FCC grants approval for sun-reflecting space mirror that’s been widely criticized by astronomers

The Federal Communications Commission has approved Reflect Orbital’s request to launch a demonstration satellite that can reflect sunlight to Earth at night. The new satellite had to go through FCC approval because of the radio spectrum it operates on, but the larger concern from scientists is how it could affect health and the environment while in use.

Hidden deep-sea turbulence could alter climate and fisheries within one lifetime

Tiny, invisible swirls and twirls—not much bigger than a coin—deep below the ocean’s surface are silently shaping some of the biggest forces shaping our climate: sea level rise, fisheries collapse, extreme flooding and how much carbon dioxide the ocean absorbs.

Volcanoes and wildfires are adding water vapor to the stratosphere, raising climate concerns

Moderate volcanic eruptions and extreme wildfires since 2005 have led to an increase in the amount of water vapor in the stratosphere, a layer of Earth’s atmosphere above the weather-filled troposphere. That’s potentially bad news because water vapor here acts like a greenhouse gas that traps heat and changes ozone chemistry.

Evidence reveals that the language of thought is not natural language

Philosophers, linguists and cognitive scientists have debated the relationship between language and thought for thousands of years, with many arguing that we use language to think. There are good reasons to suspect a close relationship between logic and language.

Moderate geomagnetic storm pushed 20 amps into New Zealand grid while alarms stayed quiet

If changing magnetism above can drive currents below, then a still sky can hide trouble. Every fluctuation in Earth’s magnetic shield induces electric fields in the ground, pushing currents through any connected metal network. These geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) act like a hidden DC bias on normal AC grids. When very large, they can trip protective devices or overheat transformers.

Birdlike robot swims underwater, then flaps into flight without paddling

Loons, gulls, puffins and petrels are some of the 100 species of birds that can both fly and swim. These diving birds can plunge into water to swim after prey, and leap back into the air to fly away.

China becomes the second country to recover a rocket booster

It successfully deposited a Long March 10B rocket into a net anchored at sea.

Newly identified response helps roots avoid decaying plant matter—but not animal decay

Plants cannot run away from danger or toward something they desire. Instead, they adjust the direction in which they grow. Shoots bend toward light, roots and shoots use gravity to grow downward and upward, and roots can also bend toward water.

The secret of human intelligence may lie in the power of a single brain cell

What makes the human brain capable of language, imagination, mathematics and invention? For many years, the prevailing view was that the secret of human intelligence lay mainly in scale: the sheer number of neurons in the human brain—close to 100 billion—and the vast network of connections among them.

What do Sardinia’s Blue Zone elders do differently that helps them age so well physically and mentally?

In the early 2000s, scientists first identified certain locations where the residents not only live long lives but also healthy ones with a high quality of life. They called these regions the Blue Zones, which include central-eastern Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan), Ikaria (Greece) and Nicoya (Costa Rica).

JWST’s ‘overmassive’ early black holes may not be so massive after all

Ever since the advent of JWST, astronomers have been able to detect massive black holes at galaxy centers within the first billion years of the universe. They are detected by the light they emit as they actively feed on infalling material. To calculate the mass of these black holes, astronomers look at the gas swirling around them at extreme speeds, which is detected as spectral lines.

Meta To Build $9 Billion Alberta Data Center, Its First In Canada

The company has partnered with Alberta-based Pembina Pipeline , which announced last week it will go ahead with its Greenlight Electricity Centre, a new natural gas-fired power-generation facility in Sturgeon County which will be in service in late 2030 and with which Meta ?has a long-term tolling agreement.

Shoebox-Sized ‘Detector Satellites’ Could Sniff Out a Nuclear Bomb In Space

Researchers know that a nuclear detonation in orbit would flood the space around Earth with fast, energetic electrons. These particles would destroy most unhardened satellites within range, which would extend to orbits even hundreds of miles away from the explosion.

== paywall?
A Silent Workspace In Claude Mirrors Key Features of Human Consciousness

Researchers used a new mathematical technique to peer inside Claude’s neural network and discovered what they call a “J-space” — a small, privileged zone of internal activity where the model holds concepts it can report on, reason with, and direct at will, surrounded by a much larger ocean of automatic processing it cannot access or articulate.

