Latest Science News
JWST finds an exoplanet atmosphere unlike any seen before
Scientists using NASAâs James Webb Space Telescope reported discovery of an exoplanet with an atmospheric composition that differs from previously observed worlds, suggesting unusual chemistry and formation history.
Record-duration plasma in WEST tokamak advances fusion research
The WEST tokamak in France achieved a new global record by sustaining plasma for 1,337 seconds, surpassing previous runs and demonstrating progress toward steady-state fusion operations.
ITER completes major superconducting magnet milestone
Engineers at ITER finished construction of the worldâs largest pulsed superconducting electromagnet system, a key step toward confining 150 million °C plasma and achieving 500 MW fusion output from 50 MW input.
All-optical chip LightGen and Chinese photonic AI advances
Researchers presented LightGen, an all-optical chip with two million photonic âneuronsâ claiming much higher speed and energy efficiency than electronic chips, signaling major progress in photonic AI hardware.
Tiny autonomous robots demonstrate programmable microrobotics
Teams at University of Pennsylvania and University of Michigan reported the worldâs smallest fully programmable autonomous robots (â200Ă300Ă50 ”m), opening paths for microscale manufacturing and medical applications.
First full chemical synthesis of verticillin A completed
MIT chemists reported the first complete synthesis of verticillin A, a fungal natural product long seen as a promising anticancer agent, enabling deeper study and drug development efforts.
CRISPR gene therapy shows large LDL and triglyceride reductions in humans
A Phase 1 first-in-human CRISPR therapy targeting ANGPTL3 was reported safe and able to reduce LDL cholesterol by nearly 50% and triglycerides by 55%, indicating potential for durable lipid-lowering treatments.
Antimatter production boosted at CERNâs ALPHA experiment
CERNâs ALPHA group reported an eightfold increase in antimatter production by sympathetically cooling positrons with laser-cooled beryllium ions, enabling creation of >15,000 antihydrogen atoms in under seven hours.
Tryptophan confirmed on asteroid Bennu from OSIRISâREx samples
Analysis of OSIRISâREx samples from Bennu confirmed presence of tryptophan, an amino acid used in protein biosynthesis, supporting theories that asteroids delivered prebiotic material to early Earth.
Global glacier timeline and 'Peak Glacier Extinction' concept released
An international team produced the first global timeline for glacier disappearance and introduced âPeak Glacier Extinction,â projecting dramatic glacier losses (e.g., most Alpine glaciers gone under current warming trends) and highlighting urgent climate impacts.
Virus-view dual confocal and AFM (ViViDâAFM) microscopy reveals influenza entry
ETH Zurich researchers demonstrated ViViDâAFMâcombining atomic force microscopy with fluorescence imagingâto visualize influenza virus invasion of human cells at unprecedented resolution, improving understanding of infection mechanisms.
Small photonic AI chip on optical-fibre tip decodes images at light speed
Researchers reported an AI chip smaller than a grain of salt that mounts on an optical-fibre tip using a diffractive neural network to decode images at optical speeds with very low energy, promising compact, energyâefficient imaging and sensing.
New blood test detects early-stage pancreatic cancer with high accuracy
Oregon Health & Science University researchers developed a blood test able to detect early-stage pancreatic cancer with reported ~85% accuracy, potentially enabling earlier intervention for a typically late-detected cancer.
mRNA delivery into HIVâhiding white blood cells demonstrated
Researchers reported the first delivery of mRNA into white blood cells that hide HIV using specially formulated nanoparticles (LNP X), instructing those cells to reveal hidden virus and offering a path to eradicate reservoirs.
AI systemsâ environmental footprint assessed as comparable to major cities
A new study suggested AI systems may have a carbon footprint equivalent to that of New York City (2025) and a water footprint comparable to global bottled water consumption, raising sustainability concerns for large-scale AI deployments.