Today's Science Pulse
UK-led study reveals hidden massive star clusters deep within nearby galaxies
Astronomers using the VLA and ALMA uncovered previously unseen giant star clusters embedded deep inside nearby galaxies. The findings show that young stellar activity drives the evolution of these galaxies, reshaping their interstellar environments. Multiple observations confirm the clusters act as hidden “ring factories” of star formation.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Foundation Alloy raises $22M Series A
Losing Bone Density Isn't Inevitable — Study Shows How To Stop It
A University of Hong Kong study reveals that the protein Piezo1 acts as the body’s built‑in exercise sensor, converting mechanical stress from activities like walking or weight‑lifting into a bone‑building signal. When activated, Piezo1 triggers the Ccl2‑Lcn2 inflammatory pathway, steering mesenchymal stem cells to form bone rather than fat, thereby preserving bone density. In sedentary individuals, the pathway remains dormant, leading to marrow fat accumulation and heightened fracture risk. Researchers suggest the discovery could guide new physical‑therapy protocols and inspire drugs that mimic exercise for those unable to stay active.
Progesterone in MHT for Protection Against Endometrial Cancer
Recent analysis of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) highlights a tension between breast‑cancer safety and endometrial risk. Observational data from France’s E3N cohort found that women using oral micronized progesterone for five or more years faced a 2.7‑fold increase in endometrial...
Congratulations to the Artemis II Crew – but the Case for Sending Astronauts Into Space Is Rapidly Shrinking | Martin...
NASA’s Artemis II mission marked the first crewed flight of the new lunar system, returning astronauts safely after a 10‑day lunar loop. The program has already consumed roughly $100 billion, with Congress earmarking an additional $9.9 billion for Artemis IV and V. While the scientific...
Do the Microbes in Your Gut Influence What Foods You Like?
Scientists have long suspected gut microbes shape eating habits, and recent animal studies provide concrete evidence. In 2022, researchers transplanted microbiomes from wild carnivores, herbivores and omnivores into germ‑free mice, finding that the mice’s food preferences shifted to match their...
Trend Analysis of Atmospheric and Oceanic Variables and Their Compound Effect on Tropical Cyclones in the Arabian Sea
A new study examines how atmospheric and oceanic variables shape tropical cyclone genesis and intensity in the Arabian Sea, using ERA5 reanalysis and HYCOM model data spanning 2005‑2020. The analysis reveals that mixed‑layer ocean heat content (OHC) is rising, while...
The Sky Today on Saturday, April 11: Comet Tempel 2 in Scutum
Comet 10P/Tempel 2 has entered the constellation Scutum and will stay visible all summer, rising around 1 A.M. and reaching about 35° altitude by 5 A.M. local time. At roughly 12th magnitude it is still faint, requiring a moderate telescope, but it is...
Effects of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists on Perioperative Outcomes in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Researchers performed a systematic review and meta‑analysis of six retrospective cohort studies covering over 48,000 hip and knee arthroplasty patients to assess the impact of pre‑operative glucagon‑like‑peptide‑1 receptor agonist (GLP‑1 RA) therapy. The analysis found a 20 % reduction in revision...
Splashdown. Now Comes The Greatest Danger
The article reflects on the profound psychological shift astronauts experience after returning from deep‑space missions, drawing parallels between Apollo crews and the recent Artemis II crew. The author recounts a university project measuring lunar mountain heights, emphasizing the spiritual “overview effect”...
AI Can Screen 15 Million Molecules in a Day. It Still Can’t Cure Alzheimer’s.
Novartis used generative AI to design 15 million molecular‑glue candidates for Huntington’s disease and synthesized about 60, yielding a promising scaffold. While AI can trim early‑stage drug discovery timelines by 30‑40 percent and lower costs, no AI‑discovered compound has secured FDA approval...
New Yellow Fever Vaccine Matches Safety and Effectiveness of Current Shot
Sanofi's new live‑attenuated yellow fever vaccine, vYF, demonstrated safety and efficacy comparable to the licensed YF‑VAX in a phase 2 trial of 485 healthy adults. Protective antibodies appeared in 99.7% of vYF recipients versus 99.4% for YF‑VAX within 28 days, with...
