Today's Science Pulse
Updated 2h ago
Sun and Thousands of Stellar Twins Migrated Across the Milky Way
New research shows the Sun traveled outward about 10,000 light‑years together with a cohort of 6,594 solar‑twin stars, moving from the crowded galactic core to its current suburban orbit. Chemical signatures and Gaia‑derived motions reveal this large‑scale migration, suggesting the galactic bar and spiral dynamics facilitated the shift.
News•Mar 10, 2026
ALMA Detects Extremely Abundant Alcohol in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has reported the detection of an unusually high concentration of alcohol—specifically ethanol—in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Spectroscopic analysis shows ethanol levels roughly ten times greater than those measured in typical solar‑system comets. The observation was made using ALMA’s Band 6 receivers, delivering unprecedented chemical detail for an object that entered the Solar System from another star. Researchers say the result reshapes expectations of organic inventories carried by interstellar visitors.
By American Astronomical Society – Press
Blog•Mar 10, 2026
Twistors and Wick Rotation
The article explains how twistor theory provides a geometric framework for Wick rotating between Minkowski and Euclidean spacetimes. By treating spacetime points as CP^1 lines inside projective twistor space (PT=CP^3), the author shows that the Minkowski conformal group SU(2,2) and...
By Not Even Wrong
News•Mar 9, 2026
Gene Edit Makes Probiotic Safer for Immunocompromised Patients
An international team genetically deleted the ENA1 gene from Saccharomyces boulardii, a common probiotic yeast. In immunosuppressed mice, the ENA1‑deficient strain showed no mortality, raising survival from 30‑40% to 100% compared with wild‑type isolates. The edit also reduced osmotic stress...
By Phys.org – Biotechnology
News•Mar 9, 2026
SpaceX Launches Direct Television Satellite for EchoStar
SpaceX lifted off a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral on March 9, 2026, deploying EchoStar‑25, a direct‑to‑home television satellite for Dish Network. The booster, B1085, completed its 14th flight and landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, marking the vessel’s 146th...
By Spaceflight Now
News•Mar 9, 2026
CRISPR-Based Technique Unlocks Healing Power of Mitochondria for Heart Failure Therapy
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine used a non‑editing CRISPR system to activate the PPARGC1A gene, boosting mitochondrial production in human cardiomyocytes. The technique safely increased cellular energy output, as shown by higher oxygen consumption in cell...
By Phys.org – Biotechnology
Podcast•Mar 9, 2026•0 min
Ep. 785: Magnetars
Astronomy Cast’s episode 785, hosted by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay, dives into magnetars—highly magnetized neutron stars whose fields can reach 10^15 gauss. The hosts recount the 2004 giant gamma‑ray flare that exposed the destructive power of these stellar...
By Astronomy Cast
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
Rocketry: RFTS Rocket Competition + NM Spaceport Hosts Student Launches + FAR‑OUT Rockets at Mojave
The Rocketry Federation of the Stars (RFTS) is running its 18th National Rocket Competition for students aged 10‑18, while New Mexico State University and the Albuquerque Civil Air Patrol launched eleven rockets from Spaceport America on Feb. 14, 2026. Ten of those...
By HobbySpace Blog
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
Complement System Biomarkers Change with Age, and More So in Dementia Patients
A decade‑long study of 235 cognitively normal adults tracked plasma levels of 14 complement proteins every two years. Five factors—C4, C4b, Factor I, Factor D and Properdin—showed progressive deviations only in participants who later developed Alzheimer’s disease. These peripheral changes...
By Fight Aging!
Social•Mar 9, 2026
1977 Russian Flu Shows Lab-Origin Genetic Signature
"Russian flu," the pandemic that hit in 1977, bears an evolutionary signature of having emerged from a lab, perhaps as part of a failed vaccine effort. Covid, mpox, Ebola, and other influenza pandemics don't. Here's my story on a new...
By Carl Zimmer
News•Mar 9, 2026
New Summit in Colombia Seeks to Revive Stalled UN Talks on Fossil Fuel Transition
Colombia and the Netherlands will host the First Conference on the Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta this April, aiming to jump‑start a stalled UN process for a global fossil‑fuel roadmap ahead of COP31. The gathering expects 40‑80...
By Climate Home News
News•Mar 9, 2026
The US’s Critical Minerals Club Threatens an Equitable Clean Energy Transition
The United States is forming a critical‑minerals trading bloc aimed at breaking China’s dominance in supply chains for digital and defense technologies. The initiative downplays clean‑energy needs, even though analysis shows only a handful of the 33 minerals the UK...
