How long does it take Pluto to orbit the sun? Learn more about how this planet makes one lap around our Solar System.

A bumper crop of measurements of the expansion rate of the universe have stretched the Hubble tension as taut as it has ever been, with scientists grappling with trying to find a solution.

Over 500 researchers have come together in the “CosmoVerse” consortium to produce a new white paper that delves into the various cosmological tensions between theory and observation. These include the Hubble tension, which is the bewildering discrepancy in the expansion rate of the universe, referred to as the Hubble constant (H₀).

Predictive measurements made by applying the standard model of cosmology to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) give H₀ as 67.4 km/s/Mpc. In other words, every volume of space a million parsecs across (one parsec is 3.26 light years) should be expanding by 67.4 kilometres every second.

Yet that’s not what Hubble’s law – which tells us the expansion rate based on a given object’s velocity away from us and its distance – says, as demonstrated by the CosmoVerse White Paper.

“The paper’s been getting a lot of attention in our field,” Joe Jensen of Utah Valley University tells Physics World. “You can easily see that the vast majority of measurements fall around 73 km/s/Mpc, with varying uncertainties.”

There’s no known reason why local measurements of H₀ (based on supernovae observations) should differ from the CMB measurement. This discrepancy leads to two possibilities. Either there are unknown systematic uncertainties in measurements that skew the results, or cosmology’s standard model is wrong and new physics is needed.

A lot at stake

The highest rung on the cosmic distance ladder is a type Ia supernova – a white dwarf explosion. They have a standardizable brightness that makes them perfect for judging how far away they are, based on their luminosity curve. These measurements are calibrated by lower rungs on the ladder, such as Cepheid variable stars or the peak brightness of red giant stars (referred to as the “tip of the red giant branch”, or TRGB).

If the tension is real, then different calibrators should still give the same result. One of the few outliers is found in a new paper published in The Astrophysical Journal by the Chicago–Carnegie Hubble Program (CCHP) led by the University of Chicago’s Wendy Freedman.

CCHP’s latest paper uses the TRGB to arrive at a best value of 70.39 km/s/Mpc when combining measurements from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – which is able to better resolve red giant stars in other galaxies – with Hubble Space Telescope data.

The CCHP team argue that this result is in line with the CMB measurements and removes the tension. However, their conclusion has met opposition.

“Their result is sort of in the middle of the Hubble tension, so I’m surprised that they would say they rule it out,” Dan Scolnic, an astrophysicist at Duke University in the United States, tells Physics World.

At a meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January 2025, Scolnic declared that the Hubble tension was now a crisis. CCHP’s results do not dissuade him from this conclusion.

“For some reason they don’t include a number of supernovae in their sample that they could have,” says Scolnic. “Siyang Li [of Johns Hopkins University] led a paper [on which Scolnic is a co-author] that showed that if one uses their TRGB measurements, and the complete sample of supernovae, one goes back to higher H₀.”

Freedman did not respond to Physics World‘s request for an interview.

Different approaches

Jensen has also led a team that recently conducted measurements of H₀ using TRGB stars, but in a different way by looking for surface brightness fluctuations (SBF).

“SBF is a statistical method that measures the brightnesses of red giant stars even when they cannot be measured individually,” says Jensen.

Individual stars in galaxies cannot be resolved at great distance – their light blends together, and the more distant the galaxy, the smoother this blend is. We describe this blended light as the galaxy’s surface brightness, and fluctuations are statistical in nature and result from the discrete nature of stars.

In old elliptical galaxies, the surface brightness is dominated by red giant stars, which are evolved Sun-like stars. Measuring the SBF therefore provides a value for the TRGB, from which a distance can be determined.

Using JWST images to measure the SBF of 14 elliptical galaxies, then using those to calibrate the distances to 60 more distant ellipticals, and then using that calibration to determine H₀, Jensen’s team arrived at a value of 73.8 km/s/Mpc.

“The reason that we don’t get the same answer [as CCHP] is that we are not using the same JWST calibrators, and we don’t use type Ia to measure H₀,” says Jensen.

This contradicts CCHP’s main assertion, which is that there must be unknown systematic uncertainties in either the type Ia supernovae or the Cepheids. Jensen’s team use neither, yet still find a tension.

Perhaps the most convincing evidence for the tension comes from the TDCOSMO (time-delay cosmography) team, who utilize gravitationally lensed quasars to measure H₀.

Quasars fluctuate in brightness over a matter of days. When light from a quasar takes paths of varying lengths around a lensing object, it produces multiple images that have time lags relative to one another. The expansion of space can extend this time delay, providing a completely independent measure of H₀.

In 2019 the H0LiCOW project used six gravitational lenses to arrive at a value of 73.3 km/s/Mpc. This result came with some scepticism. So they formed the new TDCOSMO consortium and “went on a six-year journey to see if their original measurement was okay,” says Scolnic.

TDCOSMO’s final conclusion is 72.1 km/Mpc/s, strongly supporting the tension. However, in all these measurements there’s wriggle room from various known measuring uncertainties.

“It’s important to remember that the uncertainties put us in only mild disagreement,” says Jensen. “I expect that we will soon know if the disagreement can be explained by the mundane choices of calibration galaxies and processing techniques.”

If it cannot, then the inescapable conclusion is that there’s something wrong with our understanding of the universe. Figuring that out could be the next great quest in cosmology.

The post Cosmic conflict continues: new data fuel the Hubble tension debate appeared first on Physics World.

While Arianespace is committed to moving to its peak launch rate of the Ariane 6 “as soon as possible,” it may take several years to do so.

The post Increase in Ariane 6 launch cadence could take several years appeared first on SpaceNews.

Pictures are a prelude to a transformative, all-sky survey set to begin in months

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is poised to discover billions of new astronomical objects, revolutionizing understanding of everything from the history of the solar system to the workings of dark energy.

Remote-sensing data and artificial intelligence are mapping the most heat-vulnerable buildings in cities like Delhi, in an effort to target relief from extreme temperatures at a granular level.

Former NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman says he is interested in pursuing some of the goals he had for the agency from outside it.

The post Isaacman interested in privately funded science missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

The first spectacular images from the Vera C Rubin Observatory have been released today showing millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids in exquisite detail.

Based in Cerro Pachón in the Andes, the Vera C Rubin Observatory contains the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) – the largest camera ever built. Taking almost two decades to build, the 3200 megapixel instrument forms the heart of the observatory’s 8.4 m Simonyi Survey Telescope.

