A Southwest Research Institute-led study modeled the chemistry of TOI-270 d, an exoplanet between Earth and Neptune in size, finding evidence that it could be a giant rocky planet shrouded in a thick, hot atmosphere. TOI-270 d is only 73 light years from Earth and could serve as a “Rosetta Stone” for understanding an entire class of new planets.

First ever supercomputer simulations of Mars with a fully molten core could explain the Red Planet's unusual magnetic field. Billions of years ago, Mars had an active magnetic field. Mysteriously, its imprint is strongest in the southern hemisphere. Research led by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics found that Mars could have produced a one-sided magnetic field with a fully molten core, rather than the traditional, Earth-like solid inner core setup.

Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise detectors are required. Designing them remains a major scientific challenge for humans. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have been working on how an artificial intelligence system could explore an unimaginably vast space of possible designs to find entirely new solutions. The results were recently published in the journal ›Physical Review X‹.

The origin and the central engine of GRBs have long been pending for identification. Now a joint observation by LEIA and GECAM gives new clues.

Artificial intelligence could help monitor and reverse the damage done to marine life – and improve women's healthcare by making it easier to diagnose diseases such as endometriosis – according to researchers from universities in the UK and Australia. 

MXenes are materials with almost miraculous properties: they can be used for electromagnetic shielding, for energy storage or for novel sensors. At TU Wien, it was found that they are also amazingly suitable as solid lubricants, even under the harshest conditions, for example in space technology. The only problem so far has been that producing these MXenes was considered extremely dangerous and toxic. But now a new method has been developed: instead of a toxic acid, electricity is used.

In the harsh environment of space—where microgravity, cosmic radiation, and isolation pose unprecedented health risks—flexible wearable devices have emerged as critical tools. These "smart skins" continuously monitor astronauts' vital signs, revolutionizing space medicine.