EverythingScience

NASA shuts off instrument on Voyager 1 to keep spacecraft operating On April 17, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California sent commands to shut down an instrument aboard Voyager 1 called the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment, or LECP. The nuclear-powered spacecraft is running low on power, and turning off the LECP is considered the best way to keep humanity's first interstellar explorer going. The LECP has been operating almost without interruption since Voyager 1 launched in 1977—almost 49 years. It measures low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons, and cosmic rays originating from our solar system and galaxy. It has provided critical data about the structure of the interstellar medium, detecting pressure fronts and regions of varying particle density in the space beyond our heliosphere. The twin Voyagers are the only spacecraft that are far enough from Earth to provide this information. The choice of which instrument to turn off next wasn't made in the heat of the moment. Years ago, the Voyager science and engineering teams sat down together and agreed on the order in which they would shut off parts of the spacecraft while ensuring the mission can continue to conduct its unique science. Of the 10 identical sets of instruments that each spacecraft carries, seven have been shut off so far. For Voyager 1, the LECP was next on that list. The team shut off the LECP on Voyager 2 in March 2025. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Five years ago today, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took its first flight on Mars! After 72 flights, 11 miles flown, and a top altitude of 24 meters, Ingenuity ended its mission on January 25, 2024. Source: @NASAJPL @EverythingScience

Loneliness may contribute to memory issues, but not dementia — they are 'not the same thing' Loneliness is something most of us will experience at some point. It is a normal emotion, not a character flaw. But it is also something that can quietly affect how we think and remember, and researchers have long debated whether it might even raise the risk of dementia. A new study, published in [the journal] Aging and Mental Health, suggests the picture is more complicated than either side of that debate has allowed for. First, it is worth being clear about what dementia actually is. It is not a single diagnosis but an umbrella term covering a range of conditions — the most familiar being Alzheimer's disease — that cause memory loss, confusion, difficulties with language and a gradual loss of independence. Cognitive decline, meaning a general slowing or weakening of mental function, is not the same thing. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they should not be: you can experience cognitive decline without ever developing dementia. We do not fully understand what causes Alzheimer's. We know that a healthy lifestyle lowers the risk, but it is no guarantee. Plenty of people who have done everything right still develop it. The disease is shaped by genetics, aging and biological factors we are still working to understand. The new study followed just over 10,000 adults aged between 65 and 94 over six years. All were in good health at the outset, fully independent and free of dementia. Researchers tracked their memory over that period and asked whether loneliness played a role in how it changed. The answer was nuanced. Source:Live Science @EverythingScience

This Liquid Snapped Instead of Flowing and Scientists Were Shocked In a discovery that could reshape how scientists think about fluids, researchers at Drexel University have found that under certain conditions, a simple liquid can break apart like a solid. The study, published in Physical Review Letters, shows that viscous liquids can suddenly fracture when stretched with enough force. This unexpected behavior points to viscosity, or a liquid’s resistance to flowing, as a key factor in how liquids respond to stress. It also suggests new ways liquids could be controlled in technologies ranging from hydraulics and 3D printing to biological systems like blood flow. “Our findings show that if pulled apart with enough force per area, a simple liquid — a liquid that flows — will reach what we call a point of ‘critical stress,’ when it will actually fracture like a solid. And this is likely true for all simple liquids, including common examples, such as water and oil,” said Thamires Lima, PhD, an assistant research professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, who helped to lead the research. “This fundamentally changes our understanding of fluid dynamics.” Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

'Morale boost': NASA carries out Moon mission during tough year for science As the four Artemis astronauts approached a high point of their lunar mission—getting slung around the far side of the moon—NASA staffers crowded into Houston's famed mission control room Monday for a team photo. They were all smiles as countdown clocks ticked and the Orion spacecraft flew ever closer to Earth's cratered neighbor, a mission years in the making come to fruition at last. By most metrics it's been a rough year for science in the United States—the Trump administration has slashed funding, halted projects and devastated workforces. But then, NASA sent astronauts around the moon for the first time in half a century, deeper into space than ever before. The moonshot has served as a "massive positive moment," said exploration scientist Jacob Bleacher. "People have been working on this for months, years—over a decade in some cases," he told AFP. The majority of Americans, including NASA scientists, weren't yet born when the Apollo era first sent astronauts to the moon in the late 1960s. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

Scientists Discover Why the Brain Gets Stuck in Schizophrenia Why do some people struggle to adapt to new information and stay locked into outdated beliefs? Scientists at MIT may have found a key reason. A newly identified gene mutation appears to disrupt a brain circuit that helps us update our understanding of the world. When this system fails, the brain may cling to old ideas even when reality changes. In experiments with mice, researchers showed that this mutation interferes with the brain’s ability to adjust decisions based on new input, a problem that closely mirrors cognitive symptoms seen in schizophrenia. The mutation occurs in a gene called grin2a, previously linked to schizophrenia in large genetic studies. The findings suggest that targeting this circuit could eventually help improve cognitive function in some patients. “If this circuit doesn’t work well, you cannot quickly integrate information,” says Guoping Feng, the James W. and Patricia T. Poitras Professor in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, a member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and the associate director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. “We are quite confident this circuit is one of the mechanisms that contributes to the cognitive impairment that is a major part of the pathology of schizophrenia.” Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

