We often think of time—like the 24-hour day—as something fixed and unchanging. But in reality, even Earth’s rotation isn’t constant. Scientists have now found that our planet is spinning faster than it used to, and that means days are getting just a tiny bit shorter.This might sound strange, but Earth’s rotation has always changed over long periods. Dinosaurs, for example, lived with 23-hour days. And in the Bronze Age, the average day was already about half a second shorter than today’s standard. Looking ahead, scientists predict that 200 million years from now, one Earth day will last about 25 hours.
Why is the Earth spinning faster?
Normally, a day lasts 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds. But that’s not completely accurate. Many things—like earthquakes, volcanic activity, ocean tides, and even underground changes—can make the planet spin slightly faster or slower. Even though the overall trend has been for Earth to slow down, something unusual has been happening since 2020.
According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), based in Washington D.C., the Earth’s rotation has started to speed up. This has been happening steadily enough that experts now believe we may need to remove a leap second from our clocks in 2029—the first time this has ever happened.A recent report from timeanddate.com says that this trend will continue into 2025. Based on current data, the three shortest days of the year will be July 9, July 22, and August 5. The shortest of all, August 5, is expected to be about 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the usual 24 hours.
What’s causing it?
This unexpected speed-up has puzzled experts. Leonid Zotov, a rotation researcher at Moscow State University, told timeanddate.com, “Nobody expected this.” Zotov helped write a 2022 study trying to figure out the cause, but he says that so far, no model fully explains it.
Most scientists believe the answer lies deep inside the Earth—possibly something happening in the core. Ocean and atmosphere changes don’t seem to account for the speed increase.While this spinning trend might continue for now, it’s not a sign that we’re heading back to dinosaur-era days. Earth’s long-term natural tendency is still to slow down over time. Things like melting ice at the poles and surface changes can also affect this.So, while we might “lose” a leap second soon, Earth isn’t going off track—just reminding us that even time isn’t perfectly steady.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), in collaboration with the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), is supporting research to bolster the collection of time-sensitive health data in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Beryl, the Los Angeles wildfires, and other natural disasters.
The research projects are part of a larger effort by two NIH-NSF-supported research centers to understand how extreme weather affects human health, creates complex exposures to environmental hazards, and impacts access to health care and other vital services.
UCLA graduate students prepare a fixed-wing drone in Altadena, Calif. The RAPID Facility helps research teams deploy quickly to set up monitoring equipment, collect environmental samples, and survey affected populations following a disaster. (Photo courtesy of the RAPID Facility)
“This collaborative effort helps fill a long-standing gap by initiating timely health studies and capturing critical health data that may otherwise be lost,” said Aubrey Miller, M.D., Senior Medical Advisor and Director of the NIH Disaster Research Response Program.
He added that disaster research has historically focused on the effectiveness of emergency responses rather than the immediate and long-term health consequences of disasters on our communities.
Supporting quick-response research
Peek says the NIH-NSF awards support the next generation of researchers and early-career scientists who are examining the link between disasters and health. (Photo courtesy of Lori Peek)
The Natural Hazards Center (NHC) at the University of Colorado Boulder is one of two centers working with researchers across the U.S. on this effort. The NHC has supported rapid disaster response research on socio-behavioral impacts through its Quick Response Research Award Program for 40 years. However, the NIH-NSF partnership has provided funding to enable the center to support projects focused on the different health outcomes of these events.
“These awards are transformative,” said Lori Peek, Ph.D., director of the NHC. “We can now explore new frontiers in health and disaster research that have the potential to improve disaster response and future preparedness in immediate and life-saving ways.”
Through this effort, the NHC has provided more than $450,000 in awards to support 12 novel time-sensitive studies following disaster events between 2023 and 2025. A sample of the research projects, and the universities conducting them, follows.
