Science 18 August 2025 - 5 February 2026

AI tool aims to match dinosaur footprints to the animals that made them, study says
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AI tool aims to match dinosaur footprints to the animals that made them, study says

Researchers unveiled an AI system that analyzes dinosaur footprints, using eight recurring shape traits from 1,974 track silhouettes spanning 150 million years. The method reached up to 93% agreement with expert identifications and aims to reduce subjectivity in matching tracks to specific dinosaur groups. The team released their code and an app called DinoTracker.
February 6, 2026
This black hole ate a star — and it’s still belching a brighter jet years later
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This black hole ate a star — and it’s still belching a brighter jet years later

A supermassive black hole 665 million light-years away is blasting an unusually persistent, bright radio jet years after shredding a red dwarf star, astronomers reported Thursday. The jet, monitored by telescopes in New Mexico and South Africa, continues to intensify and may peak in late 2026 or 2027. Researchers say the delayed, powerful outburst defies typical patterns seen after such stellar disruptions.
February 5, 2026
Robot Dog Climbs Mount Etna to Sniff Volcanic Gases — Here’s What It Found
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Robot Dog Climbs Mount Etna to Sniff Volcanic Gases — Here’s What It Found

ETH Zurich researchers sent a four-legged robot equipped with a mass spectrometer onto Mount Etna to autonomously sample volcanic gases in hazardous areas. The robot achieved up to 100% autonomy in some missions but struggled with wind and rough terrain, which scattered gas plumes and sometimes required manual control. The system detected sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and five out of eight helium sources.
February 4, 2026
Methane spotted on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as new studies pin down its size
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Methane spotted on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as new studies pin down its size

Scientists have directly detected methane in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, using data from the James Webb and Hubble telescopes collected in December. The comet’s nucleus is estimated at 2.6 km wide, larger than expected. Both findings are detailed in new arXiv preprints as the comet dims and leaves the inner solar system. Only three interstellar objects have been confirmed in the solar system to date.
February 2, 2026
NASA’s Artemis II Countdown Hits Critical Stage With Key Fueling Rehearsal Set for Monday
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NASA’s Artemis II Countdown Hits Critical Stage With Key Fueling Rehearsal Set for Monday

NASA began a full countdown and fueling rehearsal for Artemis II at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, loading super-cold propellants into the moon rocket despite freezing temperatures. The test, required before setting a crewed launch date, simulates a launch day without ignition. Any issues could push the first crewed Artemis mission past its February 8–11 window. Four astronauts are slated to fly around the Moon.
February 2, 2026
Hong Kong scientists say this AI can spot storms 4 hours early — why forecasters are watching
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Hong Kong scientists say this AI can spot storms 4 hours early — why forecasters are watching

Hong Kong scientists say their new AI-based DDMS system can predict thunderstorms and heavy rain up to four hours in advance, extending warning times. The model updates every 15 minutes and improved forecast accuracy by over 15% in tests. China’s Meteorological Administration and the Hong Kong Observatory plan to integrate the system into official forecasts.
January 28, 2026
Northern Lights Tonight? NOAA says aurora could reach New York as solar storm lingers
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Northern Lights Tonight? NOAA says aurora could reach New York as solar storm lingers

NOAA extended geomagnetic storm warnings Wednesday after a rapid coronal mass ejection triggered by an X-class solar flare caused severe conditions. Auroras may be visible as far south as Alabama and northern California, with rare sightings in northern Italy and the UK. The storm reached G4 and S4 levels, threatening satellites, navigation, and polar flights. Forecasters say such intensity hasn’t been seen in over 20 years.
January 21, 2026
Northern Lights Could Reach Farther South Tonight After NOAA Flags Severe Solar Storm
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Northern Lights Could Reach Farther South Tonight After NOAA Flags Severe Solar Storm

Severe G4 geomagnetic storm levels were recorded early Tuesday after a coronal mass ejection struck Earth, NOAA said. A rare severe solar radiation storm was also underway, raising risks for polar flights and satellites. Agencies in the U.K. and Australia reported similar conditions and warned of possible G5 intervals. NOAA notified airlines, NASA, and grid operators as the situation developed.
January 20, 2026
Comet 3I/ATLAS suddenly looks “fully active” — and astronomers say the window is closing
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Comet 3I/ATLAS suddenly looks “fully active” — and astronomers say the window is closing