By Climate Home News
News•Mar 9, 2026
Eye in the Sky
The Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), often dubbed the Eye of God or Eye of Sauron, is a striking planetary nebula located about 650 light‑years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. It represents the final evolutionary stage of a Sun‑like star that...
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Mar 9, 2026
Execution Mode
Norbert Holtkamp, appointed Fermilab director in December 2025, has set a clear mandate to deliver the DUNE experiment and uphold the lab’s legacy of bold, large‑scale science. He highlighted a $5 billion investment over the next decade and outlined a three‑point...
By Fermilab News
News•Mar 9, 2026
Frailty Sets in Far Earlier than You’d Expect, but You Can Reverse It
New research reveals frailty can begin decades before old age, with many people in their 30s and 40s already in a pre‑frail state. Around 10 % of those in their 50s show early signs, rising to about half of individuals in...
By New Scientist (Health)
News•Mar 9, 2026
A Daily Multivitamin May Slightly Slow Rates of Ageing
Researchers conducted a double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trial with 1,000 participants averaging 70 years old, giving half a daily multivitamin (Centrum Silver) and the other half a placebo. After two years, analysis of five epigenetic aging clocks indicated the supplement group aged...
By New Scientist (Health)
News•Mar 9, 2026
AbbVie’s Amylin Candidate ‘Competitive’ in Early-Stage Trial
AbbVie announced top‑line Phase 1 multiple ascending‑dose data for its amylin analog ABBV‑295, showing 7.75‑9.79% weight loss after 12 weeks of treatment. The long‑acting compound was administered every other week then monthly, with a favorable tolerability profile and no serious adverse...
By BioSpace
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Neurons in A
In case you saw the "neurons in a dish playing Doom" post and freaked out, take note ⤵️
By Science Sam (Samantha Yammine, PhD)
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Plastic Chemical DEHP Linked to Higher Breast Cancer Risk
The link between exposure to DEHP and its metabolite MEHP, found in plastics, and risk of breast cancer in a 20-year prospective study https://t.co/wKEVlMxWHT https://t.co/j5NL5QfTBu
By Eric Topol
News•Mar 9, 2026
Why Simulating an Entire Cell Cycle Took Years, Multiple GPUs and Six Days per Run
University of Illinois researchers led by Zan Luthey‑Schulten have built a three‑dimensional kinetic model of the minimal bacterium JCVI‑syn3A that simulates an entire 105‑minute cell cycle. By assigning DNA replication to a dedicated GPU and running other cellular dynamics on...
By Phys.org – Biotechnology
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Psoriasis' Immune Activation Reduces Skin Cancer Risk
Chronic inflammation generally poses a higher risk of cancer, so why does psoriasis-like disease have a lower risk of skin cancer. Why? Sustained immune cell activation https://t.co/kcxUHC8Ahk https://t.co/igqNDv5mdj
By Eric Topol
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Obesity Raises Risk for Multiple Cancer Types
Obesity and overweight are risk factors for several types of cancer. Why? A @JAMA_current review https://t.co/fn5tfxNnsM https://t.co/caCsAt2vuB
By Eric Topol
News•Mar 9, 2026
How Often Does Earth Transit the Sun for an Observer on Mars?
From the perspective of Mars, Earth transits the Sun only four times within a 284‑year cycle, occurring in May or November with intervals of 100.5, 79, 25.5 and 79 years. The most recent transit was on May 11, 1984, and the next...
By Astronomy Magazine
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Short‑lived Pollutant Cuts Need Carbon Removal to Offset CO₂
There has been a lot of recent interest by companies in mitigating short-lived climate "super-pollutants" like methane and refrigerants. This can have a strong short-term climate impact, but to credibly counterbalance CO2 emissions requires combining them with durable carbon removal.
By Zeke Hausfather
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Inactivity Kills 5 Million Annually; Policies Remain Unimplemented
5 million deaths a year globally are attributed to lack of physical activity. Many countries have set policies to promote physical activity but never implemented them. No improvement in >20 years! 3 new papers @NatureMedicine @NatureHealthJnl https://t.co/Nvl1AhTz2h https://t.co/hGneBJTJBO https://t.co/g94vzx3Ydu
By Eric Topol
News•Mar 9, 2026
Fermilab’s FAST/IOTA Facility Achieves Major Milestone in Accelerator Research
Fermilab’s FAST/IOTA test facility has successfully accelerated its first proton beams, achieving velocities of about 7 % of light speed. The new proton injector, paired with a radio‑frequency quadrupole, expands the facility beyond its original electron‑only program. This milestone provides a...