The imagery released today, which took just 10 hours of observations, is a small preview of the Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission.

The image above is of the Trifid and Lagoon nebulas. This picture combines 678 separate images taken by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time. It reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust that comprise the Trifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth.

The image below is of the Virgo cluster. It shows a small section of the Virgo cluster, featuring two spiral galaxies (lower right), three merging galaxies (upper right) and several groups of distant galaxies.

Star mapper

Later this year, the Vera C Rubin Observatory, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, will begin a decade-long survey of the southern hemisphere sky.

The LSST will take a complete picture of the southern night sky every 3-4 nights. It will then replicate this process over a decade to produce almost 1000 full images of sky.

This will be used to plot the positions and measure the brightness of objects in the sky to help improve our understanding of dark matter and dark energy. It will examine 20 billion galaxies as well as produce the most detailed star map of the Milky Way, imaging 17 billion stars and cataloguing some six million small objects within our solar system including asteroids.

Cosmic pioneer

The observatory is named in honour of the US astronomer Vera C. Rubin. In 1970, working with Kent Ford Jr, they observed that outer stars orbiting in the Andromeda galaxy were all doing so at the same speed.

Examining more galaxies still, they found that their rotation curves – the orbital speed of visible stars within the galaxy compared with their radial distance to the galaxy centre – contradicted Kepler’s law.

They also found that stars near the outer edges of the galaxies were orbiting so fast that they should be falling apart.

Rubin and Ford Jr’s observation led them to predict that there was some mass, dubbed “dark matter”, inside the galaxies responsible for the anomalous motions, something their telescopes couldn’t see but was there in quantities about six times the amount of the luminous matter present.

The post Vera C Rubin Observatory reveals its first spectacular images of the cosmos appeared first on Physics World.

'RocketGPT' among first deployments of government-compliant ChatGPT designed for sensitive aerospace data

The post ULA testing OpenAI’s government-compliant chatbot  appeared first on SpaceNews.

China launched the ChinaSat-9C communications satellite Friday to replace an aging, foreign-built predecessor and boost domestic broadcasting capabilities.

The post China launches ChinaSat-9C geostationary communications satellite appeared first on SpaceNews.

From living matter to molecules to elementary particles, the world is made of “chiral” objects that differ from their reflected forms.

Airbus executives say they are making good progress to turn around the company’s space business unit even as they consider combining it with those at two other European companies.

The post Airbus says space business turnaround going well appeared first on SpaceNews.

Learn about the new research that changes the estimates of the Milky Way’s demise.

New data from a Phase 3 trial show that the daily anti-obesity pill may be as safe and effective as drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic for weight loss and lowering blood sugar.

The International Energy Agency estimates that 70 percent of the fossil fuel sector’s methane emissions could be cut with existing technologies—many of which would save polluters money.

As ultra-long-haul routes take flight, plane-lighting hacks and meal planning could help passengers recover faster.

Learn how dust impacts your health, with lunar dust having a much less harmful effect than previously thought.

Learn how air bubbles trapped in ice have inspired a special code that can improve communication in the Arctic and Antarctica.

While bluebottles are highly poisonous, understanding Portuguese Man O’ War biodiversity helps protect beachgoers and surfers.

The goal is creating what DoD calls "enterprise satcom" — a virtualized, software-defined network that could automatically reroute communications.

The post Pentagon struggles to build unified satellite network  appeared first on SpaceNews.

Where city dwellers see rectangles, people who live in round huts see circles

Learn more about a new study that suggests monitoring the air for certain environmental exposures may help forecast respiratory viruses outbreaks.

What is the Big Crunch theory? This theory is highly debated, but could be what happens when you hit the rewind button of the Big Bang.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested on X that a high-pressure nitrogen tank failure was behind the explosion of the company's massive Starship rocket.

Independent measurements of the charge radius of the helium-3 nucleus using two different  methods have yielded significantly different results – prompting a re-evaluation of underlying theory to reconcile them. The international CREMA Collaboration used muonic helium-3 ions to determine the radius, whereas a team in the Netherlands used a quantum-degenerate gas of helium-3 atoms.

The charge radius is a statistical measure of how far the electric charge of a particle extends into space. Both groups were mystified by the discrepancy in the values – which hints at physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. However, new theoretical calculations inspired by the results may have already resolved the discrepancy.

Both groups studied the difference between the charge radii of the helium-3 and helium-4 nuclei. CREMA used muonic helium ions, in which the remaining electrons replaced by muons. Muons are much more massive than electrons, so they spend more time near the nucleus – and are therefore more sensitive to the charge radius.

Shorter wavelengths

Muonic atoms have spectra at much shorter wavelengths than normal atoms. This affects values such as the Lamb shift. This is the energy difference in the 2S_1/2 and 2P_1/2 atomic states, which are split by interactions with virtual photons and vacuum polarization. This is most intense near the nucleus. More importantly, a muon in an S orbital becomes more sensitive to the finite size of the nucleus.

In 2010, CREMA used the charge radius of muonic hydrogen to conclude that the charge radius of the proton is significantly smaller than the current accepted value. The same procedure was then used with muonic helium-4 ions. Now, CREMA has used pulsed laser spectroscopy of muonic helium-3 ions to extract several key parameters including the Lamb shift and used them to calculate the charge radius of muonic helium-3 nuclei. They then calculated the difference with the charge radius in helium-4. The value they obtained was 15 times more accurate than any previously reported.

Meanwhile, at the Free University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, researchers were taking a different approach, using conventional helium-3 atoms. This has significant challenges, because the effect of the nucleus on electrons is much smaller. However, it also means that an electron affects the nucleus it measures less than does a muon, which mitigates a source of theoretical uncertainty.

The Amsterdam team utilized the fact that the 2S triplet state in helium is extremely long-lived. ”If you manage to get the atom up there, it’s like a new ground state, and that means you can do laser cooling on it and it allows very efficient detection of the atoms,” explains Kjeld Eikema, one of the team’s leaders after its initial leader Wim Vassen died in 2019. In 2018, the Amsterdam group created an ultracold Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) of helium-4 atoms in the 2S triplet state in an optical dipole trap before using laser spectroscopy to measure the ultra-narrow transition between the 2S triplet state and the higher 2S singlet state.

