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The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry went to Henry Kagan and Kenso Soai for their work on mirror-image molecules. They showed how to create specific forms of these molecules, which are vital for life. Their research solved a long-standing mystery about why nature prefers one version over the other.
IIST Vice-Chancellor Dipankar Banerjee said a new agenda is needed for India’s space ecosystem on Friday. He spoke at the 39th National Convention of Aerospace Engineering. Banerjee noted that ISRO needs to work with industry and start-ups because the demand has grown too much for just one or two institutions.
Five-year-old Arjun Prajapati has read over 3,000 books and holds an IQ of 141. The boy, who joined Mensa at four, loves exploring complex topics like black holes and genetics. His parents prioritize his happiness, saying, "Fostering, Not Forcing." Arjun started reading at 18 months and keeps books everywhere.
Scientist Julie Elie won the $100,000 Coller-Dolittle Prize for decoding zebra finch calls. She studied these birds for years to understand how they communicate. "I found a correlation between certain types of sound and certain types of behaviour," she said. Her team identified 11 core vocalisation categories used by birds.
Scientists from Kobe University found that the massive Kikai caldera in Japan is slowly recharging with new magma. The team used seismic surveys and chemical tests to spot a fresh reservoir forming deep underground. These insights show how supervolcanoes reload and help experts monitor other dangerous sites around the world.
A new study finds that stupendously large black holes are not a major component of dark matter. Researchers looked for these massive objects but found none. Co-author Christopher Gerlach said, "the universe becomes grainy on very large scales." This suggests dark matter is not just made of these giant holes.
Researchers at Fuzhou University studied how quantum interference fades and returns in microwave fields. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, showed that expanding an artificial environment from one to eight qubits suppressed this return. As the team noted, "the quantum coherence is nearly revived" when interactions remain small.
The Griffin lunar lander passed critical tests at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ahead of its moon mission later this year. The spacecraft survived extreme temperatures and shaking during trials. Charles Whetsel said, "We’re proud to provide our expertise and facilities to support this new phase of commercial lunar exploration."
The Kronshtadskiy subglacial lake near East Antarctica's Amery Ice Shelf lost 78 million cubic meters of water between 2016 and 2021. Researchers said, "This behavior implies either prolonged drainage or repeated partial drainage events, rather than a single catastrophic outburst." The sinking ice surface showed the massive loss from space.
Will White and researchers at Tufts University started a project in 2022 to study alpaca nanobodies. They created a tool called NanoMAP to help find these small antibodies more efficiently. White said, "Chuck and a lot of other people working with nanobodies tended to use more traditional methods for discovery."
Scientists found a new Ice Age mammal called Yak X at Denisova Cave in Siberia. This ancient bovine split from yaks 400,000 years ago. Evolutionary geneticist Love Dalen said, "It is unusual, especially to recognize a large mammal species from small, unidentifiable fragments." It lived alongside mammoths and rhinos.
On 18 November 2026, Voyager 1 will reach a distance of one light-day from Earth. This machine will have travelled for 49 years, 2 months and 11 days to reach this point. Scientists use light to measure space because nothing moves faster than light, which travels at 3 lakh kilometres.
MIT scientists built a tiny robot that swims using living muscle cells. The device uses light to trigger muscle contractions, allowing it to move through water. Study author Ritu Raman said, "The robot's quite strong, given its size." This thin, flexible bot could eventually perform delicate jobs in fragile environments.