Category: 7. Science

Shiffman, the author of Why Sharks Matter, described early Twitter recently on the blog Southern Fried Science as “the world’s most interesting cocktail party.”

“Then it stopped being useful,” Shiffman told Ars. “I was worried for a while that this incredibly powerful way of changing the world using expertise was gone. It’s not gone. It just moved. It’s a little different now, and it’s not as powerful as it was, but it’s not gone. It was for me personally, immensely reassuring that so many other people were having the same experience that I was. But it was also important to document that scientifically.”

Eager to gather solid data on the migration phenomenon to bolster his anecdotal observations, Shiffman turned to social scientist Julia Wester, one of the scientists who had joined Twitter at Shiffman’s encouragement years before, before also becoming fed up and migrating to Bluesky. Despite being “much less online” than the indefatigable Shiffman, Wester was intrigued by the proposition. “I was interested not just in the anecdotal evidence, the conversations we were having, but also in identifying the real patterns,” she told Ars. “As a social scientist, when we hear anecdotal evidence about people’s experiences, I want to know what that looks like across the population.”

Shiffman and Wester targeted scientists, science communicators, and science educators who used (or had used) both Twitter and Bluesky. Questions explored user attitudes toward, and experiences with, each platform in a professional capacity: when they joined, respective follower and post counts, which professional tasks they used each platform for, the usefulness of each platform for those purposes relative to 2021, how they first heard about Bluesky, and so forth.

The authors acknowledge that they are looking at a very specific demographic among social media users in general and that there is an inevitable self-selection effect. However, “You want to use the sample and the method that’s appropriate to the phenomenon that you’re looking at,” said Wester. “For us, it wasn’t just the experience of people using these platforms, but the phenomenon of migration. Why are people deciding to stay or move? How they’re deciding to use both of these platforms? For that, I think we did get a pretty decent sample for looking at the dynamic tensions, the push and pull between staying on one platform or opting for another.”

Construction is underway of CHORD, the most ambitious radio telescope project ever built on Canadian soil. Short for the Canadian Hydrogen Observatory and Radio-transient Detector, CHORD will give astronomers an unprecedented opportunity to explore some of the most exciting and mysterious questions in astrophysics and cosmology, from Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and dark energy to the measurements of fundamental particles, and beyond.

“This telescope will be an order of magnitude more powerful than its predecessor, the CHIME telescope, and it will all be enabled by Canadian technology and expertise,” said Matt Dobbs, a professor of physics at McGill University and one of the project leads. It incorporates the latest advances in radio dish fabrication, electronics designed to minimize the amount of radio interference and digital signal processing by harnessing state-of-the-art computing technologies.

Launched in 2017, CHIME, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, placed Canadian scientists at the forefront of unravelling the mysteries of FRBs. A type of transient radio signal, FRBs last only a fraction of a second. They are caused by an astrophysical phenomenon not yet understood by scientists. FRBs originate far outside our galaxy and are highly energetic at their source, though by the time they reach Earth, the signal can be quite weak.

CHIME has detected thousands of FRBs since 2018, but CHORD is designed to be even more sensitive, allowing researchers to observe fainter signals and detect a broader range of frequencies. It will be able to detect thousands of FRBs in real time with unparalleled precision.

“CHORD’s increased frequency bands and sensitivity mean we can build on CHIME’s success as the most effective FRB-detecting instrument on Earth, helping us find more FRBs and understand them in greater detail,” said Kendrick Smith, who leads CHORD’s software design at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. “Eventually, once we have detected enough FRBs, we can make a statistical map of electrons in the universe.”

‘The first dish is the hardest’

In January, the team installed its first dish; the dishes continue to be rolled out, with about 50 expected by the end of this year. All of CHORD’s components – hardware, software and science campaigns – are to be brought together for a test run in fall 2025 using the first few dishes, before the system is built out to full capacity in 2027.

“The first dish is the hardest, since it requires all the pieces to be in place for the whole production: the facility, the staff, and the supply chain of materials,” said CHORD Collaboration project manager Dallas Wulf.

The telescope’s core array will be located at the National Research Council of Canada’s (NRC) Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, near Penticton, British Columbia. There will also be two outrigger sites, smaller versions of the CHORD instrument located in northern California and central West Virginia, which will help pinpoint the exact galaxy from which the FRB signal emerged.

