Category: 7. Science

IN A NUTSHELL

🔍 Graduate student discovers a unique shape-recovering liquid that challenges the laws of thermodynamics. 🧪 The liquid, a mixture of oil, water, and magnetized nickel particles, consistently forms into a Grecian urn shape. 🧲 Magnetic dipoles created by the particles influence the emulsion’s behavior, leading to higher interfacial energy. 🌟 Published in Nature Physics, this discovery opens new avenues for material science and understanding particle interactions.

In an astonishing turn of events, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has stumbled upon a discovery that could challenge conventional scientific wisdom. Anthony Raykh, while experimenting with a mixture of oil, water, and nickel particles, observed a phenomenon that seemed to defy the basic principles of thermodynamics. The mixture consistently formed into the shape of a Grecian urn, an occurrence that intrigued scientists and sparked widespread interest in the scientific community. This unexpected behavior in emulsions may pave the way for new insights into the interactions of particles and the fundamental laws that govern them.

The Unlikely Discovery of a Shape-Recovering Liquid

The journey towards this groundbreaking discovery began in a university laboratory where Anthony Raykh, a dedicated graduate student in polymer science and engineering, was conducting routine experiments. He was examining a concoction of oil, water, and magnetized nickel particles, expecting the mixture to behave as typical emulsions do—forming separate layers. However, what transpired was nothing short of extraordinary. Upon shaking the vial, the mixture formed into a shape reminiscent of a Grecian urn and, remarkably, retained this shape even after multiple disturbances. This persistent pattern defied the standard expectations of how emulsions typically behave, which usually involves minimizing surface area by forming spherical droplets. The uniqueness of this behavior piqued the interest of Raykh and his colleagues, setting the stage for deeper investigation.

Groundbreaking Discovery by Student: Accidental Creation of a ‘Shape-Recovering Liquid’ Defies the Fundamental Laws of Thermodynamics

Challenging Thermodynamic Norms

According to Professor Thomas Russell, a co-author of the study, the behavior of the liquid mixture initially seemed to contradict the laws of thermodynamics. Typically, when emulsions return to equilibrium, they minimize interfacial area, adhering to thermodynamic principles. The Grecian urn shape, however, presented a larger surface area, which was perplexing. Upon further examination, Russell and his team discovered that the magnetized particles were creating a unique set of interactions. The magnetic dipoles formed by the particles created a network of chains on the surface, influencing the separation of the mixture in unexpected ways. What appeared to be a violation of thermodynamic laws was actually an intricate play of magnetic forces, reshaping our understanding of particle interactions.

“We’re Finally Hunting Aliens for Real”: James Webb Telescope Begins Deep-Space Search for Signs of Extraterrestrial Life

The Role of Magnetic Interference

As the researchers delved deeper into the phenomenon, it became clear that the magnetic properties of the nickel particles were central to the unusual behavior observed. The particles, when magnetized, formed dipoles—pairs of magnetic poles that exert attractive forces on each other. This magnetic attraction led to the formation of chain-like structures on the liquid’s surface, which in turn affected the emulsion’s separation process. These interactions resulted in a higher interfacial energy, contributing to the formation of the Grecian urn shape. By interfering with the natural tendency of the liquids to minimize surface area, the particles showcased a fascinating interplay of forces that could offer new insights into the manipulation of emulsions and material science.

“We Lost Bodies and Weed in Space”: Human Remains and Cannabis Crash Into Ocean After Shocking Mission Failure

Component	Measurement
Oil	Varied
Water	Varied
Nickel Particles	Magnetized

Implications and Future Directions

The discovery of this shape-recovering liquid has far-reaching implications for both theoretical and practical applications. By demonstrating how magnetic particles can alter the behavior of emulsions, this research opens up new avenues for exploring novel materials and technologies. The study, published in the journal Nature Physics, highlights the potential for using magnetic fields to control the properties of materials in innovative ways. Furthermore, it underscores the complexity of thermodynamic laws when applied to particle interactions, suggesting that there may be exceptions that warrant further exploration. As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of this phenomenon, they are likely to uncover more surprises that could revolutionize our understanding of material science.