Degenerate Fermi gas

In the new work, the researchers turned to helium-3, which does not form a BEC but instead forms a degenerate Fermi gas. Interpreting the spectra of this required new discoveries itself. “Current theoretical models are insufficiently accurate to determine the charge radii from measurements on two-electron atoms,” Eikema explains. However, “the nice thing is that if you measure the transition directly in one isotope and then look at the difference with the other isotope, then most complications from the two electrons are common mode and drop out,” he says. This can be used to the determine the difference in the charge radii.

The researchers obtained a value that was even more precise than CREMA’s and larger by 3.6σ. The groups could find no obvious explanation for the discrepancy. “The scope of the physics involved in doing and interpreting these experiments is quite massive,” says Eikema; “a comparison is so interesting, because you can say ‘Well, is all this physics correct then? Are electrons and muons the same aside from their mass? Did we do the quantum electrodynamics correct for both normal atoms and muonic atoms? Did we do the nuclear polarization correctly?’” The results of both teams are described in Science (CREMA, Amsterdam).

While these papers were undergoing peer review, the work attracted the attention of two groups of theoretical physicists – one led by Xiao-Qiu Qi f the Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics in China, and the other by Krzysztof Pachucki of the University of Warsaw in Poland. Both revised the calculation of the hyperfine structure of helium-3, finding that incorporating previously neglected higher orders into the calculation produced an unexpectedly large shift.

“Suddenly, by plugging this new value into our experiment – ping! – our determination comes within 1.2σ of theirs,” says Eikema; “which is a triumph for all the physics involved, and it shows how, by showing there’s a difference, other people think, ‘Maybe we should go and check our calculations,’ and it has improved the calculation of the hyperfine effect.” In this manner the ever improving experiments and theory calculations continue to seek the limits of the Standard Model.

Xiao-Qiu Qi and colleagues describe their calculations in Physical Review Research, while Pachucki’s team have published in Physical Review A.

Eikema adds “Personally I would have adjusted the value in our paper according to these new calculations, but Science preferred to keep the paper as it was at the time of submission and peer review, with an added final paragraph to explain the latest developments.”

Theoretical physicist Marko Horbatsch at Canada’s York University is impressed by the experimental results and bemused by the presentation. “I would say that their final answer is a great success,” he concludes. “There is validity in having the CREMA and Eikema work published side-by-side in a high-impact journal. It’s just that the fact that they agree should not be confined to a final sentence at the end of the paper.”

The post Conflicting measurements of helium’s charge radius may be reconciled by new calculations appeared first on Physics World.

Computational physicist Jose Milovich of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and colleagues have been awarded the 2025 Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) Outstanding Paper Prize for their computational research on capsule implosions during laser fusion.

The work – Understanding asymmetries using integrated simulations of capsule implosions in low gas-fill hohlraums at the National Ignition Facility – is an important part of understanding the physics at the heart of inertial confinement fusion (ICF).

Fusion is usually performed via two types of plasma confinement. Magnetic involves using magnetic fields to hold stable a plasma of deuterium-tritium (D-T), while inertial confinement uses rapid compression, usually by lasers, to create a confined plasma for a short period of time.

The award-winning work was based on experiments carried out at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) based in California, which is one of the leading fusion centres in the world.

During NIF’s ICF experiments, a slight imbalance of the laser can induce motion of the hot central core of an ignition capsule, which contains the D-T fuel. This effect results in a reduced performance.

Experiments at NIF in 2018 found that laser imbalances alone, however, could not account for the motion of the capsule. The simulations carried out by Milovich and colleagues demonstrated that other factors were at play such as non-concentricity of the layers of the material surrounding the D-T fuel as well as “drive perturbations” induced by diagnostic windows on the implosion.

Changes made following the team’s findings then helped towards the recent demonstration of “energy breakeven” at NIF in December 2022.

Awarded each year, the PPCF prize aims to highlight work of the highest quality and impact published in the journal.  The award was judged on originality, scientific quality and impact as well as being based on community nominations and publication metrics. The prize will be presented at the 51st European Physical Society Conference on Plasma Physics in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 7–11 July.

The journal is now seeking nominations for next year’s prize, which will focus on papers in magnetic confinement fusion.

Below, Milovich talks to Physics World about prize, the future of fusion and what advice he has for early-career researchers.

What does winning the 2025 PPCF Outstanding Paper Prize mean to you and for your work?

The award is an incredible honour to me and my collaborators as a recognition of the detailed work required to make inertial fusion in the laboratory a reality and the dream of commercial fusion energy a possibility. The paper presented numerical confirmation of how seemingly small effects can significantly impact the performance of fusion targets.  This study led to target modifications and revised manufacturing specifications for improved performance.  My collaborators and I would like to deeply thank PPCF for granting us this award.

What excites you about fusion?

Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the stars, and achieving those conditions in the laboratory is exciting in many ways.  It is an interesting scientific problem in its own right and it is an incredibly challenging engineering problem to handle the extreme conditions required for successful energy production. This is an exciting time since the possibility of realizing this energy source became tangibly closer two years ago when NIF successfully demonstrated that more energy can be released from D-T fusion than the laser energy delivered to the target.

What are your thoughts on the future direction of ICF and NIF?

While the challenges ahead to make ICF commercially feasible are daunting, we are well positioned to address them by developing new technologies and innovative target configurations. Applications of artificial intelligence to reactor plant designs, optimized operations, and improvements on plasma confinement could potentially lead to improved designs at a fraction of the cost. The challenges are many but the potential for providing a clean and inexhaustible source of energy for the benefit of mankind is invigorating.

What advice would you give to people thinking about embarking on a career in fusion?

This is an exciting time to get involved in fusion. The latest achievements at NIF have shown that fusion is possible. There are countless difficulties to overcome, making it an ideal time to devote one’s career in this area. My advice is to get involved now since, at this early stage, any contribution will have a major and lasting impact on mankind’s future energy needs.

The post Simulation of capsule implosions during laser fusion wins <em>Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion</em> Outstanding Paper Prize appeared first on Physics World.

Developing lenacapavir, the drug newly approved to protect against HIV for six months in one shot, took basic science, sophisticated chemistry, and perseverance

The world recently watched an argument unfold on X between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. It was a surreal exchange, featuring one of the richest men ever to have lived […]

The post Trump’s dispute with Musk shows the danger of private monopolies in space appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency has signed an agreement regarding potential use of Orbital Reef as it refines its strategy for use of commercial space stations.

The post ESA signs agreement for potential use of Orbital Reef appeared first on SpaceNews.

Clinical trials have shown that six-monthly injections of lenacapavir are almost 100 percent protective against becoming infected with HIV. But big questions remain over the drug’s affordability.