“The CHORD outrigger stations will dramatically enhance the scientific return of the project by enabling precise localizations for the FRBs detected by the core array,” said Juan Mena-Parra, a senior science group member for the instrument from the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. “This level of accuracy allows us to confidently identify the host galaxies and source environments of FRBs, key steps toward understanding their origins and unlocking their power as probes of the large-scale structure of the universe.”

A flagship for Canadian astronomy

Beyond unravelling the mysteries of FRBs, CHORD is also deepening partnerships with Canadian industry to design, build and produce the telescope on Canadian soil.

“One of the first things we did was to build an arena-sized factory, and we brought on a small army of technicians to work with young scientists and engineers,” Dobbs said. “Homegrown technology runs all up and down the instrument, with Canadians from different sectors and different provinces collaborating to build the foundations of making this breakthrough science possible.”

The NRC’s Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre is behind some of the homegrown technology, including the pioneering single-piece reflectors used by CHORD.

“Dishes like this don’t exist off the shelf. To get the surface form that we needed, our team designed and fabricated everything by hand and on-site,” said Brian Hoff, NRC’s CHORD project manager. “The most complex part was maintaining the surface accuracy needed at each step of the process. Our design is both low-cost and highly reproducible, which is incredibly important when fabricating 640 dishes.”

The software and analytic tools are also Canadian designed. CHORD will gather an enormous amount of data from its surveys of the universe. Smith estimated it will collect more than a terabyte of data every second – approximately the data rate of the entire North American cell phone network. To sort through that amount of data will require powerful new software and algorithms suited to the task. Canadian researchers are leading the charge.

CHORD is supported by funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Institutions involved in building the telescope are McGill University, the University of Toronto, the National Research Council, Perimeter Institute and the University of Calgary. Other CHORD partners are Queen’s University, the University of British Columbia and York University, together with Arizona State University, Italy’s Instituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and West Virginia University.

Thanks to a theory put forward by Albert Einstein over 100 years ago and a happy coincidence, astronomers have discovered radiation being pumped out from the core of a quasar — within which a supermassive black hole lurks.

The team, led by Matus Rybak of Leiden University, made the discovery while hunting for cold gas in the galaxy RXJ1131-1231, an active galaxy with a quasar at its core located around 6 billion light-years from Earth. Despite its immense distance from our planet, RXJ1131-1231 is a popular target for astronomers because of an effect predicted in Einstein’s 1915 theory of general relativity called gravitational lensing.

Aug. 27 (UPI) — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Wednesday morning, adding another 28 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit.

The Starlink mission 10-56 lifted off at 7:10 a.m. with 80% favorable weather. It used the Falcon 9 first-stage booster, tail number 1095, as it flew for the second time.

The rocket’s first stage launched out at sea at 7:18 a.m. aboard the SpaceX drone ship, “Just Read the Instructions.”

Unlike a previous flight during which a sonic boom could be heard on the Space Coast, no sonic booms occurred on this mission.

On Thursday, at the Kennedy Space Center FAA officials will take public comments on Starship-Super Heavy environmental impacts generated by future launches and landing.

To study the sun, scientists use a specialized telescope called a coronagraph. This instrument mimics a solar eclipse by using a occulting disk to block out the sun’s bright light. By doing this, astronomers can study the fainter solar atmosphere, the sun’s corona, that’s hard to see when viewing the entire sun.

However, recently, a coronagraph used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) caught something extra in their images: the moon.

What is it?

Europe’s satellite navigation system takes a major step forward with the activation of a new geostationary satellite, creating better service reliability and preparing for future advancements

Major transition for EGNOS 

On 25 August 2025, the European Commission marked a major advancement in the EU Space Programme with the transition of the EGNOS GEO-3 satellite, Eutelsat 5 West B, from test to full operational status.

This development strengthens the operational capabilities of EGNOS, Europe’s satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), and ensures continued high-quality service across the region.

This transition is part of the bigger rollout of the EGNOS System Release 2.4.3, which began in August 2025. This system release aims to maintain the reliability and continuity of EGNOS services while also laying the groundwork for the next generation of the programme.

The space segment

The recent upgrade introduces a planned “GEO swap” in the EGNOS space segment. As of 25 August, GEO-3 (Eutelsat 5 West B) has officially joined the operational satellite lineup. On 5 September 2025, GEO-2 (ASTRA 5-B, PRN 123) will shift to test status, ensuring a smooth handover without service interruptions.