Assessing community impacts and early warnings in Nebraska tornadoes University of Nebraska Medical Center
California wildfire smoke events: life course risk perceptions and mental health impacts New York University
Impacts of flooding on opioid use disorder in western Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania State University
Longitudinal evaluation of wildfire impacts on a cohort of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)/University of Southern California
Mental health of community volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Appalachian State University
Transit riders’ health risks during the Los Angeles wildfires UCLA/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/Texas A&M University/California Polytechnic State University/University of Washington/Utah State University
Learn more about all projects funded under the NHC’s special call for health outcomes and disaster research by visiting this website.
Supporting rapid-research technology to understand exposures
The NIH-NSF partnership is also providing funding to the Natural Hazards Reconnaissance (RAPID) Facility at the University of Washington to enable health researchers across the U.S. to have timely access, training, and support to critical instruments for collecting information on exposures. The RAPID Facility provides researchers with uncrewed aircraft systems or drones, hyperspectral and multispectral cameras, and street view imaging to help researchers capture time-sensitive health data in response to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and other disasters.
The RAPID Facility recently played a critical role in supporting researchers studying the health effects of the Los Angeles wildfires. By providing cutting-edge technology, the RAPID Facility supported immediate, post-fire analysis to improve understanding of wildfire behavior and human exposures. The data collected could be used to conduct long-term health studies and robust environmental exposure assessments.
(Samantha Ebersold is a communications specialist in the NIEHS Office of Communications and Public Liaison.)
The first step toward quantum gravity, the “holy grail of physics,” may be hiding in a quantum recipe to cook up black holes.
That’s the suggestion of new research that adds quantum corrections to Einstein’s 1916 theory of gravity, known as “general relativity.” Black holes are relevant to this because they first theoretically emerged from the solutions to the Einstein field equations that underpin general relativity.
This quantum correction leads to a new recipe for making black holes and a hint at the path to quantum gravity and a unification of the two dominant theories of physics.
While general relativity is the best model we have of gravity and the universe on large scales, and quantum physics is the best description of the sub-atomic, these theories won’t unify. That’s because, despite the fact that both have been around for about a century and have been refined and confirmed a multitude of times, there’s still no theory of “quantum gravity.”
This is also despite the fact that quantum physics can account for the remaining three of the universe’s four fundamental forces: the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force.
However, quantum physics and general relativity do have something in common; neither can explain what happens at the heart of black holes.
(Left) the relatively quiet black hole at the heart of the Milky Way (Right) the violent and turbulent supermassive black hole of M87 (Image credit: EHT Collaboration)
“Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. We usually describe them using the theory of general relativity, where black holes appear as solutions to Einstein’s equations,” research lead author and University of Sussex theoretical physicist Xavier Calmet told Space.com. “However, there is a singularity at the center of black holes where the laws of physics as we know them break down.”
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At those singularities, the density of black holes goes to infinity. Physicists don’t like infinities because they are intrinsically non-physical, and when they occur, it represents the failure of the equations that underpin the laws of the universe.
Thus, that singularity at the heart of black holes suggests to physicists that the theory of general relativity is incomplete, and what could be missing is quantum gravity.
“We believe that general relativity only works on large or ‘macroscopic’ scales, but that on very short distances, or microscopic scales, it must be replaced by a quantum theory of gravity which unifies Einstein’s equations with quantum physics,” Calmet said. “This is the holy grail of theoretical physics.”
Is the ‘holy grail’ at the heart of black holes?
Physicists have been looking for a recipe of quantum gravity and a unification theory for some time now. String theory, which replaces particles with subatomic vibrating “strings,” has emerged as the leading theory linking general relativity and quantum physics and thus giving rise to quantum gravity.
However, currently there is no way to experimentally verify this theory. Additionally, it relies on the universe possessing at least 11 dimensions, and currently, there is no evidence of dimensions beyond the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time.
Surprisingly, for Calmet and collaborators, the lack of a unified theory wasn’t a hindrance. All they needed to know was that any proposed theory must fit in with Einstein’s theory of gravity on large scales.