Chinese launch startup Landspace carried out a breakthrough static fire test Friday as it builds towards an orbital launch attempt with its Zhuque-3 rocket.

The post Landspace performs 9-engine static fire test for reusable Zhuque-3 rocket  appeared first on SpaceNews.

The European Space Agency and European Commission say their relationship is closer than ever as they embark on a new satellite program.

The post ESA and EU emphasize good relationship as they press forward on imaging constellation appeared first on SpaceNews.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to generate a sea change in the practice of radiology, much like the introduction of radiology information system (RIS) and picture archiving and communication system (PACS) technology did in the late 1990s and 2000s. However, AI-driven software must be accurate, safe and trustworthy, factors that may not be easy to assess.

Machine learning software is trained on databases of radiology images. But these images might lack the data or procedures needed to prevent algorithmic bias. Such algorithmic bias can cause clinical errors and performance disparities that affect a subset of the analyses that the AI performs, unintentionally disadvantaging certain groups of patients.

A multinational team of radiology informaticists, biomedical engineers and computer scientists has identified potential pitfalls in the evaluation and measurement of algorithmic bias in AI radiology models. Describing their findings in Radiology, the researchers also suggest best practices and future directions to mitigate bias in three key areas: medical image datasets; demographic definitions; and statistical evaluations of bias.

Medical imaging datasets

The medical image datasets used for training and evaluation of AI algorithms are reflective of the population from which they are acquired. It is natural that a dataset acquired in a country in Asia will not be representative of the population in a Nordic country, for example. But if there’s no information available about the image acquisition location, how might this potential source of bias be determined?

Lead author Paul Yi, of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, and coauthors advise that many existing medical imaging databases lack a comprehensive set of demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, gender, race and ethnicity. Additional potential confounding factors include the scanner brand and model, the radiology protocols used for image acquisition, radiographic views acquired, the hospital location and disease prevalence. In addition to incorporating these data, the authors recommend that raw image data are collected and shared without institution-specific post-processing.

The team advise that generative AI, a set of machine learning techniques that generate new data, provides the potential to create synthetic imaging datasets with more balanced representation of both demographic and confounding variables. This technology is still in development, but might provide a solution to overcome pitfalls related to measurement of AI biases in imperfect datasets.

Defining demographics

Radiology researchers lack consensus with respect to how demographic variables should be defined. Observing that demographic categories such as gender and race are self-identified characteristics informed by many factors, including society and lived experiences, the authors advise that concepts of race and ethnicity do not necessarily translate outside of a specific society and that biracial individuals reflect additional complexity and ambiguity.

They emphasize that ensuring accurate measurements of race- and/or ethnicity-based biases in AI models is important to enable accurate comparison of bias evaluations. This not only has clinical implications, but is also essential to prevent health policies being established in error from erroneous AI-derived findings, which could potentially perpetuate pre-existing inequities.

Statistical evaluations of bias

The researchers define bias in the context of demographic fairness and how it reflects differences in metrics between demographic groups. However, establishing consensus on the definition of bias is complex, because bias can have different clinical and technical meanings. They point out that in statistics, bias refers to a discrepancy between the expected value of an estimated parameter and its true value.

As such, the radiology speciality needs to establish a standard notion of bias, as well as tackle the incompatibility of fairness metrics, the tools that measure whether a machine learning model treats certain demographic groups differently. Currently there is no universal fairness metric that can be applied to all cases and problems, and the authors do not think there ever will be one.

The different operating points of predictive AI models may result in different performance that could lead to potentially different demographic biases. These need to be documented, and thresholds should be included in research and by commercial AI software vendors.

Key recommendations

The authors suggest some key courses of action to mitigate demographic biases in AI in radiology:

• Improve reporting of demographics by establishing a consensus panel to define and update reporting standards.
• Improve dataset reporting of non-demographic factors, such as imaging scanner vendor and model.
• Develop a standard lexicon of terminology for concepts of fairness and AI bias concepts in radiology.
• Develop standardized statistical analysis frameworks for evaluating demographic bias of AI algorithms based on clinical contexts
• Require greater demographic detail to evaluate algorithmic fairness in scientific manuscripts relating to AI models.

Yi and co-lead collaborator Jeremias Sulam, of Hopkins BME, Whiting School of Engineering, tell Physics World that their assessment of pitfalls and recommendations to mitigate demographic biases reflect years of multidisciplinary discussion. “While both the clinical and computer science literature had been discussing algorithmic bias with great enthusiasm, we learned quickly that the statistical notions of algorithmic bias and fairness were often quite different between the two fields,” says Yi.

“We noticed that progress to minimize demographic biases in AI models is often hindered by a lack of effective communication between the computer science and statistics communities and the clinical world, radiology in particular,” adds Sulam.

A collective effort to address the challenges posed by bias and fairness is important, notes Melissa Davis of Yale School of Medicine, in an accompanying editorial in Radiology. “By fostering collaboration between clinicians, researchers, regulators and industry stakeholders, the healthcare community can develop robust frameworks that prioritize patient safety and equitable outcomes,” she writes.

The post AI algorithms in radiology: how to identify and prevent inadvertent bias appeared first on Physics World.

Learn how a sperm whale tooth traveled from sea to archaeological site over 4,000 years ago.

Learn more about lenacapavir, the most effective HIV treatment and prevention drug, and how its cost could cause a setback.

Learn how an oily substance found in earwax has become a critical resource to detect Parkinson's disease.

France would more than double its stake in Eutelsat to nearly 30% as part of a $1.56 billion capital raise backed by multiple shareholders, bolstering the French operator’s plans to refresh its OneWeb constellation amid Starlink’s growing dominance.

The post French government to lead Eutelsat’s $1.56 billion capital boost appeared first on SpaceNews.

A key chemical in urine can help make a high-value mineral for use in medicine, construction, and more — cheaply and efficiently.

Gilbert, AZ – Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B), a worldwide designer, manufacturer and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems, is now accepting orders […]

The post Moog Now Accepting Orders for Software Development Units for New High-Speed Space Computers appeared first on SpaceNews.

Learn about a new study that confirms the 146,000-year-old Harbin skull belonged to a member of the Denisovan lineage.

Genetic mutations more than 20 million years ago helped birds tolerate the tart and broaden their diets

Injections of mRNA may offer a simpler, cheaper way to build powerful CAR-T cells

Portal Space Systems will create a second factory to scale up production of high-performance in-space vehicles as it gears up for initial test flights in 2026.

