Category: 7. Science

Researchers at a Long Island federal laboratory have completed a “milestone” phase of development on what they say will be a history-making telescope.

The LuSEE-Night

Officials at the Brookhaven National Laboratory announced the completion of the “major item of equipment” phase on the Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night, or LuSEE-Night.

The LuSEE-Night is a moon-based radio telescope that one official said would advance the new field of “space-based radio astronomy.”

Listening for Radio Waves

Developers intend for the LuSEE-Night to be able to survive on the far side of the moon, which alternates between 14 days of sunlight at temperatures of 280 degrees Fahrenheit and 14 days of darkness, when temperatures plummet to 280 degrees below zero.

However, the area is also shielded from radio interference from both the Earth and the sun, which could allow scientists to listen for radio waves that date back billions of years and, in turn, provide vital information about the history of the universe.

Surviving on the Far Side of the Moon

Brookhaven scientists outlined the strict and occasionally competing requirements of building a device capable of surviving in such harsh conditions, from the weight requirements needed for launch to the sophistication of its instruments.

Brookhaven scientists, in particular, custom-built the system’s radio spectrometer, which would allow the device to sense low-frequency radio waves.

Launch Expected in 2026

After final assembly is completed at Brookhaven, officials at a Utah State University lab plan to conduct an environmental test of the system this summer. Officials currently expect the LuSEE-Night to be launched aboard a Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 2 lander next year.

Image credit: Space Sciences Laboratory

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The Perseid meteor shower is one of the most anticipated showers of the year. It’s beloved by stargazers worldwide because it’s one of the most prolific – according to NASA, there could be up to 100 meteors per hour during the shower’s peak. 

Just one little bummer this year: the Perseids pretty much coincide with a bright, waning full moon, so moonlight could very well wash out the meteors. Nevertheless, if you’re keen to head out into the night to try your luck, here’s when, where, and how to catch the Perseid meteor shower in Asia in 2025. 

What is the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseid meteor shower comes from the Comet Swift-Tuttle, which was first discovered in 1862. It orbits around the Sun about once every 133 years, leaving a wake of dust and particles as it goes. On its own journey around the sun, the Earth passes through this trail, causing the comet’s cosmic debris to collide with our atmosphere. As the debris burns up, it creates glowing streaks of light visible in the night sky, which is the meteor shower that we see.  

When can you see the Perseid meteor shower?

The Perseid meteor shower is active from mid-July until late August, but will peak on the night of August 12, before dawn on August 13. 

What time is best to see the Perseid meteor shower?

We recommend timing your meteor-gazing session between 3am to 6am – this is when the skies are the darkest and the shower is at its most intense. 

The best places in Asia to watch the Perseid meteor shower 

For the best chance of seeing the Perseid meteor shower, you need a place with dark skies and unobstructed views. Anywhere without tall buildings and trees or bright city lights should do, but if you’re down to travel to chase some meteors, consider these magical dark sky reserves and remote stargazing spots in Asia. 

The best ways to watch the Perseid meteor shower

Thankfully, you don’t need any special equipment to see the meteor shower. All you have to do is find the darkest place you can, and settle in to allow 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Locate the Perseus constellation, but don’t stare directly at it. Instead, relax your gaze and take in the constellations around it – meteors further from their radiant are brighter and have longer trains. 

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Radiolysis induced by Galactic cosmic rays could provide a viable energy source for microbial metabolism in the subsurface environments of rocky planetary objects such as Mars, Europa and Enceladus, according to new research led by New York University Abu Dhabi.

Ionizing radiation is known to have a destructive effect on biology by causing damage to DNA, cells and the production of reactive oxygen species, among other things.

While direct exposure to high-radiation dose is indeed not favorable for biological activity, ionizing radiation can and, in some cases, is known to produce a number of biologically useful products.

One such mechanism is the production of biologically useful products via charged particle-induced radiolysis.

“We focused on what happens when cosmic rays hit water or ice underground,” said Dr. Dimitra Atri from New York University Abu Dhabi and colleagues from the University of Washington, the University of Tennessee, Rice University, and the Universidad Industrial de Santander.

“The impact breaks water molecules apart and releases tiny particles called electrons.”