“While we do not yet have a theory of quantum gravity, we know that whatever this theory might be, string theory or something completely different, it must match general relativity on macroscopic scales,” Calmet said. “This information is sufficient when using modern methods in quantum field theory to perform calculations in quantum gravity without needing the full knowledge of the underlying theory of quantum gravity.
“Using these techniques, we can calculate corrections to Einstein’s equations that must apply to any theory of quantum gravity.”
Einstein the father of general relativity which gave rise to black holes but can’t be unified with quantum physics (Image credit: Science Photo Library)
What Calmet and colleagues found is that in addition to black holes emerging from the solutions to the equations of general relativity, there must also be “quantum solutions” to black holes.
“We can construct these solutions analytically close to the event horizon, the outer light-trapping surface of the black hole, and far away from the black hole,” he explained. “One drawback of using our approach to quantum gravity is that we cannot build our solutions close to the singularity, as this is where the full knowledge of quantum gravity is required.”
That means that the team can’t tell if their quantum recipe for black holes leads to the same morphology for black holes as that which emerges from general relativity.
“It is nevertheless important to have shown that there are new black hole solutions in quantum gravity that do not exist in general relativity,” Calmet said. “These new solutions are not just tweaks to the old one—they’re entirely new black holes that exist in a quantum gravity world.”
As such, the University of Sussex researcher thinks that this work is still a step toward understanding how quantum mechanics and gravity work together.
Unfortunately, even Calmet doesn’t yet know how the two potential recipies of black holes, general relativity vs quantum gravity, could be distinguished. That’s because we can only observe black holes from great distances.
“The astrophysical black holes we are observing could very well be described by our new solutions rather than those of general relativity,” Calmet concluded. “As the two theories coincide on large distances, it will be difficult to propose tests able to differentiate between the two types of solutions.”
Thus, at least for now, the secrets of quantum gravity may be fiercely guarded by black holes.
The team’s research was published on June 19 in A Letters Journal Exploring the Frontiers of Physics.
The University of California, Irvine and the Marine Biological Laboratory have tapped into squid skin to unlock a new frontier in battlefield camouflage.
The two are developing a stretchable material that mimics the color-shifting ability of the longfin inshore squid, something that could one day help troops slip past visual and thermal detection.
The species uses light-reflecting cells called iridophores to instantly shift between transparency and color. This natural survival tactic now forms the basis of the synthetic stealth material with potential military use.
Read the full story on NextGen Defense: Squid-Inspired Camouflage May Help Soldiers Evade Sight and Sensors
Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
Meteorites found in the Sahara Desert might be pieces of Mercury that broke off as the result of a collision when the Solar System was still forming.
The meteorites had many parallels to the surface of Mercury, but also some noticeable differences, including a mineral not previously detected on Mercury’s surface.
Whether or not these rocks are from Mercury remains a mystery, but if not, they could still be useful analogs for understanding more about the innermost planet.
Though human boots have never set foot on another planet, pieces of Mars have fallen to Earth as meteorites, giving us our only chance to study them up close until NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission drops off the rock cores collected by Perseverance. Meteorites that emerged from the Sahara desert might be from another resident of our solar system, Mercury.
To say Mercury is extreme is an understatement— it’s hot enough to melt lead, after all. The innermost planet of the solar system is only about 58 million km. (36 million miles) from the Sun, with an average temperature of 167°C (333°F). Few spacecraft have been able to venture anywhere near this scorching clump of iron and silicates without overheating and breaking down. Mariner10 performed the first flyby of Mercury, MESSENGER orbited, and BepiColombo is on its way, but nothing has ever been able to crawl on its surface.
If fragments of Mars could have hurtled to Earth after some ancient collision, then why are there none from Mercury? This is the question planetary scientist Ben Rider-Stokes of The Open University in the UK wanted to answer. MESSENGER has been able to collect data about the surface composition of Mercury, but we have yet to figure out how to send something to pick up samples without being blasted by solar radiation. Stokes examined meteorites that had previously been suspected to have come from Mercury and found possible matches.