The post Portal Space Systems to build larger factory for Supernova vehicle appeared first on SpaceNews.

In this week's episode of Space Minds, we explore how microgravity accelerates aging—and guest Dr. Nadia Maroouf shares her insights on the phenomenon and what she’s doing to help protect astronauts.

The post The ultimate backup drive: the moon appeared first on SpaceNews.

Robert Malone, a mainstay in conspiratorial circles, and Martin Kulldorff, a coauthor of the widely criticized Great Barrington Declaration, are two of the most concerning picks.

Last week, Physics World’s Matin Durrani boarded a ferry in Hamburg that was bound for Helgoland – an archipelago in the North Sea about 70 km off the north-west coast of Germany.

It was a century ago in Helgoland that the physicist Werner Heisenberg devised the mathematical framework that underpins our understanding of quantum physics.

Matin was there with some of the world’s leading quantum physicists for the conference Helgoland 2025: 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics – which celebrated Heisenberg’s brief stay in Helgoland.

He caught up with three eminent physicists and asked them to reflect on Heisenberg’s contributions to quantum mechanics and look forward to the next 100 years of quantum science and technology. They are Tracy Northup at the University of Vienna; Michelle Simmons of the University of New South Wales, Sydney; and Peter Zoller of the University of Innsbruck.

• Don’t miss the 2025 Physics World Quantum Briefing, which is free to read via this link.

The post Helgoland: leading scientists reflect on 100 years of quantum physics and look to the future appeared first on Physics World.

Last week, I looked at the faces of our guests at our moon landing event and watched as awe, wonder and hopefulness transformed into disappointment. Moments before the expected touch […]

The post After Resilience’s moon landing attempt, why openness is key to the lunar economy appeared first on SpaceNews.

A growing body of research attempts to put a number on energy use and AI—even as the companies behind the most popular models keep their carbon emissions a secret.

Laser World of Photonics, the leading trade show for the laser and photonics industry, takes place in Munich from 24 to 27 June. Attracting visitors and exhibitors from around the world, the event features 11 exhibition areas covering the entire spectrum of photonic technologies – including illumination and energy, biophotonics, data transmission, integrated photonics, laser systems, optoelectronics, sensors and much more.

Running parallel and co-located with Laser World of Photonics is World of Quantum, the world’s largest trade fair for quantum technologies. Showcasing all aspects of quantum technologies – from quantum sensors and quantum computers to quantum communications and cryptography – the event provides a platform to present innovative quantum-based products and discuss potential applications.

Finally, the World of Photonics Congress (running from 22 to 27 June) features seven specialist conferences, over 3000 lectures and around 6700 experts from scientific and industrial research.

The event is expecting to attract around 40,000 visitors from 70 countries, with the trade shows incorporating 1300 exhibitors from 40 countries. Here are some of the companies and product innovations to look out for on the show floor.

HOLOEYE unveils compact 4K resolution spatial light modulator

HOLOEYE Photonics AG, a leading provider of spatial light modulator (SLM) devices, announces the release of the GAEA-C spatial light modulator, a compact version of the company’s high-resolution SLM series. The GAEA-C will be officially launched at Laser World of Photonics, showcasing its advanced capabilities and cost-effective design.

The GAEA-C is a phase-only SLM with a 4K resolution of 4094 x 2400 pixels, with an exceptionally small pixel pitch of 3.74 µm. This compact model is equipped with a newly developed driver solution that not only reduces costs but also enhances phase stability, making it ideal for a variety of applications requiring precise light modulation.

The GAEA-C SLM features a reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display (phase only). Other parameters include a fill factor of 90%, an input frame rate of 30 Hz and a maximum spatial resolution of 133.5 lp/mm.

The GAEA-C is available in three versions, each optimized for a different wavelength range: a VIS version (420–650 nm), a NIR version (650–1100 nm) and a version tailored for the telecommunications waveband around 1550 nm. This versatility ensures that the GAEA-C can meet the diverse needs of industries ranging from telecoms to scientific research.

HOLOEYE continues to lead the market with its innovative SLM solutions, providing unparalleled resolution and performance. The introduction of the GAEA-C underscores HOLOEYE’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology that meets the evolving demands of its customers.

• For more information about the GAEA-C and other SLM products, visit HOLOEYE at booth #225 in Hall A2.

Avantes launches NIR Enhanced spectrometers

At this year’s Laser World of Photonics, Avantes unveils its newest generation of spectrometers: the NEXOS NIR Enhanced and VARIUS NIR Enhanced. Both instruments mark a significant leap in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, offering up to 2x improved sensitivity and unprecedented data quality for integration into both research and industry applications.

Compact, robust and highly modular, the NEXOS NIR Enhanced spectrometer redefines performance in a small form factor. It features enhanced NIR quantum efficiency in the 700–1100 nm range, with up to 2x increased sensitivity, fast data transfer and improved signal-to-noise ratio. The USB-powered spectrometer is designed with a minimal footprint of just 105 x 80 x 20 mm and built using AvaMation production for top-tier reproducibility and scalability. It also offers seamless integration with third-party software platforms.

The NEXOS NIR Enhanced is ideal for food sorting, Raman applications and VCSEL/laser system integration, providing research-grade performance in a compact housing. See the NEXOS NIR Enhanced product page for further information.

Designed for flexibility and demanding industrial environments, the VARIUS NIR Enhanced spectrometer introduces a patented optical bench for supreme accuracy, with replaceable slits for versatile configurations. The spectrometer offers a dual interface – USB 3.0 and Gigabit Ethernet – plus superior stray light suppression, high dynamic range and enhanced NIR sensitivity in the 700–1100 nm region.

With its rugged form factor (183 x 130 x 45.2 mm) and semi-automated production process, the VARIUS NIR is optimized for real-time applications, ensuring fast data throughput and exceptional reliability across industries. For further information, see the VARIUS NIR Enhanced product page.

Avantes invites visitors to experience both systems live at Laser World of Photonics 2025. Meet the team for hands-on demonstrations, product insights and expert consultations. Avantes offers free feasibility studies and tailored advice to help you identify the optimal solution for your spectroscopy challenges.

• For more information, visit www.avantes.com or meet Avantes at booth #218 in Hall A3.

HydraHarp 500: a new era in time-correlated single-photon counting

Laser World of Photonics sees PicoQuant introduce its newest generation of event timer and time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) unit – the HydraHarp 500. Setting a new standard in speed, precision and flexibility, the TCSPC unit is freely scalable with up to 16 independent channels and a common sync channel, which can also serve as an additional detection channel if no sync is required.