“Some bacteria on Earth can use these electrons for energy, similar to how plants use sunlight.”

“This process is called radiolysis, and it can power life even in dark, cold environments with no sunlight.”

The surface of Europa looms large in this newly-reprocessed color view; image scale is 1.6 km per pixel; north on Europa is at right. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SETI Institute.

Using computer simulations, the researchers studied how much energy this process could produce on Mars and on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

These moons, which are covered in thick layers of ice, are believed to have water hidden below their surfaces.

The scientists found that Enceladus had the most potential to support life in this way, followed by Mars, and then by Europa.

“This discovery changes the way we think about where life might exist,” Dr. Atri said.

“Instead of looking only for warm planets with sunlight, we can now consider places that are cold and dark, as long as they have some water beneath the surface and are exposed to cosmic rays.”

“Life might be able to survive in more places than we ever imagined.”

This image from Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera shows the globe of Mars set against a dark background. The disk of the planet features yellow, orange, blue and green patches, all with an overall muted grey hue, representing the varying composition of the surface. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin / G. Michael / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

In their study, the authors also introduce a new idea called the radiolytic habitable zone.

Unlike the traditional ‘Goldilocks zone’ — the area around a star where a planet could have liquid water on its surface — this new zone focuses on places where water exists underground and can be energized by cosmic radiation.

Since cosmic rays are found throughout space, this could mean there are many more places in the Universe where life could exist.

“The findings provide new guidance for future space missions,” the reserachers said.

“Instead of only looking for signs of life on the surface, scientists might also explore underground environments on Mars and the icy moons, using tools that can detect chemical energy created by cosmic radiation.”

“This research opens up exciting new possibilities in the search for life beyond Earth and suggests that even the darkest, coldest places in the Solar System could have the right conditions for life to survive.”

The study appears in the International Journal of Astrobiology.

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Dimitra Atri et al. 2025. Estimating the potential of ionizing radiation-induced radiolysis for microbial metabolism on terrestrial planets and satellites with rarefied atmospheres. International Journal of Astrobiology 24: e9; doi: 10.1017/S1473550425100025

MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s lush Asir mountains inspired the artistic vision of Arafat Al-Asimi. 

Highlighting her early artistic endeavors, Al-Asimi said that she enjoys using pastel colors to paint natural and heritage landscapes. The mountains, valleys, the color gradations of the forests and the region’s unique climate shaped her artistic imagination. 

Al-Asimi said that she feels most at home with nature and traditional landscape drawings, particularly those inspired by Asir, as they convey her deep sense of belonging and offer her psychological comfort and balance. 

She also shared her passion for incorporating Arabic calligraphy into her work, describing how it beautifully merges visual aesthetics with cultural identity. 

With a background in geography, Al-Asimi said that her passion for art extended far beyond her studies. 

She continued to develop her talent through self-practice, experimenting with different materials, engaging in artistic community activities, and attending exhibitions that contributed in developing her talent and shaping her artistic identity from an early age. 

The absence of an art major at her university was not an obstacle, but rather the engine for self-development, allowing her to cultivate a distinctive artistic style despite the lack of formal academic training in the field.

Speaking on challenges she faced at the beginning of her artistic career, Al-Asimi told Arab News that the most prominent of these were the lack of art specialization in university education, the lack of community and artistic support in the early stages of her career, and the difficulty of obtaining appropriate materials and tools. 

She also highlighted the challenge of proving herself as a female artist in a conservative environment, a struggle that required her to double her efforts to prove herself. However, she was able to overcome these challenges through persistence and continuous practice. 

Al-Asimi highlighted her participation in numerous exhibitions both within the Kingdom and internationally, describing these experiences as enriching. 

The events not only expanded her artistic vision, but also provided valuable opportunities for cultural exchange, enriching her portfolio with new horizons.

She said that family support in the early stages has had a significant impact on boosting her self-confidence. Community encouragement, even through simple attendance or interaction, is an important motivator for an artist to continue, she added. 

Societal awareness of the value of fine art has been growing in recent years, providing Saudi female artists with broader opportunities to express themselves and demonstrate their abilities, she said. 

