Science

WASHINGTON — Mynaric has hired an experienced executive from the optical communications and semiconductor industries as its new president, charged with overseeing production of its laser communications systems. Mynaric announced Aug. 18 that it named Mustafa Veziroglu as its new president. Veziroglu was previously chief operating officer for communications and sensing at SA Photonics and

In a bitterly cold bath of seawater, between the turquoise arms of a distant Greenland iceberg, researchers have caught an Arctic fish with a body highly resistant to freezing temperatures. Off the coast of East Greenland, where this juvenile fish was caught, ocean currents regularly dip below 0 degrees Celsius. These frigid temperatures are enough

Scientists have confirmed that last year, for the first time in the lab, they achieved a fusion reaction that self-perpetuates (instead of fizzling out) – bringing us closer to replicating the chemical reaction that powers the Sun. However, they aren’t exactly sure how to recreate the experiment. Nuclear fusion occurs when two atoms combine to

For many parents, assisting young children with their homework goes hand in hand with making sure kids eat their vegetables and go to bed on time. It’s what you do to help your children get the best start in life. Of all the possible benefits this shared time might provide, however, a boost to those

The shell of Jupiter’s famous ice moon may be formed, in part, by pure underwater snow that floats up instead of falling down. A new study, published in the August issue of the journal Astrobiology, finds that Europa’s icy crust might be built partially by “frazil ice,” a fluffy accumulation of ice crystals that also

For the first time, scientists have named a heat wave. They called it Zoe. According to USA Today, the Spanish scientists bestowed the moniker on a heat wave that sent temperatures soaring to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 degrees Celsius) in Seville between July 24 and July 27. It’s a new effort to alert the public

Responsive space is a concept that the United States continues to pursue but has not yet achieved. As Russia and China continue to proliferate anti-satellite technology, and space increasingly becomes a warfighting domain, the ability to rapidly reconstitute our presence in space is emerging as a national security imperative. Numerous efforts in search of a

Migratory insects number in the trillions. They’re a major part of global ecosystems, helping to transport nutrients and pollen across continents – and often traveling thousands of kilometers in the process. It had long been thought migrating insects largely go wherever the wind blows. But there’s mounting evidence they’re actually great navigators and can select

A hybrid magnet in China has just smashed the previous record for the most powerful stable magnetic field, scientists claim. At the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Steady High Magnetic Field Facility (SHMFF), a magnet years in development achieved a steady magnetic field of 45.22 tesla – tens of thousands of times more powerful than your

A new study reveals that people who consider themselves knowledgeable and experienced cat parents may in fact be giving their felines too much affection – or at least not putting it across in the best way. Previous research has helped to establish how cats should be handled to put them at ease, or at least

One of the most beautiful and spectacular regions of the night sky can be found in the constellation of Orion. Between the stars Alnitak, Saif, and Rigel, floats a vast, thick cloud of interstellar dust and gas. This is the Orion Nebula, a nest of material in which baby stars are being born and one

In the awful wake of an oil spill, it’s typically the smallest of organisms who do most of the cleaning up. Surprisingly, scientists know very little about the tools these tiny clean-up crews have at their disposal. But in a study published last year, researchers uncovered a completely unknown cycle of natural hydrocarbon emissions and

While we’re not yet close to replicating the complexity and the intricacy of the human brain with anything artificial, scientists are making progress with certain dedicated devices – like a newly developed programmable resistor. Resistors can be used to make up analog neural networks in artificial intelligence systems, based on a structure designed to mimic

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris said Aug. 12 that the National Space Council will work to revise commercial space regulations that have become “simply outdated” as the industry evolves. Harris, in a brief speech at a science center in Oakland, California, said a “new rules framework” for commercial space activities will be discussed at

For the first time, we have shown that a soft heel pad was crucial to how sauropod dinosaurs supported their immense weight, according to a new digital reconstruction of their feet. Sauropods, which weighed up to 50 tons and dominated the world’s ecosystems for around 100 million years, appear to have developed soft heel pads

