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Paperclip-sized spacecraft could visit a nearby black hole in the next century, study claimsAn astrophysicist has made a daring proposal to send a nano-sized spacecraft to the heart of a black hole.
4 Commentsblack-holes -
How 'flying boats' are bringing EVs to the ocean — with the help of LeBron James and Tom BradyA new electric motorsport championship is making an ambitious pitch to bring electric engines to the ocean — and Will Smith, LeBron James and Tom Brady are along for the ride.
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Science news this week: A 400-year trip to Alpha Centauri and the malevolent AI that may make us consider itScience news this week Aug. 9, 2025: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend.
Science news this week -
Scientists reveal how viruses hidden in our DNA control our genesA new study has revealed that "junk DNA" descended from ancient viruses could play a key role in controlling genes.
2 Commentsgenetics -
What's the longest lightning bolt ever recorded?Lightning is one of the greatest natural forces on our planet. New mapping tools are revealing just how big it is.
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515-mile-long lightning bolt that spanned 5 states is the longest on recordA lightning "megaflash" that zipped across five U.S. states has set a new record for the longest ever detected.
weather -
Lightning on Earth is sparked by a powerful chain reaction from outer space, simulations showA new model may have finally solved where storm clouds get their missing energy.
14 Commentsphysics-mathematics -
Even a slight slowdown of key Atlantic currents poses a 'stunning risk' to rainforestsA slowing Atlantic current could have a devastating impact on the planet's rainforests, a new study warns.
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'It was so unexpected': 90 billion liters of meltwater punched its way through Greenland ice sheet in never-before-seen melting eventA previously-undetected flood over Greenland's ice sheet has confounded model predictions about how the region's meltwater should leak.
2 Commentsarctic -
Google has turned 2 billion smartphones into a global earthquake warning system — it's as effective as seismometers, tests showGoogle's earthquake early-warning system has used phone accelerometers on Android devices to increase quake alerts by tenfold across 98 countries.
communications -
James Webb telescope spies 2 dying stars spilling their gutsCaptured in infrared light by the James Webb Space Telescope, the peculiar star system Apep consists of two dying stars spewing their innards at each other.
space -
Building blocks of life may be far more common in space than we thought, study claimsComplex organic molecules found floating around a distant protostar could mean that space is far richer in life's precursors than scientists assumed.
space -
Scientists detect most massive black hole merger ever — and it birthed a monster 225 times as massive as the sunNew gravitational wave findings from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration report the discovery of the largest black hole merger ever. It could lead to evidence of an extremely rare type of black hole.
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100 undiscovered galaxies may be orbiting the Milky Way, supercomputer simulations hintOur Milky Way could have many more satellite galaxies than we've detected so far. They're just too faint to be seen.
cosmology -
Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a mysterious spike in ocean saltSatellite imagery has revealed a yet-to-be-explained rise in the Southern Ocean's salinity. It could be a key factor in the decline of the region's sea ice.
antarctica -
Scientist's cat helps discover a rare virus — yet againPepper the cat, whose owner works at the University of Florida, gathered a specimen containing a never-before-seen virus for the second time.
7 Commentsviruses-infections-disease -
Echoes from the Big Bang suggest Earth is trapped inside a giant cosmic void, scientists claimAstronomers claim to have found new evidence supporting a controversial observation that our galaxy is residing in an unusually sparse region in space. If it's correct, it could rewrite cosmology.
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Melting glaciers could trigger volcanic eruptions around the globe, study findsGlacial melt could increase volcanic activity in North America, New Zealand and Russia, spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
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Scientists transform pee into material fit for medical implantsA new method for chemically altering human urine could be used for producing medical implants and construction materials, scientists claim.
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RFK's proposal to let bird flu spread through poultry could set us up for a pandemic, experts warnHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins have expressed interest in letting H5N1 outbreaks spread unchecked through U.S. poultry farms. Health experts warn it could lead to a new pandemic.
3 Commentsviruses-infections-disease -
'A completely new phenomenon': Astronomers spot a planet causing its star to constantly explodeAstronomers have spotted an alien planet orbiting so closely to its home star, the planet's magnetic field is triggering massive solar flares to erupt. This is the first time a planet has been seen influencing its host star.
exoplanets -
First-ever evidence of star 'double detonation' captured in stunning imageAn explosion captured in a new image could help astronomers to better understand the "standard candles" at the center of a major cosmological mystery.
3 Commentsspace -
World's oldest rocks could shed light on how life emerged on Earth — and potentially beyondThe rocks could offer insight into Earth's primordial crust and the environment that gave birth to life.
geology -
Scientists discover rare planet at the edge of the Milky Way using space-time phenomenon predicted by EinsteinUsing gravitational microlensing, scientists have discovered a rare, large planet at the edge of the Milky Way. The planet is only the third to be found on the outskirts of our galaxy's dense central bulge.
2 Commentsspace