Green Growth Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation in the Mangrove Forest Area of Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve, Vietnam
A mixed‑methods study of 143 households in Vietnam's Tien Hai Wetland Nature Reserve shows that ecological aquaculture, mangrove restoration, waste recycling and community‑based eco‑tourism can boost incomes—averaging about $105 per month per household—while raising climate awareness to 81% and green‑growth...
National Prevalence of Diarrhea and Associated Factors Among Children Under Five in Afghanistan
A 2022‑23 survey of 32,989 Afghan children under five found that 38.2% had experienced diarrhea in the past two weeks. The risk was highest for children aged 6‑35 months, while maternal age over 20, higher household wealth, and maternal education...
Energy Storage Breakthrough Traps Sunlight in a Molecule
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have engineered an organic molecule, pyrimidone, that captures sunlight and stores the energy directly in its chemical bonds. The molecular solar thermal storage (MOST) system achieves an energy density of 1.6 MJ kg⁻¹ (≈ 444 Wh kg⁻¹), roughly double that...
Artemis II Splashdown Gives NASA Momentum in Renewed Moon Race
NASA’s Artemis II mission splashed down safely in the Pacific on April 11, 2026, concluding the first crewed deep‑space flight since 1972. The four‑person crew—three Americans and a Canadian—completed a lunar‑orbit trajectory that demonstrated the Space Launch System’s performance and re‑entry capabilities....
Joi Scientific’s Long Hydrogen Illusion
Joi Scientific has resurfaced with a refreshed website, new press releases and a 2024 patent family, but it is essentially a continuation of an 18‑year‑old hydrogen over‑unity narrative. The company’s earlier claims of 200‑300% energy return have been replaced with...
New Research Leads to Increased Understanding of Longevity Gains in the United States
A new BMJ Open study by University of Wisconsin–Madison scholars finds that every U.S. state experienced life‑expectancy gains for cohorts born between 1941 and 2000, overturning earlier research that suggested stagnation or declines in parts of the South. Using the...
Ideas Podcast: How to Change a Memory
Steve Ramirez, a Boston University neuroscientist and former MIT graduate student, details how his lab created false memories and argues that future technologies could edit, erase, or fabricate recollections. His new book, *How to Change a Memory*, blends memoir with...
The Artemis II Mission Has Ended. Where Does NASA Go From Here?
NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully completed a 700,000‑mile lunar flyby and splash‑down, marking humanity’s first deep‑space crewed flight in over 50 years. The Space Launch System delivered a near‑perfect orbit insertion, while Orion returned safely, providing valuable data on heat‑shield performance and...
EV-RNAs Show Promise for IBD Diagnosis and Treatment
A review in *ExRNA* led by Professor Xiyang Wei outlines how extracellular vesicle‑associated RNAs (EV‑RNAs) influence inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis and progression. By synthesizing multi‑omics and animal data, the authors show EV‑RNAs can serve as highly accurate, non‑invasive biomarkers...
Nanomedicine Offers Targeted Solutions for Breast Cancer Treatment
Nanomedicine is reshaping breast cancer therapy by using nanoscale carriers to improve drug solubility, targeting, and controlled release. Recent preclinical studies show lipid‑polymer hybrids boosting oral bioavailability over threefold and photothermal nanoparticles halving tumor growth when combined with chemotherapy. Metallic...
Colorado Aerospace Powers Artemis’s Record‑Fast Reentry
An incredible moment for American innovation and exploration. As NASA’s Artemis mission returns to Earth, astronauts are reentering our atmosphere at speeds nearing 25,000 mph — among the fastest speeds ever traveled by humans. Colorado is proud to play a role in...
Climate Models Miss Link Between Change and Resonant Waves
This was a resonant planetary wave event (more details to come on that--watch this space). Climate models struggle to capture the climate change linkage w/ these events. Some background: https://t.co/IsCfYsAGit https://t.co/LvHlUL6OF7
JWST Infrared Imaging Maps 10,000 Solar Masss in W51A Star Nursery
A team led by Taehwa Yoo at the University of Florida used JWST's NIRCam and MIRI to image the W51A star‑forming region, uncovering two protoclusters each converting roughly 10,000 solar masses of gas into new stars. The findings, published in...
