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Space & Planetary

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-May-2026 21:16 ET (28-May-2026 01:16 GMT/UTC)

Listening to the Sun reveals previously hidden changes to solar cycle

University of Birmingham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tiny sound waves inside the Sun unmask evidence of systematic changes in the solar activity cycle over the last 40 years – with implications for predicting space weather.

Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Taking dark energy out of the equation

University of California - Davis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Almost 30 years ago, dark energy was proposed as the force responsible for the accelerating expansion of the universe. But for UC Davis mathematicians, the math didn't add up. Their new study challenges the standard cosmological model of the universe.

Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, American Institute of Mathematics

Omnidirectional, sea-urchin-like robot defies traditional designs

Duke University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Duke University roboticists have introduced a design parameter called dynamic isotropy that measures how uniformly a robot can act in any dimension on space. Using this idea, they have built Argus: a sea anemone-like robot with no front, no back and 20 modular, telescoping legs radiating out from the central core, each tipped with a depth camera.

Journal: Science Robotics
Funder: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Army Research Laboratory

Simulations predict how astronaut team dynamics could impact future Moon base operations

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers have developed a novel virtual model for simulating how astronauts in future Moon base operations might interact with each other and with their environment, with preliminary simulations revealing potential opportunities to boost the chances of a successful mission. Raymond Vera and colleagues at George Mason University in Virginia, USA, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on May 27, 2026.

Journal: PLOS One

New study reveals ‘droplet’ mechanism behind key drug targets

Duke University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A Duke University School of Medicine team found that β‑arrestin proteins, which regulate GPCR activity, can assemble into liquid-like clusters known as condensates both at baseline and near activated receptors. These droplet-like structures act as hubs that organize signaling molecules in space and time.

The CTAO advances towards early science in La Palma as LST collaboration announces inauguration of large-sized telescope sub-array

Cherenkov Telescope Array
Business Announcement

On 26 May 2026, a joint press conference was held in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain) with representatives from the CTAO Central Organisation (CTAO ERIC), the CTAO LST Collaboration, the Cabildo de La Palma, and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) to underscore the CTAO project’s advancement towards groundbreaking science and to announce the upcoming inauguration of the four Large-Sized Telescopes (LSTs) on 15 October 2026 at the CTAO-North site.

Chang'e-5 Regolith studies reveal nanoscale space-weathering processes

Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A collaborative team jointly led by Prof. YIN Zongjun from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), together with Profs. SHEN Bing and ZHOU Jihan from Peking University, has conducted systematic studies of impact-glass particles associated with Chang'e-5 lunar regolith grains.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

California sweep: Monta Vista High School and Sierra Vista Middle School crowned champions at 42nd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament

Science Olympiad, Inc.
Grant and Award Announcement

Student teams from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, and Sierra Vista Middle School in Irvine, California, took top honors at the 42nd Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Southern California on Saturday, May 23, 2026. This is the second time that Monta Vista High School has captured the title and adds a back-to-back championship for Sierra Vista Middle School.

Memory decline after menopause linked to loss of estrogen production in brain tissue

Northwestern University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A largely overlooked space between cells in women’s brains — called the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is highly abundant in the hippocampus — may hold the key to understanding memory loss tied to estrogen decline after menopause, reports a new preclinical Northwestern Medicine study. Scientists have traditionally focused on studying brain cells such as neurons and glial cells and have paid much less attention to the space between the cells. This is the first study to examine estrogen loss in the ECM. The findings provide new insight into how estrogen loss may affect the aging female brain and could help explain why women are at higher risk for AD. These findings suggest a possible new treatment approach focused on restoring the brain’s supportive environment — the ECM — to help protect memory and fight this devastating disease.

Journal: Aging Cell

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