Expressing her ambitions, Al-Asimi said that she seeks to expand her presence in Saudi Arabia and Gulf art scene, and take part in major upcoming exhibitions locally and internationally to showcase her experience, inspired by the Asir environment. 

She also hopes to hold a solo exhibition documenting her artistic development and conduct art workshops for young girls to support local talent. 

As tons of plastic waste continue to build up in landfills every day, researchers have developed a way to convert this waste into fuels and other valuable products efficiently and cheaply.

Specifically, the researchers are using a method known as pyrolysis, a process of using heat in the absence of oxygen to molecularly break materials down. In this case, it’s used to break plastics down to the components that produce fuels and other products.

The study was led by Yale Engineering professors Liangbing Hu and Shu Hu, both members of the Center for Materials Innovation and Yale Energy Sciences Institute.

Conventional methods of pyrolysis often use a catalyst to speed up the chemical reactions and achieve a high yield, but it’s a method that comes with significant limitations.

“Whenever you talk about catalysts, they’re very expensive and you have a lifetime issue because catalysts will eventually die by different means,” says Liangbing Hu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and materials science at Yale University, and director of Center for Materials Innovation.

Methods that don’t employ a catalyst, though, tend to have low rates of converting the waste into products of use.

For this project, the researchers found a way around both of these obstacles and developed a highly selective, energy-efficient, and catalyst-free pyrolysis method that can convert plastic into valuable chemicals.

The key, they say, is a 3D-printed electrically heated carbon column reactor made of three sections of decreasing pore size. The first section is made of one-millimeter pores, while the next section contains 500-micrometer pores, and the third section is made of 200-nanometer pores. As the chemicals pass through the reactor, the hierarchical porous structure plays a pivotal role in controlling the reaction progress of the chemicals.

For one thing, it prevents larger molecules from advancing through the reactor before they’ve been adequately broken down.

Further, it provides a way to control the temperature in the reactor, which prevents coking and other effects that can inhibit the process.

To test the system, the researchers tried the reactor out on a sample of common plastic known as polyethylene. The results are impressive: They report a record-high yield of nearly 66% of the plastic waste converted into chemicals that can be used for fuels.

Using 3D printing to build the structure allowed the researchers to precisely control the dimensions of the reactor pores and investigate the effects of pyrolysis.

To demonstrate a more scalable design, the researchers also used a device made up of commercially available carbon felt. They found that this design—even without the optimization that a 3D-printed structure provided—still improved the selectivity of the pyrolysis products and achieved a satisfactory yield, converting more than 56% of the plastic into useful chemicals.

“These results are very promising and show a great potential for putting this system into real-world application and offering a practical strategy for converting plastic waste into valuable materials,” says Shu Hu, assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering.

The results of this work appear in Nature Chemical Engineering.

Additional collaborators are from Purdue University, the University of Delaware, Missouri University of Science and Technology, West Virginia University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Princeton University, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory and BOTTLE Consortium.

Source: Yale

For generations, scientists believed Neanderthals were high-order carnivores, subsisting on large game. Their fossilized bones indicated they had high levels of nitrogen-15, a chemical marker of diets rich in meat, even greater than those of lions and wolves. But a recent study brings something surprising: Neanderthals may have eaten maggots as a regular diet.

Published in Science Advances, the research indicates that Neanderthals’ elevated nitrogen levels were not only due to meat consumption but were strongly influenced by the consumption of fly larvae from decaying meat. Such maggots, which are nitrogen-15-rich, might have set the isotope values of Neanderthal bones to those of hypercarnivores.

The idea was conceived by anthropologist John Speth, who documented that Indigenous Arctic peoples consumed rotten meat and maggots as part of their diets. In response to his theory, biological anthropologist Melanie Beasley tested the nitrogen levels in decomposing human tissue and the maggots consuming it. She found that although nitrogen in the tissue rose slightly, it spiked in the larvae, far surpassing typical herbivore and carnivore levels.

This challenges the belief that the Neanderthals ate enormous amounts of fresh meat. Human beings, unlike carnivores, are unable to digest high amounts of protein without risk of “rabbit starvation,” a form of malnutrition caused by an excess of lean meat intake. Neanderthals most likely avoided this by consuming fatty parts of animals and eating aged, maggot-rich meat.