Following this update, the operational EGNOS space segment will consist of:

GEO-2 will remain in a test configuration, contributing to the system’s development and validation efforts. Despite this reconfiguration, the European Commission has confirmed that service continuity across the EGNOS coverage area remains fully intact.

Focusing on safety and reliability

EGNOS plays a crucial role in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals, particularly for applications in safety-critical sectors such as aviation, maritime navigation, and rail. By broadcasting correction data and integrity information through geostationary satellites, EGNOS ensures users receive more precise and trustworthy positioning data.

The transition of GEO-3 to operational status is an essential step in maintaining this high level of reliability. It provides added resilience to the system, ensuring that users continue to benefit from dependable satellite navigation services in various environments and use cases.

This latest system release is also a stepping stone toward the future of the EU’s satellite augmentation capabilities. The upcoming EGNOS V3 will represent a significant technological leap, introducing enhanced features such as:

• Dual-frequency capabilities
• Multi-constellation support
• Increased robustness and improved service performance

These advancements will enable EGNOS to process signals not only from GPS but also from Galileo and other GNSS constellations, providing users with greater accuracy, coverage, and resilience.

The European Commission, in coordination with its operational agency EUSPA, continues to manage system upgrades and space infrastructure developments. With the successful integration of GEO-3 and preparations underway for EGNOS V3, Europe is reinforcing its leadership in satellite navigation and ensuring long-term service excellence for millions of users.

Astronomers sometimes find conflicting data when trying to answer a question. This is a normal part of the scientific process, and it simply means that more data is needed to prove or disprove the theory they are trying to test. One prominent example of conflicting data in recent exoplanet research was that of planet GJ 1132 b, which either had or didn’t have an atmosphere, depending on which data set was being used. A new paper from researchers using more observational time on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) can now definitively say that, most likely, GJ 1132 b doesn’t have an atmosphere – and that finding has wider implications for exoplanet research more generally.

GJ 1132 b is located around a M-dwarf star around 41 light years away. It has attracted a lot of attention because it looks a lot like Earth in some ways, and in other ways it is completely alien. It’s rocky, with a radius and mass only slightly larger than Earth’s. However, it is located .0153 AU away from its host star, and orbits it every 1.6 days. Given this close proximity, it might be surprising that any atmosphere would exist at all, but there are some models that show planets even that close to their M-dwarf parent stars could potentially hold on to an atmosphere. This is an important question, since M-dwarfs are very active, with high radiation and flaring, both of which are thought to strip planets of their atmospheres. In response to this, astronomers have developed the concept of a “cosmic shoreline”, of irradiation and planet size, beyond which planets can’t hold on to their atmospheres.

This paper wades straight into that argument, and actually represents an update to a previous paper, where two original transits observed with JWST showed conflicting data about the presence of an atmosphere on GJ 1132 b. One transit implied the planet had a water-rich atmosphere, the second implied that it had none. The new study looked at two additional transits of the planet, and that additional data shows the planet most likely doesn’t have an atmosphere.

Artist’s impression of GJ 1132 b – which now should be updated given its definitive lack of atmosphere. Credit – SciTech Daily YouTube Channel

There is still room in the data for the possibility of a very low pressure (around 1 mbar) “steam” atmosphere, but most astronomers think that is not possible for this particular planet, given the proximity to its star and its seeming lack of water, which was noted in previous JWST studies. Importantly, even that possibility goes away almost completely if the first data set (i.e. the one pointing to a water atmosphere) isn’t used in the analysis – meaning three other data sets agree that GJ 1132 b doesn’t have an atmosphere.

Once they realized that, the authors went back to look at what might have made the first data set so out of line with the other three. When looking at the star itself, it became clear that there were more “cool spots” on the star’s surface than during the other three transits, which influenced the data collected about the planet itself. The authors believe that might have been what made it look like the planet had an atmosphere in one dataset, when it really didn’t. As part of this finding, the authors suggest using a “leave-one-out” approach for exoplanet datasets when more than one is available, especially if the star is highly variable.