If an astronaut were to suddenly become adrift in the void of interstellar space, they would be compelled to propel their body to safety, kicking and waving their limbs toward a sanctuary in the vacuum. Sadly for them, physics isn’t so forgiving, leaving them to float without hope for eternity. If only the Universe was

A child’s manner of walking can tell a doctor a lot about their health and development. But the transition from tottering toddler to strutting teen is not as universal as you might think. Depending on where in the world a child grows up, their gait may mature in a slightly different way. By age 7,

One day, our Sun will die. Since we happen to be inhabitants of the Sun’s planetary system, the question of when, and how, this will happen, is of intense interest to us. Sure, we’re unlikely to be around to see it… but, you know, it’s our home. We want to know what will eventually become

The world’s biggest ice sheet could cause “several meters” of sea-level rise over centuries if the global temperature rises more than 2 °C, according to a British study published Wednesday. Researchers at Durham University concluded that if global greenhouse emissions remain high, the melting East Antarctica Ice Sheet (EAIS) could cause nearly half a meter

Earlier today, reports began emerging Google was down.  While it has since returned, it once again highlights our dependence on technology service providers and shows how reliant many people are on a single operator for daily functions. There are few things we completely rely upon in our modern lives, but for many people, Google is

LOGAN, Utah. — Astro Digital started out in 2015 with plans for an Earth observation constellation but pivoted three years later to instead provide its small satellite technology as a service for other operators. While this service model was unusual at the time, California-based Astro Digital has grown as more companies seek space projects without

Sea sponges, among the oldest creatures in existence, let out what looks like a deep sea “sneeze” to filter out waste, researchers found in a new study. Using time-lapse video, researchers captured the behavior, which could help them better understand how sponges evolved.  “Our data suggest that sneezing is an adaptation that sponges evolved to keep

Two atoms inflated to an almost comical size and cooled to a fraction above absolute zero have been used to generate a robust, insanely fast two-qubit quantum gate that could help overcome some of quantum computing‘s persistent challenges. Since a two-qubit gate is the fundamental building block of efficient quantum computers, this breakthrough has huge

Humans take a lot of pride in their brains. We like to think we are an intelligent species, and even though size isn’t everything, our noggins are some of the largest nature has to offer. The idea that our brains are shrinking is not one we like to consider. For more than four decades, experts

Once a year, from mid-July to late August, Earth passes through a cosmic junk heap that pelts our planet with thousands of tiny space rocks no wider than a grain of sand. We call this annual event the Perseid meteor shower – or simply the Perseids. This year, the Perseids peak in the dark hours between 11

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was not a short-lived catastrophe. Over 10 years after one of the largest environmental disasters in human history, a sticky oil residue still coats some marshland in the Gulf of Mexico, a new report reveals. Its impacts are still not fully understood. In the months following BP’s 2010 Deepwater calamity, desperate attempts

In the near future, NASA and other space agencies will send astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for the first time in over fifty years. But unlike the Apollo Era, these missions will consist of astronauts spending extended periods on the Moon and traveling to and from Mars (with a few months of surface operations

LOGAN, Utah — Canadian launch startup SpaceRyde said Aug. 8 it has added a second member to its advisory board with the appointment of Mina Mitry, the CEO of small satellite operator Kepler Communications. Mitry joins Jeff Thornburg, SpaceRyde’s inaugural advisory board member and a former vice president of propulsion engineering at SpaceX. Kepler, also

In spite of their reputation as living dinosaurs, birds have come a long way since the days of T. rex and friends.  Gone is the toothy rostrum, replaced by the more familiar beak. Their skeletons have adapted for flight, as have their forelimbs. Even their pelvis is twisted into a shape that their more ancient

Is there a “fourth phase of water”? From time to time you might see people talking up the health benefits of so-called hexagonal water, or structured water, or exclusion-zone (EZ) water. A few weeks ago Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh website was spruiking a US$2,500 “structured water filter”. Last weekend even Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald got in