“The rise in the number of meteorites collected from hot and cold deserts has greatly expanded the range of meteorite compositions and potential parent objects,” Stokes said in a study recently published in Icarus.
Meteorites Ksar Ghilane 022, which landed in Tunisia, and Northwest Africa 15915, discovered in Morocco, show a surface composition and mineralogy similar to the Mercurian crust. Whether they are actually from Mercury remains unknown. However, both are achondrites, previously melted meteorites characterized by an absence of chondrules (mineral spheres embedded in the rock) and made mostly of silicates such as olivine and pyroxene, often found in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Plagioclase and oldhamite are also present. They also do not fit in with any other known achondrites. There’s just one issue.
What is problematic about both specimens is that the iron-free silicates and oxygen isotopes they contain mirror aubrites, made largely of the translucent silicate mineral enstatite (MgSiO3). Aubrites have not been detected on the surface of Mercury.
“It is not believed that the aubrites originated from Mercury, as the planet has an extremely red spectrum which differs from aubrite spectra, but it has been suggested that aubrites represent a proto-Mercury,” said Stokes.
Billions of years ago, Mercury might have had a different surface composition before it was pummeled by asteroids, which pockmarked it with craters. Both meteorites are about 4.5 billion years old. This makes them younger than most primitive materials that were swirling around in the solar system, but older than the smooth plains of Mercury, which cover a third of its surface and are around 3.6 billion years old. Even 4-billion-year-old regions of the plains are still no match for the age of the meteorites.
It is possible that the meteorites are actually remnants of Mercury’s crust before there were enough collisions to obliterate that rock and expose the material beneath it. Remnants of this crust on Mercury might have gone undetected, but that knowledge eludes us. BepiColombo is expected to reach Mercury by the beginning of 2026. The spacecraft may be able to find a source of material that is a match for these mysterious rocks.
Even if they aren’t from Mercury, Ksar Ghilane 022 and Northwest Africa 15915 could be analogs for the surface of a planet on which we would’t be able to take the heat.
In a significant advancement for autonomous spacecraft operations, AVS US, in collaboration with Cornell University and the University of North Dakota (UND), successfully launched two small satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission, named UND ROADS (Rendezvous and Operations for Autonomous Docking and Servicing), aims to achieve the world’s first fully autonomous docking between small spacecraft using only satellite navigation signals.
Aim to dock using just GPS
Developed at AVS’s facility in Lansing, New York, and supported by Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio, UND ROADS is a direct evolution of Cornell’s earlier PAN (Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation) project.
While PAN faced launch delays and operational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, it introduced the concept of affordable, GPS-based satellite rendezvous using CubeSats.
AVS and UND have since expanded on that foundation, enhancing both the hardware and software for reliability in orbit.
“AVS and UND took what I thought was a sound idea and executed it with much more rigor,” said Mason Peck, principal investigator of PAN and professor of astronautical engineering at Cornell.
“We always wanted to see this fly. Thanks to this partnership, it finally has.”
The ROADS mission employs two small spacecraft equipped with magnetic docking interfaces and onboard differential GPS (DGPS) navigation.
Unlike traditional docking systems that depend on costly sensors and cameras, ROADS relies exclusively on GPS signals and shared satellite-to-satellite communication.
If successful, this minimalist approach could drastically lower the cost and complexity of future orbital servicing, inspection, and assembly missions.
World’s first fully autonomous CubeSat docking
AVS, originally founded in Europe and known for its work in nuclear fusion, space, and particle accelerator technologies, entered the US market in 2019.
Its rapid integration into the American aerospace sector included supplying technology to national labs like the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source.
The ROADS mission marks AVS’s first complete spacecraft development effort in the US as a prime contractor.
“Cornell’s PAN gave us a deceptively simple concept for a very difficult technical challenge,” said Ramon Blanco Maceiras, AVS US head of space.
