NASA’s Swift telescope is back, but time is running out

NASA’s Swift telescope resumed operations on Wednesday, Aug. 26, after engineers switched on its Ultraviolet/Optical and X-ray telescopes. These instruments were off since February to reduce atmospheric drag. While the Burst Alert Telescope remains inactive, NASA expects to restore it soon. The mission continues despite the abandoned orbital boost plan.

He 3D prints instruments in plastic, and they sing: The IIT Madras professor making music for all

Professor Ramanathan Muthuganapathy at IIT Madras uses 3D printers to create musical instruments from plastic. These violins and ukuleles offer an affordable way for many to learn music. The professor, who plays the mridangam, hopes his work helps those priced out of traditional instruments to finally start their musical journey.

Even ancient bacteria possessed intercellular communication structures like humans today, study finds

Biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf discovered that ancient multicellular bacteria used communication structures similar to humans. These bacteria used calcium signals to connect cells, just like our own bodies do. Junior Professor Khaled Selim said, "It came as a big surprise to us that one of the earliest life forms."

Nasa scientists grew corn seeds in space and found that microgravity changed how the seedlings' roots and shoots grew

Nasa scientists grew corn seeds in space and found that microgravity changed how the seedlings' roots and shoots grew. In a 1992 shuttle experiment, researchers saw that without gravity, plants lost their sense of direction. The seedlings grew healthy tissue, but their roots and shoots moved in tangled, unpredictable patterns.

Neuron regeneration offers a different way to target Alzheimer's

A new study shows a way to regenerate neurons in Alzheimer’s patients using soft polymer particles. These particles turn brain support cells into working neurons. Peisheng Xu, who led the work, said, "We are very excited to find that these neurons are functional and interconnected." No person has received it.

Stacked mummies in an Egyptian tomb looked like chaos until archaeologists mapped their burial order

Archaeologists mapped 16 mummified people and a dog inside Theban Tomb 209 near Luxor. While the stacked bodies looked chaotic, researchers found they were carefully placed over three centuries. "The detailed study of the bodies indicates neither chaotic accumulation nor a loss of the original ritual over time," said Jared Carballo-Pérez.

Tiny vortices seen on the Sun's surface for the first time

Tiny vortices were seen on the Sun's surface for the first time by the world's largest solar telescope. These swirls appear at the edges of magnetic patches and may explain how solar flares build energy. Researchers said, "What am I looking at?" after seeing the sharp images of these spinning features.

ESA JUICE probe targets dark Jovian moon Kallichore in 2031

The European Space Agency’s JUICE probe will target Jupiter’s small moon Kallichore in October 2031. Researchers used data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to study the moon, which has a diameter of 3.8 kilometers. This work helped them fix its orbit, as the tiny moon is incredibly dark and hard to track.

Femtosecond nano-imaging reveals ultrafast optical control of phonon polaritons

A research team led by Kazuki Kamada visualized ultrafast optical modulation of phonon polaritons in a van der Waals heterostructure. Published in Nano Letters, the study used a diffraction grating to overcome imaging challenges. This new technique showed how light-matter modes change in thin and thick layers at high speeds.

Q&A: What dinosaur teeth reveal about diet and evolution

Dinosaurs became extinct approximately 66 million years ago, but their teeth reveal much about their diet. Scientists study tooth shape and wear patterns to understand how these animals ate. Takafumi Kato said, "When you see its sharp teeth, you naturally get the impression that they were suited for eating meat."

Faint far-infrared radiation drives a correlated insulator-to-metal transition in magic-angle graphene

Researchers at the National University of Singapore showed that far-infrared radiation drives a correlated insulator-to-metal transition in magic-angle graphene. The study, published in Nature Communications, found that low radiation intensities heat electrons to melt the fragile insulating state. This process restores metallic conduction while the crystal lattice remains cold throughout.

Nature's color palette explains why everything we see is a mix of red, yellow, green and blue

Biologists and linguists have long puzzled over why humans see red, yellow, green, and blue as pure colors. Researchers at UC Berkeley now suggest nature’s limited palette led our brains to simplify vision. "We tend to think of red as just red, not as a mixture," said Alexander Belsten.