significant area of research for him. His latest project: discovering a…
The differences between our brains and Neanderthals’ were likely cosmetic. If you look at a Neanderthal skull and a Homo sapiens skull, they’re visibly different: Neanderthal skulls are lower and longer, whereas ours tend to be rounder. However, those differences probably don’t say much about the brains within them,…
SpaceX and Blue Origin tell NASA their lunar landers will be ready for Artemis III in late 2027. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told lawmakers on Monday that SpaceX and Blue Origin, the agency’s two lunar lander contractors, say they could have their spacecraft ready for the next Artemis mission…
Low-frequency infrasound (below 20 Hz) can raise cortisol levels in saliva and increase irritability. The next time you walk into a purportedly “haunted” house and sense a ghostly presence, consider that those feelings might be due to vibrating pipes, mechanical or climate control systems, rumbling from traffic, or wind…
Members had planned to release report that US is ceding scientific ground to China. All 22 members of the National Science Board were terminated by the Trump administration via a terse email on Friday. The administration has provided no explanation for purging the board, which helps steer the National…
Pacific heat pulse is temporary, but scientists warn that its climate impacts are not. The Pacific Ocean is a giant climate cauldron, with a powerful heat engine that affects storms, fisheries, and rainfall patterns half a world away, and scientists are watching closely to see if it’s about to…
Software lets robots learn from each other even if they have different hardware. Switching from one smartphone to another is mostly a smooth procedure. You log into your accounts and your apps, preferences, and contacts should sync to the new hardware. But in the world of robotics, swapping an…