In a world where scientific discoveries are constantly reshaping our understanding, the case of the shape-recovering liquid stands out as a reminder of nature’s unpredictability. What other secrets might the microscopic world hold, waiting to be discovered by curious minds? As researchers continue to push the boundaries of science, the possibilities are truly endless. What groundbreaking revelations might the future hold for the fields of physics and material science?

Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article.

Did you like it? 4.5/5 (25)

Pregnancy that lasts long enough to support full fetal development is a hallmark evolutionary breakthrough of placental mammals – a group that includes humans. At the center of this is the fetal-maternal interface: the site in the womb where a baby’s placenta meets the mother’s uterus, and where two genetically distinct organisms – mother and fetus – are in intimate contact and constant interaction. This interface has to strike a delicate balance: intimate enough to exchange nutrients and signals, but protected enough to prevent the maternal immune system from rejecting the genetically “foreign” fetus.

To uncover the origins and mechanisms behind this intricate structure, the team analyzed single-cell transcriptomes – snapshots of active genes in individual cells – from six mammalian species representing key branches of the mammalian evolutionary tree. These included mice and guinea pigs (rodents), macaques and humans (primates), and two more unusual mammals: the tenrec (an early placental mammal) and the opossum (a marsupial that split off from placental mammals before they evolved complex placentas).

A Cellular “Atlas of Mammal Pregnancy”

By analyzing cells at the fetal-maternal interface, the researchers were able to trace the evolutionary origin and diversification of the key cell types involved. Their focus was on two main players: placenta cells, which originate from the fetus and invade maternal tissue, and uterine stromal cells, which are of maternal origin and respond to this invasion.

Using molecular biology tools, the team identified distinct genetic signatures – patterns of gene activity unique to specific cell types and their specialized functions. Notably, they discovered a genetic signature associated with the invasive behavior of fetal placenta cells that has been conserved in mammals for over 100 million years. This finding challenges the traditional view that invasive placenta cells are unique to humans, and reveals instead that they are a deeply conserved feature of mammalian evolution. During this time, the maternal cells weren’t static, either. Placental mammals, but not marsupials, were found to have acquired new forms of hormone production, a pivotal step toward prolonged pregnancies and complex gestation, and a sign that the fetus and the mother could be driving each other’s evolution.

Cellular Dialogue: Between Cooperation and Conflict

To better understand how the fetal-maternal interface functions, the study tested two influential theories about the evolution of cellular communication between mother and fetus.

The first, the “Disambiguation Hypothesis,” predicts that over evolutionary time, hormonal signals became clearly assigned to either the fetus or the mother – a possible safeguard to ensure clarity and prevent manipulation. The results confirmed this idea: certain signals, including WNT proteins, immune modulators, and steroid hormones, could be clearly traced back to one source tissue.

The second, the “Escalation Hypothesis” (or “genomic Conflict”), suggests an evolutionary arms race between maternal and fetal genes – with, for example, the fetus boosting growth signals while the maternal side tries to dampen them. This pattern was observed in a small number of genes, notably IGF2, which regulates growth. On the whole, evidence pointed to fine-tuned cooperative signaling.

“These findings suggest that evolution may have favored more coordination between mother and fetus than previously assumed,” says Daniel J. Stadtmauer, lead author of the study and now a researcher at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna. “The so-called mother-fetus power struggle appears to be limited to specific genetic regions. Rather than asking whether pregnancy as a whole is conflict or cooperation, a more useful question may be: where is the conflict?”

Single-Cell Analysis: A Key to Evolutionary Discovery

The team’s discoveries were made possible by combining two powerful tools: single-cell transcriptomics – which captures the activity of genes in individual cells – and evolutionary modeling techniques that help scientists reconstruct how traits might have looked in long-extinct ancestors. By applying these methods to cell types and their gene activity, the researchers could simulate how cells communicate in different species, and even glimpse how this dialogue has evolved over millions of years.

“Our approach opens a new window into the evolution of complex biological systems – from individual cells to entire tissues,” says Silvia Basanta, co-first author and researcher at the University of Vienna. The study not only sheds light on how pregnancy evolved, but also offers a new framework for tracking evolutionary innovations at the cellular level – insights that could one day improve how we understand, diagnose, or treat pregnancy-related complications.

The research was conducted in the labs of Mihaela Pavličev at the Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, and Günter Wagner at Yale University. Wagner is Professor Emeritus at Yale and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Vienna. The study was supported by the John Templeton Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).

