A new study published in Big Earth Data  introduces the University of Bonn Soil Moisture Data Catalog (UB-SMDC), a standards-compliant metadata portal that centralizes information on publicly available soil moisture content (SMC) datasets and provides a unified platform for efficient data discovery, comparison, and access. Built on the GeoNetwork platform and supported by a controlled metadata taxonomy, the catalog analyzes 373 SMC datasets, facilitating transparent research, cross-dataset integration, and a comprehensive understanding of the global soil moisture data landscape.The data and materials supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. All metadata records are cataloged and publicly accessible in the UB-SMDC GeoNetwork data portal (https://ubsmdc.sfb1502.de/).

Stars like our Sun are formed from the gravitational collapse of prestellar cores. However, prestellar cores have strong magnetic fields that need to be weakened for gravitational collapse to take over allowing a star to form. By observing two tracer molecules in a prestellar core, researchers have observed ambipolar diffusion, a velocity discrepancy between ions and neutral particles. This process weakens the magnetic field of the core, which eventually collapses to form a protostar.

Researchers utilized 30 years of Landsat satellite imagery to analyze the color and spectral signatures of Adélie penguin guano across Antarctica, marking the first time space-based observations have captured food-web and population dynamics at a continental scale. The study revealed that global warming and shrinking sea ice are altering penguin diets. Adélie penguins rely more heavily on fish in areas with more sea ice but consume more krill where sea ice has decreased. Diets higher in krill correlate with declining penguin populations, as previous research indicates that penguin chicks fed fish grow larger and have significantly better survival prospects than those fed krill.

An international team led by Juan Diego Soler at the University of Vienna used two of the world's most powerful radio telescopes to uncover previously hidden structures within the Orion Nebula. The project produced the sharpest maps ever made of neutral hydrogen in that region of massive star formation. The findings expose the complex relationship of star-forming regions with their environment and suggest that the Orion Nebula has been shaped by multiple episodes of stellar feedback rather than a single expanding bubble. The study has currently been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

An EU research project involving Graz University of Technology has analysed CO₂ emissions of the European building stock over its entire life cycle and identified ways to reduce them.

Nagoya University researchers have developed gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) nanosheets that may enhance camera-resolution in compact devices such as smartphones and medical endoscopes. These nanosheets enable a single pixel to detect the intensity of red, green, and blue (RGB) light while remaining nearly transparent, unlike conventional optical sensors. They are ultrathin, lightweight, and can withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius, making them suitable for extreme environments such as space hardware and automotive systems.

Sub-Neptunes are among the most common type of close-in planets found in our Galaxy, yet their bulk composition remains largely uncertain; H-rich envelopes overlaying rocky cores, volatile-rich planets, and carbon-rich interiors all remain viable configurations for members of this population. Atmospheric characterization has been proposed as a means of distinguishing between these scenarios, but growing evidence suggests that sub-Neptunes may host molten atmosphere–mantle interfaces that could alter the composition of their atmosphere

Researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center have demonstrated a new approach to wave amplification through interaction with rotating bodies. Rather than mechanically rotating matter, however, the team engineered a radio-frequency device with properties modulated in space and time to mimic spinning.