Mixing neutrinos of colliding neutron stars changes how merger unfolds

New simulations of neutron star mergers reveal that the mixing and changing of tiny particles called neutrinos impacts how the merger unfolds, including the composition and structure of the merger remnant as well as the resulting emissions. This image depicts the density of neutrinos within the remnant as varying textures, and the colors represent energy densities of different neutrino flavors.
 Image Credit: Provided by the Radice research group / Pennsylvania State University
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The collision and merger of two neutron stars — the incredibly dense remnants of collapsed stars — are some of the most energetic events in the universe, producing a variety of signals that can be observed on Earth. New simulations of neutron star mergers by a team from Penn State and the University of Tennessee Knoxville reveal that the mixing and changing of tiny particles called neutrinos that can travel astronomical distances undisturbed impacts how the merger unfolds, as well as the resulting emissions. The findings have implications for longstanding questions about the origins of metals and rare earth elements as well as understanding physics in extreme environments, the researchers said.

The paper, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, is the first to simulate the transformation of neutrino “flavors” in neutron star mergers. Neutrinos are fundamental particles that interact weakly with other matter, and come in three flavors, named for the other particles they associate with: electron, muon and tau. Under specific conditions, including the inside of a neutron star, neutrinos can theoretically change flavors, which can change the types of particles with which they interact.

Greener rocket fuels on the horizon

SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch
Photo Credit: SpaceX

Studying safer, cheaper rocket and missile fuels that could reduce health and environmental risks is the focus of a new $800,000 grant awarded to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Chemistry by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The project will be led by principal investigator Professor Rui Sun with co-principal investigator Professor Ralf I. Kaiser.

The grant falls under a broader push toward green chemistry—designing chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate hazardous substances. Current propellants can be expensive and toxic, creating risks during manufacture, storage and transport. The research seeks to help lower costs for space exploration while reducing risks to workers and communities.

Lockheed Martin Vectis™: Best in CCA Class Survivability

Lockheed Martin Vectis
Artist rendering of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Vectis, a Group 5 survivable and lethal collaborative combat aircraft
Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® introduces Vectis, a Group 5 survivable and lethal collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to advance unparalleled air dominance for American and allied militaries.

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' Vectis: highly capable, customizable and affordable agile drone framework.

This system embodies the company's pedigree in fighter aircraft, autonomous systems and open mission architectures. As the future of air power takes shape, Skunk Works is charting a critical path with Vectis to unlock new, integrated capabilities at an ultra-competitive speed and price point. 

"Vectis is the culmination of our expertise in complex systems integration, advanced fighter development and autonomy," said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. "We're not simply building a new platform – we're creating a new paradigm for air power based on a highly capable, customizable and affordable agile drone framework."

Fossilized feces help bring prehistoric worlds to life — in molecular detail

Image Credit: Courtesy of Curtin University

An international research team led by Curtin University has used prehistoric feces to better understand how molecular fossilization works, offering a new window into what ancient animals ate, the world they lived in and what happened after they died.

Published in the journal Geobiology and funded by the ARC Laureate Fellowship program, the study examined 300-million-year-old fossilized droppings, or ‘coprolites’, mostly from the Mazon Creek fossil site in the United States.

The coprolites were already known to contain cholesterol derivatives, which is strong evidence of a meat-based diet, but the new research explored how those delicate molecular traces were preserved and survived the ravages of time.

Usually, soft tissues are fossilized due to phosphate minerals, but the study found molecules were preserved thanks to tiny grains of iron carbonate scattered throughout the fossil, acting like microscopic time capsules.

Sugary drinks may increase risk of metastasis in advanced colorectal cancer

Jihye Yun, Ph.D.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center

Preclinical study provides first direct evidence linking colorectal cancer metastasis to the glucose-fructose blend found in sugar-sweetened beverages

Metastasis is the leading cause of death among patients with colorectal cancer

The combination of glucose and fructose, found in most sodas and fruit juices, activates the SORD enzyme, fueling cancer cell migration and metastasis

Study suggests cutting back on sugary drinks could help slow cancer progression in patients with colorectal cancer and points to possible new treatment targets

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center shows that the glucose-fructose mix found in sugary drinks directly fuels metastasis in preclinical models of advanced colorectal cancer. The study was published today in Nature Metabolism.