AI‑Engineered Steel Boosts 3D‑Print Strength, Cuts Costs
🔺 Scientists use AI to create ultra-strong, rust-proof steel for 3D-printed parts New AI-designed steel delivers high strength, flexibility, and rust resistance while cutting cost and processing time for 3D printing. https://t.co/hbm3AUGt2z https://t.co/b3vLdGRclh
Artemis II’s 3D Flight Path to the Moon
Artemis II mission route in 3D! https://t.co/MwqPxMYofs #artemis #ArtemisII #moonmission #moon #journeytomoon #space #SpaceLovers @lexfridman @KirkDBorne @Ronald_vanLoon @erikbryn @antgrasso @sallyeaves @Nicochan33 @HaroldSinnott @mvollmer1 @marcusborba @CatherineAdenle @vinod1975 @YuHelenYu @ingliguori @fogoros @ylecun @TerenceLeungSF @SourabhSKatoch @wil_bielert @HsrYueli @faustospain @Whats_AI @kaifulee @demishassabis @marek_rosa @AndrewYNg @BernardMarr...
Annovis Raises $10 Million to Fund Phase 3 Alzheimer’s Trial and NDA Submission
Annovis Bio announced a $10 million financing round that extends its cash runway through the upcoming Phase 3 trial of its Alzheimer’s candidate and a planned NDA submission within six months. The capital raise aims to sustain development costs and position the...
Canned Soup Spikes BPA Levels—Choose Glass or Fresh
People consuming 1 serving of canned soup over the course of 5 days saw a 1,200% increase in their urinary levels of BPA (PMID: 22110104) Ideally, use glass-contained or fresh soup https://t.co/WGNviS0f5A
Human Cells Lag Far Behind Yeast in Large DNA Integration
“Ultra large” in this paper is 8 kb 😭 > shows how far we are from achieving the sort of SynBio we routinely do in yeast in primary human cells. 50 kb integrations are fairly routine in yeast
The Artemis II Crew Is Home
NASA’s Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, safely splashed down in the Pacific on Friday, bringing home four astronauts after the first crewed lunar flyby in 54 years. The re‑entry generated plasma temperatures of roughly 5,000 °F, causing a six‑minute communications blackout before...
Artemis II Nails Precision: Distance, Speed, Reentry on Target
Artemis II return stats, per flight director Rick Henfling (via FDO): • Distance traveled: 700,237 miles • Top speed: 24,664 mph • Reentry angle: Within 0.4% of target • Entry distance: 1,957 miles • Landing location: Within 1 mile of target
DNA's Quantum Nature Links Aging, Evolution to Cosmic Time
DNA as a quantum system in evolution ".... This framework connects cellular ageing and evolution to the flow of cosmic time and suggests experiments to probe DNA’s sensitivity to time‑dependent perturbations..." https://t.co/gKVEdE8ZBZ https://t.co/5A5qZeJ5Nq
Taiwan Accelerates Silicon Photonics and Nanomaterial R&D for AI Chip Power
Taiwan announced a coordinated national effort to fast‑track silicon‑photonic (SiPh) and advanced nanomaterial development, targeting faster, more energy‑efficient AI chips. The move aims to sustain the island’s global semiconductor leadership amid surging AI workloads.
MIT Discovers Hundreds of Bacterial CRISPR-Like Tools
MIT Mined Bacteria for the Next CRISPR—and Found Hundreds of Potential New Tools https://t.co/n4cJpB8dVk https://t.co/Vq57AKw6XD
Artemis 2 Astronauts Arrive on Recovery Ship for Medical Checks
The helicopters carrying the four Artemis 2 astronauts have landed on the deck of the recovery ship, USS John P. Murtha. They'll now head to the ship's medical bay for post-flight checks.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission Was a Historic Success
NASA’s Artemis II mission returned safely on 10 April after a historic crewed flyby of the Moon, the first human trip beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The Orion capsule traveled to a record‑breaking 406,771 km from Earth, surpassing Apollo 13’s distance...
Only One Artemis II CubeSat Achieved Orbit Boost, Others Failed
Three of the four Artemis II cubesats were meant to fire propulsion systems to raise perigee and stay in orbit. Only one (Saudi Arabia's SWC-1) managed to do so; TACHELES and K-RadCube reentered at first perigee.