Another important feature of this paper is the methods used to collect the data. It used two different viewing modes of the NIRSpec instrument onboard JWST – G395H and G395M. G395H is higher resolution, whereas the G395M viewing mode is “medium” resolution. The trade-off is that the G395H mode has a “gap” in its data between 3.75um and 3.82 um, which could influence the data. However, the authors found this wasn’t a problem, with the noise comparable between the two modes. Their recommendation is to use the medium resolution mode if only capturing one exoplanet transit, but it’s probably safe to just use the high resolution mode if allotted time for more than one.

Fraser discusses exoplanet atmospheres with Dr. Joanna Barstow

Ultimately, this paper pretty clearly puts to rest the idea that GJ 1132 b has an atmosphere – especially any sort of thick one. It also offers solutions for making sure the kind of confusion that happened for this particular planet doesn’t happen again in other studies of exoplanet atmospheres. But perhaps most importantly, it is another data point in the ongoing debate about whether planets around M-dwarf stars can hold on to their atmospheres – and it appears to firmly support the idea that they can’t.

Learn More:

K. A. Bennett et al – Additional JWST/NIRSpec Transits of the Rocky M Dwarf Exoplanet GJ 1132 b Reveal a Featureless Spectrum

UT – A Planet Lost Its Atmosphere, So Its Volcanoes Made It a New One

UT – Venus-like Exoplanet 39 Light Years Distant Is Probably Baked & Sterile

UT – Finally! A Low Mass Super-Earth With Some Funky Atmosphere

In a significant advance for materials science, Cornell University researchers have developed a groundbreaking one-step 3D printing technique that produces superconductors with unprecedented magnetic strength. The innovation could accelerate the development of next-generation technologies, from quantum computers to powerful MRI magnets.

Superconductors are materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance when cooled to low temperatures. While their potential is immense, manufacturing complex high-performance superconductors has been a multi-step, resource-intensive process. The Cornell team’s new method simplifies this dramatically.

The research, led by Professor Ulrich Wiesner and published in Nature Communications, demonstrates a streamlined process using a specialized “superconducting ink.” The ink is made from a blend of copolymers and inorganic nanoparticles that self-assemble during the 3D printing process.

A final, targeted heat treatment then converts the printed structures into their final, porous crystalline form. The performance of the resulting material is what sets this method apart. When the researchers 3D-printed niobium nitride using this technique, the resulting nanostructured porosity boosted its upper critical magnetic field to a record-setting 40–50 Tesla. This is the highest confinement-induced value ever reported for this compound and represents a major leap in performance.

“This is a critical step forward,” said Wiesner, the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Cornell’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “This one-step process not only simplifies fabrication but also allows for the creation of new, more efficient, and complex superconducting components”.

Beyond niobium nitride, the research team plans to extend the technique to other superconducting compounds, including titanium nitride. This could unlock a wide range of new applications and lead to more powerful and compact devices across multiple industries.

The research was conducted at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source, with additional support from the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Astronomers have unveiled a remarkable discovery that could transform our understanding of planet formation.

An international research team, co-led by scientists at the University of Galway, has identified a giant planet in the earliest stages of development, orbiting a young star that closely resembles our own Sun in its infancy.

The newly detected world, named WISPIT 2b, is estimated to be just five million years old – an astronomical blink of an eye compared to the 4.5-billion-year-old Earth.

Based on its size and characteristics, researchers believe it is a gas giant roughly comparable to Jupiter.

Unveiling WISPIT 2b with cutting-edge technology

The discovery was made possible using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), located in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Considered one of the world’s most advanced astronomical facilities, the VLT allowed researchers to capture the glowing planet in near-infrared light. This wavelength revealed WISPIT 2b as it continues to radiate heat from its initial formation.

Dr Christian Ginski, lecturer at the School of Natural Sciences, University of Galway and second author of the study, explained: “We used these really short snapshot observations of many young stars – only a few minutes per object – to determine if we could see a little dot of light next to them that is caused by a planet.

“However, in the case of this star, we instead detected a completely unexpected and exceptionally beautiful multi-ringed dust disk.

“When we saw this multi-ringed disk for the first time, we knew we had to try and see if we could detect a planet within it, so we quickly asked for follow-up observations.”

The planet’s detection marks a milestone in astronomy. It is only the second confirmed discovery of a planet caught at such an early evolutionary stage around a young solar-type star.

Even more striking, WISPIT 2b is the first clear example of a planet embedded within a multi-ringed disk of dust and gas, offering an unprecedented laboratory for studying how planets interact with their birth environment.