Most meteorites that have reached Earth come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. But we have 1,000 or so meteorites that come from the Moon and Mars. This is probably a result of asteroids hitting their surfaces and ejecting material towards our planet.

It should also be physically possible for such debris to reach the Earth from Mercury, another nearby rocky body. But so far, none have been confirmed to come from there — presenting a longstanding mystery.

U.S. astronaut Nichole “Vapor” Ayers captured a spectacular view of a phenomenon known as a “sprite” blazing to life above an intense thunderstorm — and she did this while orbiting 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

“Sprites are TLEs or Transient Luminous Events, that happen above the clouds and are triggered by intense electrical activity in the thunderstorms below,” wrote Ayers in an X post showcasing the image. “We have a great view above the clouds, so scientists can use these types of pictures to better understand the formation, characteristics, and relationship of TLEs to thunderstorms.”

• NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been observing Mars since 2005. It has helped revolutionize our knowledge about the red planet.
• The spacecraft sometimes “rolls over” in its orbit by varying degrees so it can point its different instruments at the Martian surface.
• The orbiter has now rolled over by a whopping 120 degrees in its latest maneuver. This will help its onboard radar to peer deeper into the subsurface to look for water ice or even liquid water.

Mars orbiter rolls around to look for water

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has been studying the red planet since late 2005. And now, it is trying something new. Researchers from the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, and other institutions said on June 26, 2025, that the orbiter is performing a new roll maneuver – up to 120 degrees – so the spacecraft is essentially upside down. Why is it doing this? The rolling maneuver will help the orbiter look deeper beneath the surface with its SHARAD radar instrument for water ice or perhaps even liquid water.

MRO can peer into the shallow subsurface of Mars, up to about a mile deep. With the new rolling maneuver, it will be able to look a bit deeper and obtain clearer radar images.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings in The Planetary Science Journal on June 11, 2025.

Teaching an old spacecraft new tricks

In the new maneuver, MRO rolls over so it’s basically upside down. The process involved three rolls, which the spacecraft performed between 2023 and 2024. Gareth Morgan at the Planetary Science Institute is an author on the new paper and said:

Not only can you teach an old spacecraft new tricks, you can open up entirely new regions of the subsurface to explore by doing so.

Reid Thomas, MRO’s project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, added:

We’re unique in that the entire spacecraft and its software are designed to let us roll all the time.

MRO was designed with being able to do such maneuvers in mind. It can roll up to 30 degrees in any direction. This helps it point its cameras and other instruments at features of interest, such as craters, potential landing sites for other spacecraft and more. And it uses its radar to search for subsurface ice and liquid water.

This animation depicts how Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter performs its 120-degree roll maneuvers. Video via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

A complicated process

Rolling the spacecraft might sound simple, but it isn’t. There are multiple operating science instruments on MRO. They all have different requirements in terms of how they are pointed at Mars’ surface. When one instrument is pointed for observations, that means the other instruments are not as ideally suited for their own observations. MRO can roll to use any of the instruments but not all the instruments at the same time.

With this in mind, NASA plans each roll weeks in advance. An algorithm commands the spacecraft to roll for a particular instrument, as needed. It also commands the spacecraft’s solar arrays to rotate and track the sun and its high-gain antenna to track Earth. This enables MRO to maintain power and communications.

Sometimes, MRO has to perform even larger rolls, up to 120 degrees. This requires even more planning ahead of time.

Peering deep underground with Mars orbiter

MRO uses its Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument to peer deep underground on Mars, from about 1/2 mile to just over a mile (.8 to 1.6 km). It is designed to be able to search for ice, or even liquid water, and distinguish it from rock and sand. But SHARAD isn’t perfect. SHARAD uses two antennas that are mounted on the back of the orbiter. This allows the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera as clear a view as possible on the front of MRO.

The only problem is that other parts of the orbiter can interfere with the radio signals that SHARAD sends to the Martian surface. This can result in less clear radar images. Also, sometimes the mission team wants to look at targets with SHARAD that are a bit too deep below the surface. Morgan said:

The SHARAD instrument was designed for the near-subsurface, and there are select regions of Mars that are just out of reach for us. There is a lot to be gained by taking a closer look at those regions.