The idea might sound repulsive today, but in most ancient societies, insects such as maggots were nutritious sources of food. Indeed, approximately 2 billion individuals across the globe eat insects on a daily basis. Neanderthals could possibly have shared a similar view, gathering maggots from stored bodies when there was scarcity of food.

Archaeological evidence already suggests that Neanderthals were processing bones for fat and likely even stored meat. Maggot-infested flesh would have been a readily available, high-fat, protein-rich food source, especially in colder climates where rot was minimized and preservation was easier.

Although maggots cannot be found in the archaeological record, they can be traced chemically in bones. The study is not claiming that only maggots produced high values of nitrogen, but it suggests they would have had a significant role to play. Other practices—fermenting, cooking, and preserving meat—may also have played a part.

This new research demonstrates the dietary flexibility of Neanderthals. Far from being merely meat-eaters, as has often been supposed, they adapted to their environment in creative and practical ways. Their ability to extract nutrients from decayed meat and larvae attests to an ingenuity that displaces earlier, more limited views of their lives.

By rethinking what Neanderthals ate, we redetermine how we understand them—not just as hunters, but as smart survivors who embraced nature’s full offerings.

Astronomers have re-examined the biggest explosion ever seen, possibly the most massive explosion since the Big Bang, to learn more about mysterious blasts of high-energy called gamma-ray bursts (GRBs).

Aptly named the “Brightest Of All Time,” or the “BOAT,” and officially designated GRB 221009A, this is the most powerful GRB ever detected. And that’s no mean feat, considering that a typical GRB can release as much energy in seconds as it will the sun its entire lifetime of 10 billion years to radiate.

What happens if an asteroid the size of a 15-story building crashes into the Moon in 2032?

While the chances of the newly discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon in seven years are slim – there is currently a 96% chance it won’t happen – an impact of this size would not come without consequences for the Moon, astronauts and spacecraft orbiting Earth.

A new study submitted for review by scientists with the University of Western Ontario and Athabasca University in Canada took observations from the James Webb Space Telescope of asteroid 2024 YR4 and used simulations to show how much lunar debris would be ejected out into space, sending pieces of the Moon toward Earth.

Odds Of Asteroid 2024 Yr4 Hitting The Moon Go Up Again

After its initial discovery late last year, the asteroid appeared to have a small chance of impacting Earth, warranting international attention, and jumping to the highest asteroid threat ever given on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. By February, more ground-based observations of the asteroid helped clear the threat to Earth, but the Moon still faces a possible impact.

Earlier this year, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope helped scientists determine that the asteroid is between 175 and 220 feet in diameter.

If Asteroid 2024 YR4 crashes into the Moon, it would create a crater more than half a mile in diameter (1 km), becoming the largest impact in about 5,000 years, according to the study. Current calculations show, if it happens, an impact would occur on the Southern Hemisphere.

The researchers said this impact would threaten satellites in low-Earth orbit for days or up to a few months, and send a fraction of the ejecta toward Earth.

Any lunar debris that makes it within Earth’s atmosphere could create a meteor shower event over the planet.

“The resulting meteor shower could last a few days and be spectacular, though the number of visible meteors somewhat muted by the low entry speed of ejecta,” the research team said.

With more than 10,000 active satellites in low-Earth orbit and more than 25,000 pieces of space junk, researchers believe an asteroid strike to the Moon could spell trouble for satellite operators.

“Given the very large total exposed area for satellites by 2032, it becomes possible that hundreds to thousands of impacts from mm-sized debris ejected by a lunar impact from 2024 YR4 will be experienced across the entire satellite fleet,” the study authors wrote. “Such impacts may damage satellites, but are small enough to generally not end active missions or cause breakups.”

The researchers say material from the Moon could be a “serious hazard to moon-orbiting spacecraft” such as NASA’s Lunar Gateway, a planned orbiting station for astronauts, and an “even greater danger” to any lunar surface operations.

Asteroid 2024 YR4 has moved behind the Sun, limiting any new observations until 2028. Scientists say those new observations in a few years will help improve lunar impact predictions.

Original article source: Potential asteroid impact on Moon in 2032 could trigger massive meteor shower on Earth