Evidence of a growing atmosphere

In addition to its infrared glow, researchers from the University of Arizona confirmed the planet’s presence in visible light using a highly specialised instrument.

This detection at a specific wavelength indicates that WISPIT 2b is still actively accreting gas – a sign that it is in the process of forming its atmosphere.

This evidence strengthens the view that astronomers have captured WISPIT 2b at a crucial moment of growth, offering a front-row seat to processes that shaped not only our Solar System but countless planetary systems across the galaxy.

The cosmic cradle of planet formation

WISPIT 2b resides within a vast protoplanetary disk surrounding its host star. These disks, composed of gas and dust, are the birthplaces of planets.

The one encircling WISPIT 2b has an immense radius of 380 astronomical units – about 380 times the distance between Earth and the Sun.

These disks often display striking structures such as rings and spiral arms, which astronomers believe are carved by forming planets.

Observing such features in real time helps researchers better understand how planetary systems evolve into the diverse configurations observed today.

A new chapter in understanding planet formation

For astronomers, WISPIT 2b represents far more than just another exoplanet. It offers a living snapshot of the planet formation process, bridging the gap between theoretical models and observable evidence.

As technology advances, researchers expect that systems like this will reveal why planetary systems – our own included – can look so dramatically different from one another.

The discovery is already drawing global attention. With WISPIT 2b now in the spotlight, scientists anticipate years of follow-up studies that could redefine what we know about the birth and evolution of planets.

Turning sunlight directly into fuel has come closer to reality after scientists developed a molecule that can hold enough energy to mimic the way plants capture light.

The discovery addresses one of the biggest obstacles to artificial photosynthesis – a technology long seen as a potential source of carbon-neutral fuels.

Unlike conventional renewables, which generate electricity, artificial photosynthesis would make fuels that can be stored and used in ships, planes and heavy industry – sectors that are difficult to electrify.

The breakthrough study, published by a team at the University of Basel, shows how a specially designed molecule can store four charges of energy from light – two positive and two negative – in a stable state. Storing multiple charges is essential because most fuel-making reactions, such as splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, require more than one electron at a time.

Until now, attempts to replicate photosynthesis in the lab have relied on intense laser light far stronger than natural sunlight. The new molecule can hold multiple charges under much dimmer conditions, close to those found outdoors, and keep them stable long enough to be used in chemical reactions such as splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The molecule is built from five connected parts, each with a role. Two units on one side release electrons, becoming positively charged. Two on the other side absorb electrons, becoming negatively charged. In the centre sits a light-absorbing unit that kickstarts the process. After two exposures to light, the molecule holds two positive and two negative charges – effectively bottling solar energy in a chemical form.

“This stepwise excitation makes it possible to use significantly dimmer light. As a result, we are already moving close to the intensity of sunlight,” said doctoral student Mathis Brändlin, lead author of the study in Nature Chemistry.

It doesn’t mean the researchers have created a functioning artificial photosynthesis system, but professor Oliver Wenger, his supervisor, said “we have identified and implemented an important piece of the puzzle”.

Artificial photosynthesis has been described as the holy grail of clean energy because it would create carbon-neutral fuels. Unlike batteries, which are heavy and expensive to store at scale, liquid fuels could be used in ships, planes and heavy industry where electrification is difficult. They could also be shipped worldwide through existing infrastructure, offering an alternative to fossil fuels that does not add new carbon to the atmosphere.

Burning them would release only as much carbon dioxide as was absorbed to produce them, effectively closing the loop. It could also solve the intermittency problem of renewables – storing solar power in liquid form for use when the sun is not shining.

So far pilot projects in Europe, Japan and the United States mostly remain confined to labs or small test sites, although many have demonstrated some progress.

Japan has invested heavily in photocatalyst research as part of its hydrogen strategy, while the European Union has funded “Sun-to-Liquid” projects aimed at producing jet fuel from sunlight. US laboratories have developed prototypes for solar-driven hydrogen production. But scaling up has proved difficult, both because of efficiency losses and the cost of materials.

With global demand for energy still rising, and fossil fuels remaining dominant in sectors like aviation and shipping, researchers say the need for storable, carbon-neutral fuels is urgent.

“We hope that this will help us contribute to new prospects for a sustainable energy future,” Mr Wenger said.