Earth: A Fragile Crescent Home for 8 Billion
We all live on this dot, more than 8 billion of us. @NASA: Seen from afar, Earth appears as a small, delicate waning crescent suspended in the darkness of space, captured by the crew during the Artemis II mission (April 6,...
How Recovery Personnel Will Secure Artemis II Capsule at Sea After Splashdown
NASA’s Artemis II Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego, leaving four astronauts afloat in a vessel that survived re‑entry temperatures near 5,000 °F. Five airbags on the capsule’s top automatically inflated, righting the spacecraft and stabilizing it against waves...
Hopeful Appreciation for NASA Sparks Support for Science
One thing that makes me happy tonight: The appreciation for science. There will at least be some people in the States who see how incredible these people at NASA are and might think (however briefly) about not supporting those who cut...
Micro‑islands of Cu, In, Se Boost Solar Cells
Copper, indium, selenium micro-islands pave the way for next-gen micro-concentrator solar cells #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/Clqr7VTUxv https://t.co/JjzB3JSq30
IFIT3 Knockdown Attenuates Pressure-Overload-Induced Cardiac Inflammation and Remodeling Through a JNK/H3K9 Lactylation-Associated Mechanism
The study identified interferon‑induced protein IFIT3 as a macrophage‑enriched hub gene in failing human hearts. Using AAV‑mediated knockdown in a transverse aortic constriction mouse model, researchers showed that reducing IFIT3 expression improves cardiac function, lowers inflammatory cytokine release, and attenuates...
Outlook PM Celebrates Artemis II Crew's Safe Earth Return
the PM for Microsoft Outlook seeing that Artemis II crew succesfully made it back to earth https://t.co/E3JEawI3Dh
Artemis Crew Safely Splashes Down Off California Coast
NASA confirmed that the Artemis II crew safely re‑entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific off Southern California. The four‑person team—NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen—completed a 10‑day lunar flyby, the first...
Elon Musk's Next Big Bet: Inside the Rise of SpaceX
Fox Business aired a panel titled “Elon Musk's next big bet: Inside the rise of SpaceX,” where analysts examined the company’s rapid growth and its pivotal role in NASA’s Artemis II mission. The discussion highlighted SpaceX’s Starship development, expanding Starlink broadband...
A Multifunctional Terahertz Metadevice Enabled by Single-Layer VO2 : From Ultra-Broadband to Dual-Narrowband Perfect Absorption
Researchers have demonstrated a terahertz metamaterial absorber that switches between ultra‑broadband and dual‑narrowband perfect absorption using a single vanadium dioxide (VO₂) layer. In its metallic phase, the device delivers over 90% absorption from 4.10 to 12.58 THz, covering an absolute bandwidth...
NASA Artemis II Splashes Down in Pacific Ocean in ‘Perfect’ Landing for Moon Mission
NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully returned the four‑person crew to Earth after a ten‑day lunar flyby. The Orion capsule, named Integrity, splashed down in the Pacific off San Diego at 5:07 p.m. PT, with all astronauts in good health. The flight marked the first...
Back to Earth: What Happens to the Artemis II Astronauts Now?
The Artemis II crew safely splashed down off California after re‑entering at 25,000 mph, completing the first crewed flight to travel farther than any human before – roughly 4,000 miles beyond Apollo 13’s record. Upon landing, the astronauts were examined on a U.S. warship,...
Orion Splashdown Thrills Team, Including Proud Daughter
Beautiful reentry and splash down. (My daughter worked on Orion. She’s very excited right now, as is everyone who contributed to our initial return to the moon)
Orion Survives Re-Entry, Crew Splashes Down Safe
Orion’s Orion capsule survived a high‑energy re‑entry and splashed down off California, with all four astronauts remaining inside the capsule as recovery crews arrived. The Artemis‑2 mission, a three‑day lunar fly‑by, is now complete, though analysis of the heat‑shield performance...
EEG Study Finds Same Brain Process Underlies Free and Forced Choices
Neuroscientists using electroencephalography have demonstrated that both voluntarily made and externally imposed decisions rely on identical evidence‑accumulation mechanisms in the brain. The finding challenges traditional notions of free will and offers a scientific foothold for ongoing spiritual and philosophical discussions...