By Fermilab News
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Multivitamin Modestly Slows Epigenetic Aging; Cocoa Doesn’t
Just published @NatureMedicine A daily multivitamin (MVM) slowed epigenetic aging in a randomized trial after 2 years; effect was small (~2 months) and not seen with cocoa extract supplement (vitamin was Centrum Silver) https://t.co/snOMNsTzW7 https://t.co/a6MhMuRhJb
By Eric Topol
News•Mar 9, 2026
Regeneron’s Weight Loss Partner Hansoh Delivers Much-Needed Phase 3 Win in China
Regeneron’s Chinese partner Hansoh announced that its dual GLP‑1/GIPR agonist olatorepatide achieved a 19% mean weight loss in a Phase 3 trial of 604 obese or overweight adults, meeting both co‑primary endpoints. The study reported lower gastrointestinal adverse events compared with...
By BioSpace
News•Mar 9, 2026
Gemini’s Springtime Star Clusters Are Ripe for Exploring
Astronomy magazine’s editor Dave Eicher highlights two open clusters in Gemini—M35, a bright 3,000‑light‑year‑distant target visible with binoculars, and NGC 2158, an 11,000‑light‑year‑distant cluster requiring a telescope. Both objects rise high in the spring night sky, offering a striking depth‑of‑field contrast....
By Astronomy Magazine
News•Mar 9, 2026
Terraforming Mars Isn't a Climate Problem—It's an Industrial Nightmare
A new pre‑print by NASA JPL’s Slava Turyshev outlines five terraforming milestones for Mars and quantifies the massive resources required at each stage. To raise surface pressure to just 1 mbar would need roughly the mass of Mars’s moon Deimos, while...
By Universe Today
News•Mar 9, 2026
Disorder Drives One of Nature’s Most Complex Machines
A 2025 study using high‑speed atomic force microscopy visualized the nuclear pore complex’s central channel in millisecond detail, revealing a constantly shifting “central plug” made of karyopherin transport proteins and their cargo. The dynamic behavior supports a brush‑like “virtual gate”...
By Quanta Magazine
Social•Mar 9, 2026
FMT Triples the Boost to Cancer Immunotherapy
Not just replication, but triplication of the benefit of revving up cancer immunotherapy with FMT (Yes💩) https://t.co/rXyQdO74FJ
By Eric Topol
News•Mar 9, 2026
Xenon To Seek Approval of First-in-Class Epilepsy Drug After Exceeding Phase 3 Expectations
Xenon Pharmaceuticals reported that its Phase 3 X‑TOLE2 trial of azetukalner, a novel Kv7 potassium channel opener, achieved a 53.2% reduction in focal onset seizures at the 25 mg dose, far exceeding expectations and representing the highest placebo‑adjusted efficacy recorded in a...
By BioSpace
News•Mar 9, 2026
Two AstraZeneca Drugs To Be Scrutinized in First FDA Cancer Advisory Panel in 9 Months
The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will convene on April 30 to evaluate AstraZeneca’s oral SERD camizestrant for first‑line HR‑positive, HER2‑negative breast cancer and its AKT inhibitor Truqap for metastatic hormone‑sensitive prostate cancer. Camizestrant’s Phase 3 SERENA‑6 trial reported a 56% reduction...
By BioSpace
News•Mar 9, 2026
Incyte’s Lung Cancer Expansion Bid Thwarted by Issues at Novo’s Catalent-Acquired Site
The FDA rejected Incyte’s supplemental application to add non‑small cell lung cancer to Zynyz’s label, citing compliance failures at Novo Nordisk’s Catalent‑owned Indiana manufacturing plant. The agency’s complete response letter pinpointed inspection findings at the site as the sole approvability...
By BioSpace
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
What’s the Best Example of Ecological Research That’s of Both Great Fundamental Interest AND Has Direct Applications?
The post argues that truly fundamental ecological research seldom has direct, immediate applications, but a few notable exceptions exist. It highlights trophic cascade studies in lakes as a basis for algal‑bloom management, simple stochastic population‑growth models that shape endangered‑species legislation,...
By Dynamic Ecology
News•Mar 9, 2026
Reforging Vulcan
On February 12, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur lifted off on the USSF‑87 mission but displayed a significant performance anomaly in one of its four solid rocket boosters. The anomaly, similar to the nozzle‑loss issue on the October 2024 Cert‑2 flight, prompted...
By The Space Review
News•Mar 9, 2026
Smile Arrives at Europe’s Spaceport
The ESA‑CAS Smile spacecraft landed at the Guiana Space Centre on 26 February after a two‑week sea voyage aboard the cargo ship Colibri. Over the next weeks the probe will undergo health checks, propellant loading and integration with the Vega‑C launch...
