Scientific Discoveries

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Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos
Science News

Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon Phobos

Artist’s representation of the MMX SpacecraftJAXA We may be on the verge of solving the mystery of the Martian moons. On 20 October, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft launches towards the larger of the two moons, Phobos, with the goal of bringing back a sample that may finally explain how Phobos and its sibling, Deimos, formed. MMX will launch from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. If all goes to plan, it should arrive at Mars in August 2027, entering an orbit that keeps it alongside Phobos so it can build a detailed map of the surface. Along the way, it will also observe the surface of Deimos. Once the map is complete enough, the spacecraft’s operators at the Japan Aerospace E...

📅 2026-10-16 17:00:00    •    New Scientist
Wind emerges as overlooked factor in ecosystems' carbon uptake and water loss
Science News

Wind emerges as overlooked factor in ecosystems' carbon uptake and water loss

Wind does more than sway trees. It also plays an important role in determining an ecosystem's water-use efficiency—defined as the amount of carbon an ecosystem absorbs per unit of water lost. Water-use efficiency is an important measure of how ecosystems balance growth and water availability.

📅 2026-10-16 16:56:51    •    Phys.org
NASA satellites observe historic 2026 El Niño
Science News

NASA satellites observe historic 2026 El Niño

A phenomenon rarer than a solar eclipse and more powerful than any single storm system is unfolding this fall, and NASA is tracking it closely.

📅 2026-10-16 16:44:08    •    Phys.org
AI designs working molecular scissors that recognize and cut selected protein targets
Science News

AI designs working molecular scissors that recognize and cut selected protein targets

Proteases are naturally occurring enzymes that break down proteins into peptides and even single amino acids. They are useful in medicine and industrial processes, where they clean tissue, digest waste and help in the manufacture of everyday products. Now scientists have used artificial intelligence to design new versions from scratch.

📅 2026-10-16 16:40:06    •    Phys.org
Elon Musk unveils Tesla's 'flying' car
Science News

Elon Musk unveils Tesla's 'flying' car

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled what he described as a "flying" car, equipped with thrusters, during a livestreamed event at his SpaceX rocket company's facility on Thursday.

📅 2026-10-16 16:20:11    •    Phys.org
Matching wastewater treatment to local demand could help China tackle water scarcity
Science News

Matching wastewater treatment to local demand could help China tackle water scarcity

Wastewater reclamation is increasingly regarded as an alternative water source to mitigate water scarcity in China. However, expanding wastewater treatment capacity alone may not be enough to ease this scarcity, since wastewater supply, treatment facilities and reuse demand are not always geographically aligned.

📅 2026-10-16 16:20:06    •    Phys.org
One-step rapid syphilis test uses layered nanoparticles to detect infection earlier
Science News

One-step rapid syphilis test uses layered nanoparticles to detect infection earlier

Penicillin has cured syphilis cases since 1943, but symptoms of the sexually transmitted infection, known as "the great imitator," mimic many other diseases and can come and go without treatment while the infection keeps causing harm. If it remains undetected, it can spread to partners and to babies during pregnancy, causing lifelong effects.

📅 2026-10-16 16:00:05    •    Phys.org
Can social media bans protect young people's mental health? Early research suggests that bans aren't the answer
Science News

Can social media bans protect young people's mental health? Early research suggests that bans aren't the answer

The year 2026 has been an expensive one for social media platforms. Since March, YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, have settled or paid out in multiple lawsuits totaling more than $17 billion for allegedly acting negligently, deliberately designing their platforms to hook kids and misleading the public about safety and privacy. If these suits are any indication of how states and the public are starting to view social media platforms, more may follow.

📅 2026-10-16 16:00:01    •    Phys.org
Physics-guided AI reconstructs hidden patterns inside ultrathin magnets from external fields
Science News

Physics-guided AI reconstructs hidden patterns inside ultrathin magnets from external fields

To build faster and more energy-efficient computers, researchers need to understand nanoscale magnetic materials. But looking inside these tiny magnets is surprisingly difficult: Modern microscopes only measure the magnetic field outside the material, not the magnetic pattern inside. Because many different internal patterns can produce the exact same field, working backwards has long been a challenge.

📅 2026-10-16 15:40:12    •    Phys.org