Clearer radar images

This is where the rolling comes in. By rolling MRO up to 120 degrees, the radio waves can more easily reach the surface. This makes the signal about 10 times stronger, meaning clearer radar images and being able to see a little deeper.

The rolls have their own drawbacks, too, though. During the rolls, the communications antenna is not pointed toward Earth. And the solar arrays can’t track the sun. With this in mind, and the planning needed, the spacecraft only performs these large rolls a couple of times per year. They also require a lot of battery power. Thomas said:

The very large rolls require a special analysis to make sure we’ll have enough power in our batteries to safely do the roll.

Mars Climate Sounder

SHARAD isn’t the only instrument to benefit from MRO’s rolling capability. In addition, the Mars Climate Sounder instrument does as well. It is a radiometer that studies Mars’ atmosphere, weather and climate.

The instrument pivots on a gimbal. This way, it can obtain views of the Martian horizon, surface and space. But in 2024, it became unreliable with old age (20 years now in Mars orbit!). So now it uses MRO’s standard rolling maneuvers to compensate for that in its observations. As Mars Climate Sounder’s interim principal investigator, Armin Kleinboehl at JPL, noted:

Rolling used to restrict our science, but we’ve incorporated it into our routine planning, both for surface views and calibration.

Bottom line: A NASA Mars orbiter – Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter – is trying out a new maneuver to help it find ice and liquid water beneath Mars’ surface.

Source: SHARAD Illuminates Deeper Martian Subsurface Structures with a Boost from Very Large Rolls of the MRO Spacecraft

Via Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Via Planetary Science Institute

Read more: Amazing photos in Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebration

Read more: NASA orbiter spots Curiosity rover making tracks on Mars

What it is: The Bullet Cluster

Where it is: 3.7 billion light-years from Earth, in the constellation Carina

Skywatchers will be treated to a striking celestial pairing soon after sunset on Monday, July 7, as the moon passes close to one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye.

Now, just a few days from being full, the moon will be very bright and make stars hard to see in the night sky, but Antares won’t be missed. This red supergiant will shine to the upper right of the moon.

Meet The ‘Rival Of Mars’

Antares is a red supergiant star — a dying star. The 15th brightest in the night sky, it’s one of the largest stars we know of. If it was in the solar system in place of the sun, Antares would stretch all the way to between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. According to BBC Sky At Night, Antares is 76,000 times more luminous than the sun.

Its name means the “rival to Mars,” with ant meaning anti and Ares referring to the Greek name for Mars. It gets that name not only because it’s reddish but because Mars sometimes passes close to Antares.

As the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius — a constellation best known for its curved “tail” — Antares is often called the “heart of the scorpion.”

When And Where To Look And What You’ll See

To catch this event, head outside shortly after sunset and find a clear view of the southeastern sky. The 92%-lit waxing gibbous moon will already be visible long before it gets dark, but as twilight begins, Antares will appear, glowing about four degrees above it. The moon will be around 248,145 miles (399,350 kilometers) from Earth, while Antares is about 550 light-years distant — a whopping 13 million billion times farther!

From mid-northern latitudes, only part of the Scorpion’s body rises above the southern horizon during the summer months. But even from these latitudes, the constellation’s claws — Achrab, Dschubba and Fang—should be visible above Antares.

Observing Tips

All you need for this sight is your naked eyes and a clear sky to the southeast. A stargazing app like Stellarium might help you locate the stars of Scorpius.

What’s Next In The Night Sky

If you can rise before the sun on Tuesday, July 8, you’ll see Venus shine brightly at its highest point in the morning sky during its current apparition. Although July 8 sees its highest point, it will be easy to see in the pre-dawn darkness until around July 21.

For exact timings, use a sunrise and sunset calculator for where you are, Stellarium Web for a sky chart and Night Sky Tonight: Visible Planets at Your Location for positions and rise/set times for planets.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.

NASA’s newest solar research mission is already producing some amazing outcomes. The PUNCH or Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere mission, which was launched on March 12, 2025, is a set of four small satellites working together in low Earth orbit to study the sun’s outer atmosphere and solar wind. Within weeks of launch, it sent back its first set of images, including a colourful and unusual “rainbow” view of a faint glow caused by sunlight scattering off dust in space that was rare and rarely seen before.These early images are scientific and have quickly caught the attention of space enthusiasts due to their unexpected beauty. One image, taken on April 18 by the WFI-2 instrument, shows a soft gradient of red, green, and blue light against a starry sky. The image shows how the spacecraft measures different wavelengths of light and the direction that light has been polarised by particles in space.