Clownfish and Anemones Are Disappearing Because of Climate Change

A Red Sea clownfish (Amphiprion bicinctus) peers out of a bleached sea anemone (Radianthus magnifica) during a record-breaking heat wave in 2023.
Photo Credit: © Morgan Bennett-Smith

A new study led by Boston University marine biologists reveals that heat waves are threatening the future of the fish made famous by Finding Nemo

The Red Sea, circled by desert landscapes, is home to marine life accustomed to the water’s bathtub-like temperatures—often reaching 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. But in the past three years, marine heat waves have made the Red Sea even hotter. Rising ocean temperatures, there and around the world, have been devastating for many sea creatures, including an iconic ocean duo: clownfish and anemones. 

A new paper from a Boston University–led research team finds that this extreme heat has caused a breakdown in the mutualistic relationship of clownfish—also called anemonefish— and anemones and has resulted in a population collapse in the central Red Sea.

Possible breakthrough in the development of effective biomaterials

Professor Dr. Shikha Dhiman from the Department of Chemistry of JGU
Photo Credit: © Ankit Sakhuja

When model cell membranes bind to biomaterials, it is not the binding strength but the speed of the receptors in the membranes that is crucial

Many hopes rested on so-called tissue engineering: With the help of stem cells, skin and other organs could be grown, thereby enabling better wound healing and better transplants. Although some of this is already a reality, the level expected around 20 years ago has not yet been achieved because the stem cells do not always bind to the required host material as they should in theory. An international research team led by chemist Professor Shikha Dhiman from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has now found the reason for this: "Whether an interaction between model cell membrane and matrix material occurs depends not only on the strength of the interaction but also on the speed at which the binding partner molecules move. The understanding of this interaction that we have now gained is crucial for the development of effective biomaterials," says Dhiman. The team's results were recently published in the renowned scientific journal PNAS.

Decoding the selfish gene, from evolutionary cheaters to disease control

Malaysian stalk-eyed fly (Teleopsis dalmanni).
Photo Credit: Paul Richards

New research is shining a light on one of genetics’ enduring puzzles - how the workings of the so-called “selfish gene” could be harnessed to control harmful insect populations.

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have uncovered how to potentially control harmful insect populations by studying a "selfish gene" that manipulates inheritance

The new research focuses on meiotic drive, a process where a selfish gene gives itself a better chance of being passed on to the next generation, disrupting the normal 50/50 inheritance pattern

By studying the Malaysian stalk-eyed fly, researchers discovered that a selfish gene can damage rival sperm carrying a Y chromosome, leading to a population with far more females than males

Understanding this genetic mechanism could provide a new way to control insects that spread disease and cause food shortages by causing their populations to become unsustainably female-biased

Light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

The second gear from the right has an optical metamaterial that react to laserlight and makes the gear move. All gears are made in silica directly on a chip. Each gear is about 0.016 mm in diameter.
Photo Credit: Gan Wang

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have made light-powered gears on a micrometer scale. This paves the way for the smallest on-chip motors in history, which can fit inside a strand of hair.

Gears are everywhere – from clocks and cars to robots and wind turbines. For more than 30 years, researchers have been trying to create even smaller gears in order to construct micro-engines. But progress stalled at 0.1 millimeters, as it was not possible to build the drive trains needed to make them move any smaller.

Researchers from Gothenburg University, among others, have now broken through this barrier by ditching traditional mechanical drive trains and instead using laser light to set the gears in motion directly.

Wolf protection downgrade highlights need for adaptive conservation frameworks

The protected category means greater flexibility in managing wolf populations
Photo Credit: Marcel Langthim

Following the European Parliament’s historic vote to move wolves from the strictly protected to protected category, experts are calling on policymakers to ensure the change becomes a catalyst for fairer, more adaptive and transparent wildlife management to meet the challenges of successful species recovery.

The protected category means greater flexibility in managing wolf populations

The reclassification reflects a remarkable recovery of the wolf population, having increased by 58% in a decade, with populations of brown bears, lynxes and wolverines also on the rise. 

The protected category affords member states greater flexibility in managing expanding wolf populations, but although protections remain in place, the move has raised fears among conservation groups of widespread culling. 

At the same time, farming and hunting communities and landowner associations see it as necessary to regulate the population and enable management that is adapted to local conditions.