NASA News

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Launches

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, transits the Sun during launch from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 30, 2026. Roman is named after the agency’s first chief astronomer. Roman will survey billions of stars and galaxies with a field of view far larger than Hubble’s, […]

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Popular sweeteners may leave effects that last for generations

Two widely used zero-calorie sweeteners, sucralose and stevia, may have effects that linger far longer than the sweet taste itself. In mice, researchers found that both sweeteners altered the gut microbiome, reduced beneficial compounds produced by gut bacteria, and changed the activity of genes involved in metabolism and inflammation. Some of those changes were also detected in later generations that had never consumed the sweeteners themselves.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

One injection could keep osteoarthritis drugs working for weeks

Scientists have created an injectable gel that can remain inside arthritic joints for weeks, slowly releasing medication while also improving lubrication. The approach could make it easier to deliver disease-modifying drugs directly where they are needed while limiting exposure elsewhere in the body.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Your waist size may reveal health risks BMI misses

A simple waist measurement may be nearly as effective as more complicated methods for detecting unhealthy levels of body fat. Researchers also found that BMI alone missed many people with obesity, suggesting waist size could provide an important warning sign.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover two superconducting states hiding as one

Scientists have uncovered hidden complexity inside two ultrathin superconductors that seemed much simpler than they really are. Niobium diselenide and tantalum disulfide appeared to have a single superconducting state, but highly sensitive measurements revealed that each actually contains two strongly interacting states working so closely together that they masquerade as one.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

A “quantum bath” puts quantum entanglement on autopilot

Physicists have demonstrated a new way to entangle distant quantum bits without the constant measurements and active control normally required. The team created a “quantum bath,” a shared environment filled with correlated microwave photons that automatically pushes separated qubits into an entangled state and helps keep them there. The experiment confirms a theoretical prediction made more than 20 years ago and could offer a simpler way to connect modules in future quantum computers.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists challenge a 70-year-old “lizard brain” myth

A long-standing picture of brain evolution as newer, rational layers stacked on top of an ancient “lizard brain” may be deeply misleading. Researchers found that evolution instead appears to balance two competing styles of brain wiring, expanding one while shrinking the other depending on what an animal needs to survive.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Fossil feet may be misleading scientists about human evolution

Wild monkeys in West Africa can climb vertical tree trunks using foot flexibility scientists did not realize they possessed. The discovery challenges a key assumption about what the last common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees looked like and how it moved.

science  Aug 31, 2026

NASA News

Roman Commissioning

Where is Roman? Roman is making its three-month journey from Earth to Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Along the way, Roman is undergoing a process called commissioning, where systems are turned on, adjusted, calibrated, and prepared for science operations. Commissioning is the time for scientists and engineers to make sure that Roman is performing […]

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists find why the liver may not heal even after you stop drinking

Alcohol-related liver disease may trap damaged liver cells in a regenerative limbo, preventing the organ from rebuilding itself even after drinking stops. Researchers linked the problem to inflammation-driven RNA errors and identified a pathway that could potentially be targeted to restore liver repair.

science  Aug 31, 2026

The Guardian Science

Space junk punched a new hole in the moon. It’s not ours to abuse | Moriba Jah

The space industry treats the sky as a place to dump what it no longer wants. We must develop a new model of accountabilityOn 5 August, a piece of a derelict SpaceX rocket traveling at 5,400 miles an hour met with the moon and punched a fresh hole into it near Einstein Crater. Astronomers were thrilled. The European Southern Observatory caught sodium and lithium flaring in the debris plume and called it a bonus. The media called it a light show. Nobody was physically hurt, so nobody is responsib

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches to reveal the Universe’s darkest secrets

NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has launched on a million mile journey to L2, where it will scan huge portions of the cosmos for clues about dark matter, dark energy, and distant worlds. With survey speeds roughly 1,000 times faster than Hubble and a torrent of 1.4 terabytes of data per day, Roman could uncover cosmic surprises astronomers have never seen before.

science  Aug 31, 2026

The Guardian Science

Can you solve it? The fin-tastic fish puzzle

Can you think in 3D?Today’s puzzle concerns a fish swimming in a tank that is two metres high, one metre across and one metre deep.The image below shows one path the fish swam. Continue reading...

science  Aug 31, 2026

The Guardian Science

Starwatch: Sagitta’s arrow shape makes it easy to see against a dark sky

The third-smallest constellation can be found partway along one of the imaginary lines of the summer triangleWe are on the hunt for another small, northern summer constellation this week: Sagitta, the arrow. Although it consists of just a handful of faint stars, Sagitta’s distinctive shape (it really does look like an arrow) makes it easy to identify against a dark sky.The chart shows the view looking up towards the zenith while facing south from London at 22.30 BST on Monday. Continue reading..

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Rocky planets may have formed just 100 million years after the Big Bang

Rocky planets may have been able to start forming just 100 million years after the Big Bang, thanks to enormous early supernovae that scattered planet-building elements across space. Simulations found enough solid material and water around a young star to suggest that Earth-like worlds could have appeared far earlier than previously believed.

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover diamonds can generate electricity

Diamond was thought to be incapable of producing electricity through mechanical deformation, but ultrathin flexible diamond membranes have now shown a strong and repeatable piezoelectric effect. The unexpected discovery could open the door to diamond-powered sensors, tiny energy systems, and self-powered medical implants.

science  Aug 31, 2026

NASA News

APOD: 2026 August 31 – Launch of the Roman Space Telescope

APOD Science APOD APOD: 2026 August 31 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss   APOD Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. To view this […]

science  Aug 31, 2026

The Guardian Science

Forbidden planet: was Pluto’s 2006 demotion a big mistake?

Since it was stripped of planetary status, Pluto’s defenders have been fighting the decision – and they’re only getting more passionateTwenty years ago, Pluto got demoted. After a vote by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in August 2006, Pluto was relegated from major planet to dwarf planet status. Our solar system dropped from nine planets to eight. At the time, many scientists were unhappy with the decision. Two decades on, the debate is, if anything, even more polarised.“The definiti

science  Aug 31, 2026

Science Daily

1.4-million-year-old footprints reveal a surprisingly large human relative

Ancient footprints in Kenya reveal that eight Paranthropus boisei may have traveled together 1.4 million years ago, with some individuals reaching surprisingly large, human-like body sizes. The tracks offer a rare glimpse of their social behavior and suggest these extinct human relatives may have lived in more complex groups than previously thought.

science  Aug 30, 2026

Science Daily

This strange “spacetime crystal” can suddenly become a black hole

Physicists have mathematically captured a bizarre “spacetime crystal” that can either dissolve or collapse into a microscopic black hole after only a tiny change in energy. Their breakthrough came from an unusual trick involving infinitely many dimensions, potentially giving researchers a new tool for studying primordial and microscopic black holes.

science  Aug 30, 2026