discovery
Fisherman finds live WWII mine at bottom of Danube River in Slovakia
The 1,500 pound weapon's detonation was captured on camera. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . Europe's brutal heatwaves have left the Danube River at historically low water levels.
The Download: threats from space mirrors and credit for AI drugs
Plus: The data center backlash is scrambling the midterm elections. This company's plans to deploy space mirrors could jeopardize the night sky for many A company that plans to beam sunlight from space to Earth on demand might unintentionally brighten the night sky for many more people than intended, according to a new study. Later this year, Reflect Orbital plans to launch a test satellite that will extend an 18-by-18-meter mirror in orbit. The goal is to eventually launch up to 50,000 larger satellites that can reflect sunlight to Earth on demand. Reflect Orbital says the technology could extend sunlight for solar panel charging, emergency response, and military activities. But new research suggests the giant beams could shine as bright as 10,000 full moons and scatter light over tens of kilometers, raising concerns about dark skies, aviation, and wildlife.
When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?
When the biotech company Insilico Medicine used its computer models to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis, it enthusiastically claimed in a press release that the molecule had been "discovered by" its generative AI platform. Insilico leads a pack of companies using AI to rapidly come up with drug ideas humans might never think of, potentially speeding the race to new cures. AI models are now able to generate atomic designs for drugs almost as easily as ChatGPT can write a thank-you note. However, when it came time to file for an all-important patent to protect that new chemical structure, the company made no mention of AI. Instead the patent names five humans, including CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, as the drug's "inventors."
A star spinning at 15,000 miles per second tests Einstein theory of relativity
S301 is the closest known star to the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. This visible light wide-field view shows the rich star clouds in the constellation of Sagittarius (the Archer) in the direction of the center of our Milky Way galaxy. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .
Male Neanderthal hips looked more like a human woman's hips
Science Biology Evolution Male Neanderthal hips looked more like a human woman's hips More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Male human pelvis is designed to better absorb shock and provide a spring of momentum with every step. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy . Neanderthals () are in the midst of an extensive image rehabilitation campaign.
Our galaxy's supermassive black hole actually doesn't devour everything
Cosmic dust and water is withstanding radiation near the Milky Way galaxy's black hole, Saggitarius A*. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. This image features data from Webb's NIRCam (Near Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument) to capture the most detailed mid-infrared view yet of the field that hosts the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy's central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week.
AI for science needs reasoning, not just data
AI agents that can model the human process of research will accelerate discoveries in science. Every few decades, someone announces that science has reached its end. In 1903, the revered physicist Albert Michelson wrote that the "facts of physical science have all been discovered." In the 1980s, Stephen Hawking predicted that theoretical physics might be finished by the end of the century. With the explosive arrival of artificial intelligence, the feeling is in the air again--this time accompanied by a Nobel Prize. In 2024, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper of Google DeepMind were awarded part of the Nobel in chemistry for their neural network AlphaFold, which predicts the three-dimensional structures of proteins by learning from thousands of experimentally measured shapes.