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Engineers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of California, Irvine studied magnesium aluminate spinel to find its breaking point. John Lambros said, "The shear toughness is much, much higher than the opening toughness." They used high magnification to see how cracks grow in this transparent material.
In 2024, an amateur astronomer found a 25km meteor crater in Quebec, Canada, using Google Maps. Scientists confirmed the 390-million-year-old site, now named Uhaachatik Crater, after finding shatter cones and melt rock. Gordon Osinski said the trip was "one of the most arduous expeditions" he had ever taken to study rocks.
India’s first private orbital rocket Vikram-1 is set for lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on July 18 at 11.30 a.m. Developed by Skyroot Aerospace, the seven-storey-tall rocket will carry various payloads. CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said, "We are eager to see how Vikram-1 performs in a real flight."
Skyroot Aerospace will launch its Vikram-1 rocket on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at 11:30 am IST. This historic flight from Sriharikota marks India’s first private orbital mission. The company said it will stream the event live on YouTube. This mission aims to place payloads into orbit using advanced 3D-printed engine technology.
The Oceansat-3A satellite is likely to be launched before the end of this year, NRSC Director Prakash Chauhan said on Friday. The project got funding of about ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore. "To support these ocean observations, we also need ground data," he said, highlighting the importance of research.
A study shows that microbes reaching Mars with astronauts could become deadlier. Tommaso Zaccaria said, "Evaluating how microorganisms respond and tolerate space conditions is essential to ensure the safe access and exploration of space." These germs might thrive in Martian soil, potentially causing serious health risks for future human explorers.
Asteroid 1998 SH2 reappeared as a mysterious dark comet after missing its expected path in August 2025. Astronomers tracked the object for nearly 30 years before realizing it was not a rock. It showed weak gas jets, which led researchers to conclude it is actually a rare, dark space object.
MIT researchers found that rising salt levels in rivers and estuaries reduce microbial diversity. While these communities lose variety as certain strains take over, their overall growth remains steady. "At higher salinity, you lose diversity, which is ultimately not good for an ecosystem," said lead author Jana Huisman recently.
Terraforming Mars is now a legitimate area of scientific research, according to a 2025 Green Mars Workshop summary. Dr. Erika DeBenedictis said, "Major technological progress has changed that assessment." New breakthroughs in synthetic biology and lower launch costs mean scientists can finally plan how to warm the planet and create life.
Researchers in the U.S. found that giant planets could act as dark matter detectors. Led by Carlos Blanco at Princeton University, the team studied how dark matter interactions might cause ultraviolet glows in planetary atmospheres. This study, published in Physical Review Letters, helps scientists better understand these mysterious space particles.
A Hiroshima University-led team identified a source of extremely high-energy particles in the Milky Way. Researchers used data from three observatories to find the object, known as LHAASO J1912+1014u. "The highest energy of galactic cosmic rays can reach and exceed 1 quadrillion electron volts," said author Tsunefumi Mizuno about the discovery.
Researchers at Uppsala University calculated that the sun contains 55% more silver than previously estimated. This new model resolves a long-standing problem of missing silver in the solar system. "The new knowledge about the sun's composition is important for the understanding of other stars," said researcher Sema Caliskan.