At the core of the HydraHarp 500 is its outstanding timing precision and accuracy, enabling precise photon timing measurements at exceptionally high data rates, even in demanding applications.

In addition to the scalable channel configuration, the HydraHarp 500 offers flexible trigger options to support a wide range of detectors, from single-photon avalanche diodes to superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors. Seamless integration is ensured through versatile interfaces such as USB 3.0 or an external FPGA interface for data transfer, while White Rabbit synchronization allows precise cross-device coordination for distributed setups.

The HydraHarp 500 is engineered for high-throughput applications, making it ideal for rapid, large-volume data acquisition. It offers 16+1 fully independent channels for true simultaneous multi-channel data recording and efficient data transfer via USB or the dedicated FPGA interface. Additionally, the HydraHarp 500 boasts industry-leading, extremely low dead-time per channel and no dead-time across channels, ensuring comprehensive datasets for precise statistical analysis.

The HydraHarp 500 is fully compatible with UniHarp, a sleek, powerful and intuitive graphical user interface. UniHarp revolutionizes the interaction with PicoQuant’s TCSPC and time tagging electronics, offering seamless access to advanced measurement modes like time trace, histogram, unfold, raw and correlation (including FCS and g²).

Step into the future of photonics and quantum research with the HydraHarp 500. Whether it’s achieving precise photon correlation measurements, ensuring reproducible results or integrating advanced setups, the HydraHarp 500 redefines what’s possible – offering precision, flexibility and efficiency combined with reliability and seamless integration to achieve breakthrough results.

For more information, visit www.picoquant.com or contact us at info@picoquant.com.

• Meet PicoQuant at booth #216 in Hall B2.

SmarAct showcases integrated, high-precision technologies

With a strong focus on turnkey, application-specific solutions, SmarAct offers nanometre-precise motion systems, measurement equipment and scalable micro-assembly platforms for photonics, quantum technologies, semiconductor manufacturing and materials research – whether in research laboratories or high-throughput production environments.

At Laser World of Photonics, SmarAct presents a new modular multi-axis positioning system for quantum computing applications and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) testing. The compact system is made entirely from titanium and features a central XY stage with integrated rotation, flanked by two XYZ modules – one equipped with a tip-tilt goniometer.

For cryogenic applications, the system can be equipped with cold plates and copper braids to provide a highly stable temperature environment, even at millikelvin levels. Thanks to its modularity, the platform can be reconfigured for tasks such as low-temperature scanning or NV centre characterization. When combined with SmarAct’s interferometric sensors, the system delivers unmatched accuracy and long-term stability under extreme conditions.

Also debuting is the SGF series of flexure-based goniometers – compact, zero-backlash rotation stages developed in collaboration with the University of Twente. Constructed entirely from non-ferromagnetic materials, the goniometers are ideal for quantum optics, electron and ion beam systems. Their precision has been validated in a research paper presented at EUSPEN 2023.

Targeting the evolving semiconductor and photonics markets, SmarAct’s optical assembly platforms enable nanometre-accurate alignment and integration of optical components. At their core is a modular high-performance toolkit for application-specific configurations, with the new SmarAct robot control software serving as the digital backbone. Key components include SMARPOD parallel kinematic platforms, long-travel SMARSHIFT electromagnetic linear stages and ultraprecise microgrippers – all seamlessly integrated to perform complex optical alignment tasks with maximum efficiency.

Highlights at Laser World of Photonics include a gantry-based assembly system developed for the active alignment of beam splitters and ferrules, and a compact, fully automated fibre array assembly system designed for multicore and polarization-maintaining fibres. Also on display are modular probing systems for fast, accurate and reliable alignment of fibres and optical elements – providing the positioning precision required for chip- and wafer-level testing of PICs prior to packaging. Finally, the microassembly platform P50 from SmarAct Automation offers a turnkey solution for automating critical micro-assembly tasks such as handling, alignment and joining of tiny components.

Whether you’re working on photonic chip packaging, quantum instrumentation, miniaturized medical systems or advanced semiconductor metrology, SmarAct invites researchers, engineers and decision-makers to experience next-generation positioning, automation and metrology solutions live in Munich.

• Visit SmarAct at booth #107 in Hall B2.

 

The post Laser World of Photonics showcases cutting-edge optical innovation appeared first on Physics World.

Thanks to new experiments using the DIPOLE 100-X high-performance laser at the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), an international collaboration of physicists has obtained the first detailed view of the microstructure of carbon in its liquid state. The work will help refine models of liquid carbon, enabling important insights into the role that it plays in the interior of ice giant planets like Uranus and Neptune, where liquid carbon exists in abundance. It could also inform the choice of ablator materials in future technologies such as nuclear fusion.

Carbon is the one of the most abundant elements on Earth and indeed the universe, but we still know very little about how it behaves in its liquid state. This is because producing liquid carbon is extremely difficult: at ambient pressures it sublimes rather than melts; and the liquid phase requires pressures of at least several hundred atmospheres to form. What is more, carbon boasts the highest melting temperature (of roughly 4500 °C) of all known materials under these high-pressure conditions, which means that there is no substance that can contain it for long enough to be studied and characterized.

In situ probing laser compression technique

There is an alternative, though, which involves using X-ray free electron laser pulses – such as those produced at the European XFEL – to transform solid carbon into a liquid for a few nanoseconds. The next challenge is to make measurements during this very short period of time. But this is exactly what a team led by Dominik Kraus of the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has succeeded in doing.

In their work, Kraus and colleagues transiently created liquid carbon by driving strong compression waves into solid carbon samples using the pulsed high-energy laser DIPOLE 100-X, which is a new experimental platform at the European XFEL. In this way, the researchers were able to achieve pressures exceeding one million atmospheres, with the compression waves simultaneously heating the samples to around 7000 K to form liquid carbon. They then obtained in situ snapshots of the structure using ultrabright X-ray pulses at the European XFEL that lasted just 25 fs – that is, about 100,000 times shorter than the already very short lifetime of the liquid carbon samples.

Relevance to planetary interiors and inertial fusion

Studying liquid carbon is important for modelling the interior of planets such as the ice giants Neptune and Uranus, as well as the atmosphere of white dwarfs, in which it also exists, explains Kraus. The insights gleaned from the team’s experiments will help to clarify the role that liquid carbon plays in the ice giants and perhaps even comparable carbon-rich exoplanets.

