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Researchers at the University of Maryland cloned a wheat gene that resists Hessian fly larvae, as reported in Science Advances on Aug. 14, 2026. Nidhi Rawat said, "This is the first time anyone has been able to clone pest resistance genes in wheat." This discovery helps protect vital cereal crops.
A Southwest Research Institute-led team used NASA's WB-57 aircraft to observe a total solar eclipse on Wednesday. Flying above clouds, the jet captured clear images of the solar corona. Dr. William Ashfield said, "The data are really exciting and include a massive, unexpected prominence on the sun's east limb."
India’s space journey evolved from transporting rocket parts on bicycles to the successful orbital flight of Vikram 1 on July 18, 2026. Skyroot Aerospace became the first private company to reach orbit. This progress follows India’s humble 1963 debut, when scientists launched the first sounding rocket from a fishing village.
Researchers used balloon measurements on Spitsbergen in autumn 2021 and spring 2022 to track marine sugars from the ocean to cloud-forming heights. As Arctic ice melts, more sea spray enters the atmosphere. These particles influence cloud formation and local warming, helping scientists better understand the complex changes in the region.
Scientists with the Double Chooz collaboration measured a lingering antineutrino emission for the first time at a nuclear plant in France. Researchers examined 17.2 days of data while reactors were shut down. "Detecting the tiny residual signal after shutdown required exceptionally low backgrounds," said Dr. Onillon about the new study.
The International Space Station photobombed the sun during the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026. Millions of skywatchers saw the moon block the sun, but some also spotted the station’s silhouette. Expedition 75 astronauts aboard the ISS got to see the rare event while they orbited our planet too.
Scientists developed a new method called ORBIT to track molecular movements using DNA origami. Published in Cell Reports Methods, this technique uses a dye-cycling strategy to replenish fluorescent tags. "If you don't know how something moves, you don't know what it does," said Pallav Kosuri, who led the research.
The James Webb Space Telescope found water and cosmic dust around an aging star near the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. Researchers said, "With Webb, we can directly observe how stars behave under these conditions." This discovery showed that water can survive even in the galaxy's most extreme, harsh environments.
A powerful El Nino event is building across the Pacific Ocean, with a 90 per cent chance it will become very strong by late 2026. Ocean temperatures have risen, causing shifts in global weather patterns. Scientists say this event could even rival the strongest El Ninos recorded since 1950.
Rings forged from meteorites may have been fashionable among ancient Greek elites. Researchers tested 91 iron objects from 33 sites and found 13 rings likely made from meteoritic iron. These items appeared in tombs alongside gold and silver, which showed that this rare metal was popular among the wealthy class.
Scientists found that birds and crocodiles share an ancestor from 250 million years ago. While birds are warm-blooded and fly, crocodiles are cold-blooded. New research shows the crocodile lineage was likely warm-blooded first. "Our new research shows the opposite is most likely the truth," said the study authors recently.
Clemens Ries from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry found that a stress hormone helps the brain repair itself. His research showed that precursor cells produce corticotropin-releasing hormone after an injury. This rapid response helps control myelin repair. "The topic remained so exciting that it became my doctoral thesis," said Ries.