A rainbow in space

This image isn’t a real rainbow, but a false-colour representation of polarised light from space dust. The colours including red, green, and blue, reflect different polarisation angles that help scientists understand how light scatters off interplanetary particles.As said by NASA in a SwRI press release, “The image is colorised to show the polarization (or angle) of the zodiacal light, a faint glow from dust orbiting the sun.” These early images help scientists confirm that the instruments are working correctly and are ready for more detailed solar observations.

Seeing the moon in a new light

Another exceptional moment happened on April 27, when one of PUNCH’s cameras, the Narrow Field Imager (NFI), spotted the new moon passing near the sun. To see this clearly, the NFI used a special cover called an occluder to block out the sun’s bright light. In the image, the moon looks full even though it was technically a new moon. That’s because of something called “Earthshine”, or sunlight bouncing off Earth and lighting up the moon’s dark side. This helped scientists make sure the moon won’t get in the way of PUNCH’s future views of the sun’s outer layers.

On April 16, two of the other PUNCH satellites, WFI-1 and WFI, also captured the soft glow of zodiacal light. Through their wide-angle view, they picked up some famous sights in the night sky, like the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters, the Andromeda galaxy, and the Cassiopeia constellation. These early images are helping scientists fine-tune the instruments, but they also show just how sensitive PUNCH is as it can spot even the faintest details way out in space.

SPHEREx joins the ride

Launched alongside PUNCH aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, SPHEREx is another NASA mission with big goals. Unlike the James Webb Space Telescope, which zooms into distant objects, SPHEREx will scan the whole sky in 102 infrared colours. As Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said in a SPHEREx briefing, “We are literally mapping the entire celestial sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in humanity’s history.”Photo: NASA/ SwRI

Despite increasing applications of HML MOs, understanding the light buildup dynamics of HML within these lasers is experimentally challenging. In a recent study published in Journal of Lightwave Technology, researchers from Hunan University, China have uncovered the buildup dynamics of HML in an all-fiberized erbium-doped MO. They successfully obtained HML pulse outputs of different orders. In these results, the signal-to-noise ratio of all harmonic pulse trains from the all-fiber MO exceeded 80 dB, demonstrating the high stability of the output. Moreover, they investigated the transient dynamics during the startup process of HML in the MO.

“The starting dynamics of HML in the MO, characterized by the time-stretch dispersive Fourier transform technique (TS-DFT) revealed that the generation of HML is not dominated by the splitting effect of the single pulse but the amplification of the multiple seeding pulses in the oscillator,” explains author Dr. Ning Li.

Using carefully designed experiments, the researchers identified five distinct ultrafast phases that occur between the injection of seed pulses into the laser cavity and the stable emission of HML pulses from the MO. These phases include relaxation oscillation, multi-pulses operation, pulse collapse reconstruction, unstable HML, and a stable HML state. Notably, the identified process of stable HML generation was different from the conventional pulse splitting effect thought to result in laser emission dynamics in MOs. The experimental findings were further supported using numerical simulations.

Using the TS-DFT technique, they monitored the spectra evolution within the MO cavity in real-time and performed a detailed analysis of the dynamic process during HML initiation. Observations revealed that the generation of HML in the MO was not dominated by the conventional single pulse splitting effect but rather by the amplification of multiple seeding pulses within the oscillator.

“Our experimental and simulation results showed that under these conditions, the initial seed pulses within the cavity evolve into stable independent pulses through processes such as gain amplification and energy redistribution, eventually leading to a stable HML state within the resonator,” observes Dr. Li. “Results from our study can deepen the understanding of HML operation in MOs, and may provide an active way to control the transient pulse dynamics in the high-performance ultrafast laser systems,” he adds.

Overall, this study has extended our understanding of light buildup dynamics in MOs, specifically for advanced lasers using HML. Furthermore, the study challenges the conventional understanding of the light buildup and emission process in MOs.

Besides clarifying the underlying physics, the insights offered by the study may lead to improved designs of MOs – advancing their use across several fields.