Liquid carbon also forms as a transient state during some technical processes, like in the synthesis of carbon-based materials such as carbon nanotubes, nanodiamonds or “Q-carbon”, and may be key for the synthesis of new carbon materials, such as the long sought after (but still only predicted) “BC-8” structure. The team’s findings could also help inform the choice of materials for inertial fusion implosions aiming for clean and reliable energy production, where carbon is used as an ablator material.

“Because of its relevance in these areas, I had already tried to study liquid carbon during my doctoral work more than 10 years ago,” Kraus says. “Without an XFEL for characterization, I could only obtain a tiny hint of the liquid structure of carbon (and with large error bars) and was barely able to refine any existing models.”

Until now, however, this work was considered as being the best attempt to characterize the structure of liquid carbon at Mbar pressures, he tells Physics World. “Using the XFEL as a characterization tool and the subsequent analysis was incredibly simple in comparison to all the previous work and, in the end, the most important challenge was to get the European XFEL facility ready – something that I had already discussed more than 10 years ago too when the first plans were being made for studying matter under extreme conditions at such an installation.”

The results of the new study, which is detailed in Nature, prove that simple models cannot describe the liquid state of carbon very well, and that sophisticated atomistic simulations are required for predicting processes involving this material, he says.

Looking forward, the Rostock University and HZDR researchers now plan to extend their methodology to the liquid states of various other materials. “In particular, we will study mixtures of light elements that may exist in planetary interiors and the resulting chemistry at extreme conditions,” reveals Kraus. “This work may also be interesting for forming doped nanodiamonds or other phases with potential technological applications.”

The post Liquid carbon reveals its secrets appeared first on Physics World.

A SpaceX Starship upper stage being prepared for the company’s next flight exploded June 19 during preparations for a static-fire test.

The post Starship destroyed in test stand explosion appeared first on SpaceNews.

The nomination, submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee, elevates Guetlein from his current role as vice chief of space operations

The post Trump officially nominates Space Force Gen. Guetlein to lead ‘Golden Dome’ appeared first on SpaceNews.

Learn more about the tendency to anthropomorphize animals, which is a more common tendency in some people than in others, in part thanks to these potentially conservation-aiding traits.

Learn how ancient dogs followed the earliest farmers in Central and South America, and find out why their original lineage is nearly gone today.

Firefly Aerospace says it plans to offer a commercial lunar imaging service for use by governments and companies, one that could supplement or replace an existing, but aging, NASA orbiter.

The post Firefly announces commercial lunar imagery service appeared first on SpaceNews.

Local regulators have approved Ukrainian telco Kyivstar’s plans to start testing space-enabled texting services this summer using SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, targeting areas crippled by Russian strikes and other terrestrial coverage gaps.

The post Regulators clear Starlink-enabled texting trial in war-torn Ukraine appeared first on SpaceNews.

What is the handfish? Discover the handfish, a tiny fish with finger-like fins that’s critically endangered and needs our help.

President Donald Trump has supported use of asbestos in the past and blamed the mob for its bad reputation.

Learn about a new study that confirms ancient footprints in New Mexico are over 21,000 years old, rewriting the history of the Americas.

At long last, scientists have a nearly complete cranium from hominins known as Denisovans

Realignment of major program units aims to improve efficiency and make up for loss of federal contracts

Following criticism for all-male winners in the past, women earned two of the three Frontiers Planet Prizes this year

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory will build an unprecedented map of the universe—and discover billions of fast-changing objects

Morning agency email indicating resumption of hundreds of millions in grants is quickly undone

FDA’s approval of lenacapavir comes at a time when global health cuts could stall its rollout

A new solid-state laser can make a vast number of precise optical measurements each second, while sweeping across a broad range of optical wavelengths. Created by a team led by Qiang Lin at the University of Rochester in the US, the device can be fully integrated onto a single chip.

Optical metrology is a highly versatile technique that uses light to gather information about the physical properties of target objects. It involves illuminating a sample and measuring the results with great precision – using techniques such as interferometry and spectroscopy. In the 1960s, the introduction of lasers and the coherent light they emit boosted the technique to an unprecedented level of precision. This paved the way for advances ranging from optical clocks, to the detection of gravitational waves.

Yet despite the indispensable role they have played so far, lasers have also created a difficult challenge. To ensure the best possible precision, experimentalists much achieve very tight control over the wavelength, phase, polarization and other properties of the laser light. This is very difficult to do within the tiny solid-state laser diodes that are very useful in metrology.

Currently, the light from laser diodes is improved externally using optical modules. This added infrastructure is inherently bulky and it remains difficult to integrate the entire setup onto chip-scale components – which limits the development of small, fast lasers for metrology.

Two innovations

Lin and colleagues addressed this challenge by designing a new laser with two key components. One is a laser cavity that comprises a thin film of lithium niobate. Thanks to the Pockels effect, this material’s refractive index can vary depending on the strength of an applied electric field. This provides control over the wavelength of the light amplified by the cavity.

The other component is a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), which is a structure containing periodic grooves that create alternating regions of refractive index. With the right spacing of these grooves, a DBR can strongly reflect light at a single, narrow linewidth, while scattering all other wavelengths. In previous studies, lasers were created by etching a DBR directly onto a lithium niobate film – but due to the material’s optical properties, this resulted in a broad linewidth.

“Instead, we developed an ‘extended DBR’ structure, where the Bragg grating is defined in a silica cladding,” explains team member Mingxiao Li at the University of California Santa Barbara. “This allowed for flexible control over the grating strength, via the thickness and etch depth of the cladding. It also leverages silica’s superior etchability to achieve low scattering strength, which is essential for narrow linewidth operation.”

Using a system of integrated electrodes, Lin’s team can adjust the strength of the electric field they applied to the lithium niobate film. This allows them to rapidly tune the wavelengths amplified by the cavity via the Pockels effect. In addition, they used a specially designed waveguide to control the phase of light passing into the cavity. This design enabled them to tune their laser over a broad range of wavelengths, without needing external correction modules to achieve narrow linewidths.

Narrowband performance

Altogether, the laser demonstrated an outstanding performance on a single chip – producing a clean, single wavelength with very little noise. Most importantly, the light had a linewidth of just 167 Hz – the smallest range achieved to date for a single-chip lithium niobate laser. This exceptional performance enabled the laser to rapidly sweep across a bandwidth of over 10 GHz – equivalent to scanning quintillions of points per second.