Homegrown catnip lotion proves to be an effective mosquito repellent in rural Uganda

Nepetalactone is a chemical found in the essential oil of catnip, Nepeta cataria, and is responsible for causing feelings of euphoria in cats. Nepetalactone is also a potent natural insect repellent and is very effective at repelling mosquitoes.

South Australian algal bloom species the world’s most toxic harmful microalga yet recorded

The South Australian harmful algal bloom, which lasted more than a year, has taken an immense environmental, economic, social and public health toll on South Australia.

== yjc
A Super El Niño is coming: 5 hard-won lessons the world can learn from Africa

Climate prediction scientists announced in June 2026 that El Niño, a cycle that happens every two to seven years, had formed. It was expected to develop into one of the strongest on record—a “super” El Niño.

Some dark personality traits may help the body handle stress more easily

Better immunity to stress is a superpower most of us would like to possess. Surprisingly, people with certain dark personality traits do have better protection against stress than most people.

Greenland meltwater adds to AMOC weakening, but updated model finds no tipping point in sight

The state of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has been a hot topic among climate scientists in recent years. The AMOC is crucial for climate regulation because it pulls warm surface water from the tropics north and sends colder, deeper water south, redistributing large amounts of heat, helping to sustain marine ecosystems and keeping global weather patterns steady.

== yjc
Scattered bronze bells in Chinese lord’s 2,600-year-old tomb point to ritual deactivation

When archaeologists opened the 2,600-year-old tomb of an ancient Chinese lord, they discovered his magnificent bronze bells had been scattered, their wooden hangings broken. But the most mysterious part of all: This was apparently no accident.

Superconducting Thruster Harnesses Earth’s Magnetic Field In First Orbital Test

Superconducting magnets can convert solar energy directly into momentum in space and provide a source of acceleration that needs no fuel, but until recently, the technology was too large and complex to fit on a satellite.

Japan releases snowman-like asteroid image after flyby

The spacecraft that famously brought asteroid Ryugu samples to Earth in 2020 has flown right by another space rock.

== yjc, use the non-member link
Multiply Numbers Ending in 5 Instantly

Every now and then a shortcut isn’t a shortcut at all. Instead, it’s just algebra uncovering a pattern that is normally obscured by arithmetic. Multiplication of numbers that end in five is such a shortcut.

How to protect your tech from lightning strikes

A single thunderstorm can fry your PC, TV, fridge, router, PlayStation and pretty much anything else you have plugged in. It only takes seconds, but the damage can be quite costly.

== yjc, first thing that came to my mind–who’s going to buy it?
Alberta’s new pipeline deal could allow Canadian oil to reach new countries. But will they want it?

Proposed new oil markets in Asia are quickly transitioning away to renewables, experts say.

Samsung Passes Nvidia To Become Most Profitable Company In the World

Samsung chip division’s single-year profits beat its past 40 years of profits, combined, due to increased memory and storage prices.

== yjc
Zombie ‘who owns Unix?’ lawsuit comes alive again

SCO’s legal successor Xinuos asks legal brains to let it bite IBM over ancient license and copyright claims.

Warm rivers raise concern for salmon in B.C.’s Interior

To reach Okanagan waters, the salmon travel more than 1,000 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean. They swim upstream against the current of the Columbia River, passing through nine hydroelectric dams before reaching Syilx territory.

EV Batteries Defy Expectations, Last Hundreds of Thousands of Miles

After five years on the road, the average EV will still be able to drive up to 95% of its original range, according to Recurrent, a data-science company that provides a battery-monitoring tool for EVs—better than many in the auto industry expected.

== yjc
Decades-Old Bash Tricks Expose AI Coding Agents to Supply Chain Attacks

Decades-old Bash shell tricks can bypass safeguards in most open source AI coding agents, potentially turning malicious repositories into supply chain attack vectors.

Startup targets datacenters with 3D-printed nuclear reactor module

Fancy a thorium microreactor capable of delivering up to 30 MWe of juice for up to 30 years?

To swat or not? These scientists suggest we rethink our fear toward insects

From pest-hunting wasps to vital soil cleaners, many insects have hidden gifts, scientists say.