By European Space Agency News
News•Mar 9, 2026
ESA Analysing Fireball over Europe on 8 March 2026
On 8 March 2026 a bright fireball streaked from southwest to northeast across Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, glowing for about six seconds before breaking apart. The meteoroid, estimated to be a few metres in diameter, left a visible trail...
By European Space Agency News
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
Electric Fields Allow Bioprinting of Aligned Muscle Fibers
Researchers have integrated an electric field into electrohydrodynamic (EHD) bioprinting to orient fibrin‑alginate hydrogels, producing nanofiber alignment that directs myocyte organization. The conductive polymer‑enhanced constructs exhibit improved myotube differentiation and mimic native muscle conductivity. In vivo tests on rats demonstrated...
By Fight Aging!
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
A SEMA7A Feedback Loop in Macrophages Accelerates Atherosclerosis
Researchers identified macrophage‑derived Semaphorin 7A (SEMA7A) as a potent driver of atherosclerosis. Gene‑expression analysis showed high SEMA7A and its receptor integrin β1 in human mononuclear cells, and mouse models with macrophage‑specific Sema7a deletion exhibited a 57.2% reduction in lesion size and improved...
By Fight Aging!
Blog•Mar 9, 2026
Cuts, Commitments and Contradictions – Guest Post by Lucien Heurtier
Last week, UKRI and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) faced intense scrutiny as the House of Lords and Commons committees examined a proposed 30% cut to the Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear (PPAN) research budget. Ministers acknowledged that...
By In the Dark
News•Mar 9, 2026
The US Barely Bothers to Track Geoengineering. What Could Go Wrong?
A recent Government Accountability Office report reveals that the United States lacks effective oversight and transparent reporting for geoengineering activities, from decades‑old cloud‑seeding to emerging solar‑radiation projects. NOAA’s reporting forms have not been updated since 1974, resulting in incomplete, often...
By Grist
News•Mar 9, 2026
"She Flies Satellites. One Day, I Can Too."
ESA’s European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) spotlighted five senior women who lead spacecraft missions such as JUICE, EarthCARE, and the ExoMars rover, sharing their daily skills and career paths. They highlight the importance of interpersonal communication, calm decision‑making, and human‑centred...
By European Space Agency News
Social•Mar 9, 2026
Add AI Breast Artery Calcification Scan to Mammograms
Mammography should include AI assessment of breast artery calcification, since it provides very useful information about cardiovascular risk https://t.co/yfTbTRrOuY https://t.co/h1C8ZnHepJ
By Eric Topol
Social•Mar 9, 2026
10 of 33 Raptor 3s Pass Initial Test
10 out of the 33 Raptor 3's in this first test. Let's see how she all goes with this shall we!? 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
By Marcus House
News•Mar 8, 2026
Astronomers Produce the Largest Image Ever Taken of the Heart of the Milky Way
An international team using ALMA has produced the largest radio image ever of the Milky Way’s central 650‑light‑year region, known as the Central Molecular Zone. The mosaic, covering an area comparable to three full moons, maps dense gas filaments, star‑forming...
By Universe Today
Social•Mar 8, 2026
One‑Year 5% Cut Barely Moves Long‑lived Gas Levels
If only someone had looked at this, say, back in April 2020. 🙄 Turns out that a 5% reduction in emissions for one year for a gas that accumulates in the atmosphere has a tiny effect on concentrations. https://t.co/if0d8eyX1F https://t.co/UFWo16Rc47
By Zeke Hausfather
News•Mar 8, 2026
SpaceX Launches 25 More Starlink Satellites
SpaceX successfully launched 25 additional Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The rocket’s first stage marked its seventh flight, achieving a precise drone‑ship landing in the Pacific. With this mission, SpaceX’s 2026 launch tally of 29...
By Behind the Black
News•Mar 8, 2026
March 8, 1986: The Second of Five Probes Flies by Halley’s Comet
On March 8 1986, Japan’s Suisei probe became the second spacecraft to fly past Halley’s Comet, part of an international “Halley Armada” that also included two Soviet Vega probes, Japan’s Sakigake, and ESA’s Giotto. The comet’s perihelion occurred on February 9, placing it...
By Astronomy Magazine
Blog•Mar 8, 2026
Weekly Reads: Support Brain Tumor Work, Prasad Is Out (Again), Genetic Conditions, Texas AG, Immunotherapy Paper, SCBEM
The newsletter urges donations to support a lab studying lethal childhood glioma, noting NIH grant success rates of only 4‑5%. It reports FDA biologics chief Vinay Prasad’s second departure, a rare leadership turnover that could affect approval stability. Additional highlights...
By The Niche