“These capabilities translated directly into successful applications,” Li describes. “The laser served as the core light source in a high-speed LIDAR system, measuring the velocity of a target 0.4 m away with better than 2 cm distance resolution. The system supports a velocity measurement as high as Earth’s orbital velocity – around 7.91 km/s – at 1 m.” Furthermore, Lin’s team were able to lock their laser’s frequency with a reference gas cell, integrated directly onto the same chip.

By eliminating the need for bulky control modules, the team’s design could now pave the way for the full miniaturization of optical metrology – with immediate benefits for technologies including optical clocks, quantum computers, self-driving vehicles, and many others.

“Beyond these, the laser’s core advantages – exceptional coherence, multifunctional control, and scalable fabrication – position it as a versatile platform for transformative advances in high-speed communications, ultra-precise frequency generation, and microwave photonics,” Lin says.

The new laser is described in Light: Science & Applications.

The post Tiny laser delivers high-quality, narrowband light for metrology appeared first on Physics World.

Among the biggest of its kind, this fossil find is helping scientists trace how today’s diverse species are connected.

In United States v. Skrmetti, the Supreme Court ruled that Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors was not unconstitutional—the first case of its kind on which the court has ruled.

Bogong moths fly 1000 kilometers orienting to stars and the Milky Way, an ability never seen before in invertebrates

A Science analysis of canceled and curtailed federal grants reveals hits to research, collections, and training

The company secured a Federal Aviation Administration five-year reentry license that allows unlimited landings in Australia

The post Varda to launch its first in-house built spacecraft for on-orbit manufacturing appeared first on SpaceNews.

In 1962, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What saved us wasn’t just luck — it was the hotline hastily established between […]

The post Learning from the past: How history can guide space and cyber rules today appeared first on SpaceNews.

Array Labs, based in Palo Alto, California, is developing a 3D radar imaging constellation designed to operate in clusters

The post Maxar partners with Array Labs to expand 3D imaging technology appeared first on SpaceNews.

Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have created a thousand colour image of the nearby Sculptor Galaxy.

First discovered by Carloine Herschel in 1783 the spiral galaxy lies 11 million light-years away and is one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.

While conventional images contain only a handful of colours, this new map contains thousands, which helps astronomers to understand the age, composition and motion of the stars, gas and dust within it.

To create the image, researchers observed the galaxy for over 50 hours with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument on the VLT, which is based at the Paranal Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

The team then stitched together over 100 exposures to cover an area of the galaxy about 65 000 light-years wide.

The image revealed around 500 planetary nebulae – regions of gas and dust cast off from dying Sun-like stars – that can be used as distance markers to their host galaxies.

“Galaxies are incredibly complex systems that we are still struggling to understand,” notes astronomer Enrico Congiu, lead author of the study. “The Sculptor Galaxy is in a sweet spot – it is close enough that we can resolve its internal structure and study its building blocks with incredible detail, but at the same time, big enough that we can still see it as a whole system.”

Future work will involve understanding how gas flows, changes its composition, and forms stars in the galaxy.  “How such small processes can have such a big impact on a galaxy whose entire size is thousands of times bigger is still a mystery,” adds Congiu.

The post Astronomers capture spectacular ‘thousand colour’ image of the Sculptor Galaxy appeared first on Physics World.

The Shape of Wonder: How Scientists Think, Work and Live
By Alan Lightman and Martin Rees

In their delightful new book, cosmologist Martin Rees and physicist and science writer Alan Lightman seek to provide “an honest picture of scientists as people and how they work and think”. The Shape of Wonder does this by exploring the nature of science, examining the role of critical thinking, and looking at how scientific theories are created and revised as new evidence emerges. It also includes profiles of individual scientists, ranging from historical Nobel-prize winners such as physicist Werner Heisenberg and biologist Barbara McClintock, to rising stars like CERN theorist Dorota Grabowska. Matin Durrani

• 2025 Pantheon Books

Our Accidental Universe: Stories of Discovery from Asteroids to Aliens
By Chris Lintott

TV presenter and physics professor Chris Lintott brings all his charm and wit to his new book Our Accidental Universe. He looks at astronomy through the lens of the human errors and accidents that lead to new knowledge. It’s a loose theme that allows him to skip from the search for alien life to pulsars and the Hubble Space Telescope. Lintott has visited many of the facilities he discusses, and spoken to many people working in these areas, adding a personal touch to his stated aim of elucidating how science really gets done. Kate Gardner

• 2024 Penguin

Science is Lit: Awesome Electricity and Mad Magnets
By Big Manny (Emanuel Wallace)

Want to feed your child’s curiosity about how things work (and don’t mind creating a mini lab in your house)? Take a look at Awesome Electricity and Mad Magnets, the second in the Science is Lit series by Emanuel Wallace – aka TikTok star “Big Manny”. Wallace introduces four key concepts of physics – force, sound, light and electricity – in an enthusiastic and fun way that’s accessible for 8–12 year olds. With instructions for experiments kids can do at home, and a clear explanation of the scientific process, your child can really experience what it’s like to be a scientist. Sarah Tesh

• 2025 Puffin

Space Posters & Paintings: Art About NASA
By Bill Schwartz

Astronomy is the most visually gifted of all the sciences, with endless stunning photographs of our cosmos. But perhaps what sets NASA apart from other space agencies is its art programme, which has existed since 1962. In Space Posters and Paintings: Art about NASA, documentary filmmaker Bill Schwartz has curated a striking collection of nostalgic artworks that paint the history of NASA and its various missions across the solar system and beyond. Particularly captivating are pioneering artist Robert McCall’s paintings of the Gemini and Apollo missions. This large-format coffee book is a perfect purchase for any astronomy buff. Tushna Commissariat

• 2024 ACC Art Books

The post Delving into the scientific mind, astronomy’s happy accidents, lit science experiments at home, the art of NASA: micro reviews of recent books appeared first on Physics World.

Venturi Space, a company working with Astrolab on lunar rover concepts, unveiled an all-European rover design it hopes to offer to European space agencies.

The post Venturi Space announces European lunar rover design appeared first on SpaceNews.

Hundreds of scientists have lost labs, equipment, and specimens

Learn about the link between cannabis use and death from cardiovascular disease, which could change the way we approach the drug in the future.

Three European aerospace companies expect to decide by next month whether to combine their space divisions, something that could still take years to win regulatory approvals.

The post July decision expected on combination of European space companies appeared first on SpaceNews.

A team of researchers have discovered a case of severe osteomyelitis in a Plateosaurus found in Switzerland’s Frick Valley – and you can see it in person.