A Chinese research team has successfully utilized geostationary satellite communication (632 ms latency) to remotely control robotic surgical systems in Beijing from Lhasa, performing precision liver resection surgeries on two liver cancer patients. Intraoperative robotic arm tracking error remained below 0.5 mm, with both patients discharged within 24 hours postoperatively and no severe complications reported. This study marks the first validation of safety in remote surgery under high-latency satellite conditions, offering a groundbreaking solution for underserved regions, disaster zones, and space medicine.  

Serendipitous discovery of djerfisherite in Ryugu grain challenges current paradigm of the nature of primitive asteroids.

Astronomers have discovered a huge filament of hot gas bridging four galaxy clusters. At 10 times as massive as our galaxy, the thread could contain some of the universe’s ‘missing’ matter, addressing a decades-long mystery.

An international team of researchers including Kavli IPMU has for the first time observed a new class of exotic atomic systems—highly charged muonic ions.

Excitons--bound pairs of electrons and holes created by light--are key to the optoelectronic behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). However, because excitons are confined to extremely small regions and exist for only fleeting moments, it has been extremely challenging to directly observe their behavior using conventional measurement techniques.

In this study, we overcame that challenge by using an ultrafast infrared near-field optical microscope that focuses femtosecond infrared laser pulses down to the nanoscale. This advanced approach allowed us to visualize where excitons are generated and decay inside CNTs in real space and real time.

Our observations revealed that nanoscale variations in the local environment--such as subtle lattice distortions within individual CNTs or interactions with neighboring CNTs--can significantly affect exciton generation and relaxation dynamics.

These insights into local exciton dynamics pave the way for precise control of light-matter interactions at the nanoscale, offering new opportunities for the development of advanced optoelectronic devices and quantum technologies based on carbon nanotube platforms.

SAN ANTONIO — June 18, 2025 — Southwest Research Institute collaborated with Yale University to summarize the scientific community’s notable progress advancing the understanding of the formation and evolution of the inner rocky planets, the so-called terrestrial planets. Their Nature Review journal paper focuses on late accretion’s role in the long-term evolution of terrestrial planets, including their distinct geophysical and chemical properties as well as their potential habitability.