NASA’s SPHEREx telescope recorded a surge in gas and dust from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its close solar approach. The comet, only the third confirmed interstellar object in the solar system, will reach opposition on Jan. 22, offering extended nighttime viewing. Researchers detected water and carbon monoxide emissions about 20 times higher than earlier readings. 3I/ATLAS is already leaving the solar system.
January 20, 2026
ISS-grown bacteria-killing viruses return to Earth and hit E. coli harder, study finds
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ISS-grown bacteria-killing viruses return to Earth and hit E. coli harder, study finds

Bacteriophages evolved aboard the International Space Station became more effective at killing certain UTI-causing E. coli strains once returned to Earth, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison reported. Microgravity delayed early infections and led to unique mutations in both the viruses and bacteria. Scientists say scaling up such space-based experiments remains difficult.
January 20, 2026
NASA’s TESS abruptly pivots to watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — what it’s looking for
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NASA’s TESS abruptly pivots to watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — what it’s looking for

NASA said Friday its TESS satellite will pause regular observations this month to track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever confirmed. Data from the campaign will be calibrated and released to the public immediately. The comet, discovered in July 2025, passed closest to the sun in October and will remain visible with small telescopes into spring 2026.
January 17, 2026
Tiny Primordial Black Holes and the Human Body: New Study Calculates the Real Risk of a Cosmic “Bullet”
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Tiny Primordial Black Holes and the Human Body: New Study Calculates the Real Risk of a Cosmic “Bullet”

A new study in International Journal of Modern Physics D finds a tiny primordial black hole passing through a human would cause little or no injury unless it weighed at least 140 billion tons. Even then, the odds of such an event are estimated at one in a quintillion years. The research has drawn widespread media coverage since November 21.
November 26, 2025
Cosmic Gold Rush
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Cosmic Gold Rush: Inside the 2025 Race to Harvest Asteroid Riches

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx returned 121.6 grams of asteroid Bennu material to Earth in 2023, the largest sample yet. The Psyche mission, launched in 2023, targets the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche, valued at $10,000 quadrillion, for a 2026 rendezvous. AstroForge received the first FCC deep-space mining license in late 2024 and plans two asteroid missions in 2025. China launched Tianwen-2 on May 29, 2025, to collect samples from Kamoʻoalewa.
August 19, 2025
Neuromorphic Computing: The Brain-Inspired Tech Revolutionizing AI and Beyond
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Neuromorphic Computing: The Brain-Inspired Tech Revolutionizing AI and Beyond

Neuromorphic computing uses networks of artificial neurons and synapses on computer chips to mimic the structure and function of the human brain. These chips process and store information together, using spiking neural networks that activate only when needed, which sharply reduces energy use. The field began in the 1980s with research by Caltech’s Carver Mead.
August 19, 2025
Inside the Secret AI
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Exposed: Inside the Secret AI Race – Leaks, Rumors, and the Hidden Quest for AGI

OpenAI researchers circulated an internal letter in late 2023 about a model called “Q” that reportedly solved grade-school math problems, fueling AGI rumors. By mid-2024, OpenAI had not confirmed GPT-5. Google DeepMind’s Gemini 1.0 reportedly surpassed GPT-4 on some benchmarks in early 2024. Meta’s LLaMA 2 was released open-source in July 2023 after a leak of the original model.
August 18, 2025
Yamanaka Factors Are Resetting Aging Cells
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Rewinding the Clock: How Yamanaka Factors Are Resetting Aging Cells

In 2022, 124-week-old mice treated with inducible OSK via AAV9 and a 1-day-on/6-days-off cycle lived about twice as long in remaining lifespan, with a 9–12% median lifespan extension. Earlier studies showed partial reprogramming with OSKM extended lifespan and improved tissue function in mice. Human cell experiments reset aging markers by about 30 years. Safety concerns, including cancer risk, remain unresolved.
August 18, 2025
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