NASA has given approval to begin implementing its project to support ESA's Rosalind Franklin mission. Scheduled to launch in 2028, this Mars rover will be the first to search for signs of past or present life under the Red Planet’s surface. go.nasa.gov/4vAIeX1 Source: @NASAMars @EverythingScience

Atlantic current system could be weakening faster than expected The Atlantic current system, or more formally the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is more likely to weaken than previously thought. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Science Advances, which used more refined modeling techniques to get a clearer picture of the future. If these new projections are correct, the consequences could be severe, particularly for Europe and Africa. The AMOC is a major system of Atlantic Ocean currents that helps regulate climate by transporting heat from the tropics toward the North Atlantic. It is often likened to a conveyor belt because it carries warm water north, where it cools and sinks before flowing back south deep underwater. While it was already known to be weakening, most climate models disagree on the exact magnitude of the decline, but generally point to a one-third reduction by 2100. However, this new study puts the figure at a much more substantial 51%. Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience

DNA Meets Electronics: Scientists Create Ultra-Low Power Memory Breakthrough DNA carries the genetic instructions for all living things, but it is also an extraordinarily dense way to store information. Just one gram can hold roughly 215 million gigabytes of data. If that level of storage could be harnessed in electronics, it could lead to far more efficient data centers, faster processing, and the ability to handle much more complex information. The challenge has been making a biological molecule like DNA work within electronic systems. Researchers at Penn State say they have now found a way to connect the two. The team’s approach, reported in Advanced Functional Materials with a patent application underway, relies on two main components. One is synthetic DNA, made from chemically engineered short sequences designed for specific electronic functions. The other is crystalline perovskite, a semiconductor widely used in solar cells, lasers, and data storage devices. “Biology and electronics are different domains,” said Kavya S. Keremane, co-corresponding author and postdoctoral researcher in materials science and engineering at Penn State. “Bridging these two fields required developing an entirely new materials platform that allows them to function seamlessly together. By combining the information storage capabilities of DNA with the exceptional electronic properties of perovskite semiconductors, we created a bio-hybrid system that fundamentally changes how low-power memory devices can be designed.” Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

From the far side of the moon to the flight deck. 🌕⚓ Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen arrive on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) following their return to Earth and splash down in the Pacific Ocean. 📸 MC2 August Clawson Source: RT@USNavy @EverythingScience

This Breakthrough Solar Panel Generates Power From Both Sunlight and Raindrops Researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Seville (US), have created a hybrid device that can generate energy from both sunlight and rainfall at the same time. At the core of the system is a patented thin film that protects perovskite solar cells and improves their durability, even in harsh weather. The same film also enables nanogenerators to produce more than 100 volts from the impact of a single raindrop, which is enough to power small portable electronics. Halide perovskite solar cells are made from synthetic crystalline materials that absorb sunlight very efficiently. While silicon remains the dominant material in solar technology, perovskites are considered a promising alternative because they combine high performance with lower production costs. Source:SciTechDaily @EverythingScience

Experiments refute dark matter claim The doctoral thesis of Sophia Hollick, Ph.D. '25, a recent graduate of Yale's Wright Lab in professor Reina Maruyama's group, has significantly contributed to answering a decades-long question in her field about whether or not a signal observed in an experiment that has taken data since 1997 was indicative of a direct detection of dark matter. The results of her analysis, which have excluded the dark matter explanation with greater confidence, were published in Physics Review Letters in the article "Combined Annual Modulation Dark Matter Search with COSINE-100 and ANAIS-112." Testing DAMA In 1997, the DAMA/NaI experiment at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy observed a signal whose annual variability was suggestive of dark matter. Despite the follow-up DAMA/LIBRA experiment producing similar results, claims of direct dark matter detection drew skepticism from the physics community. To test the claims independently, sister experiments ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100 were constructed using the same basic design as DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA. COSINE-100, located at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory in South Korea, began taking data in 2016. ANAIS-112, located at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) in Spain, began taking data in 2017. Maruyama is the Principal Investigator (PI) and scientific co-spokesperson of COSINE-100. All of these experiments were designed to search for the signature of a dark matter candidate scattering off the sodium iodide detector. Such a signature should contain a distinct annual modulation because the detector's speed relative to the Milky Way's dark matter varies as Earth orbits the sun. Observations of such modulation by DAMA/NaI and DAMA/LIBRA are inconsistent with other direct-detection experiments and with model predictions. But the reproducibility of these observations had not been tested robustly using identical techniques. ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100 enabled such a test by using the same sodium iodide detector material as the DAMA experiments, while including some extra analysis techniques designed to reduce background noise and increase event-detection rates. The data sets from both ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100, each working independently, were found to contain no such variability, tentatively ruling out dark matter as the cause of the earlier observations. Hollick's 2025 thesis combined the data from both ANAIS-112 and COSINE-100, and statistical analysis of the combined dataset showed no significant evidence of annual modulation in the relevant energy regions. This result effectively rules out dark matter as the origin for the DAMA/LIBRA signal. Hollick explained, "These results end a longstanding debate (almost 30 years) about the source of the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation signal. They show that, due to the irreproducibility of the signal in COSINE-100 and ANAIS-112, the modulation cannot be attributed to dark matter." Source:Phys.org @EverythingScience