“By combining that with AVS’s previous spaceflight and in-orbit servicing experience, we delivered these satellites in under two years—a remarkably fast timeline for a mission of this complexity.”
The spacecraft, now in low Earth orbit, has begun system verification procedures. Rendezvous and docking are planned for later this year.
A successful demonstration could serve both civilian and defense interests, including NASA’s goals for autonomous satellite servicing and the Department of Defense’s need for resilient space logistics.
“This demonstration supports key US strategic objectives and could redefine space operations,” said Blanco Maceiras.
“It’s a stepping stone to in-orbit repair, refueling, self-assembling megastructures, and even the first city in space.”
A technical paper co-authored by AVS, Cornell, and UND will be presented at the 2025 Small Satellite Conference in August, outlining the mission architecture, navigation algorithms, and docking technologies used in this pioneering effort.
Antarctic sea ice is more than just a platform for penguins. The sea ice’s high reflectivity influences the whole Earth’s climate, and the ice is a key habitat for underwater as well as above-water ecosystems. Antarctic sea ice cover is becoming much more variable as the climate changes; there has been a string of record high years followed by years with record low areas of ice. Edward Doddridge and colleagues studied these record-low years, which they expect will become more common as the climate warms. Using observations and modeling, the authors find a host of effects of ultra-low ice years, including warming of the Southern Ocean, increased ice-shelf calving, and stronger phytoplankton blooms. Low sea-ice area negatively affects krill, small crustaceans that feed and find refuge beneath the sea ice, as well as fatty silverfish. Reductions in krill and fish populations affect their predators, including whales. Penguins and seals that use ice floes to moult, nest, or grow new fur will struggle if low sea ice continues for many years. Finally, a reduction in the area of firm ice affixed to the land makes it more difficult for humans to operate on the continent, affecting Antarctic science. According to the authors, additional research is needed to fully understand the impacts of low Antarctic sea ice on the physical, ecological, and societal systems within and around Antarctica, and they call, in particular, for reliable, year-round, long-term measurements of sea-ice thickness.
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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has captured the first close-up images of Martian “spiderwebs” or zig-zagging ridges left behind by ancient groundwater. Studying these structures could provide more insights into Mars’ watery past and whether the planet once held extraterrestrial life.
Curiosity Rover Captures ‘Spiderwebs’
New images from NASA’s Curiosity rover show a series of boxwork ridges; Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The web-like structures consist of criss-crossing ridges of mineral-rich rocks, spanning up to 12 miles across. Until now, these features have never been studied up close.
Smaller boxwork structures can also be found on the walls of caves on Earth, which were formed from a similar process to stalagmites and stalactites. Researchers suggest the same process created the structures on Mars.
“The bedrock below these ridges likely formed when groundwater trickling through the rock left behind minerals that accumulated in those cracks and fissures, hardening and becoming cementlike,” NASA representatives wrote in a statement. “Eons of sandblasting by Martian wind wore away the rock but not the minerals, revealing networks of resistant ridges within.”
According to Live Science, Curiosity is currently exploring a series of boxwork on the slopes of the 3.4-mile-tall Mount Sharp at the heart of the Gale Crater. The rover set its sights on this area in November 2024 and arrived there in early June 2025.
The area was sought out for study because the unique ridges only appear in this area and not anywhere else on the mountain, which has puzzled researchers. After drilling some sample rocks around the web-like ridges, the rover found they contained calcium sulfate, a salty mineral left behind by groundwater.
“These ridges will include minerals that crystallized underground, where it would have been warmer, with salty liquid water flowing through,” Kirsten Siebach, a Curiosity mission scientist at Rice University in Houston who has been studying the area, previously stated. “Early Earth microbes could have survived in a similar environment. That makes this an exciting place to explore.”
In addition to releasing the first close-up images of the site, NASA also released an interactive video that enables 3D exploration of the area.
