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Sun may have swallowed super-Earth 5 to 10 times Earth's mass
A new study led by Professor Mutlu Yildiz of Ege University suggests the young Sun billions of years ago may have engulfed a super-Earth-sized planet with mass equal to 5 to 10 Earths. The chemical fingerprints could still be detectable today. This theory could explain the Sun's unusually low lithium levels and discrepancies in its internal structure revealed by helioseismology.
Tech Explorist · · TR
Launches lunar AI map; detects ice deposits 20% more accurately
NASA and IBM unveiled the Lunar Foundation Model, an open-source AI that combines data from US and Japanese missions to create the most complete map of the Moon yet. The model reduces errors in identifying ice deposits by over 20% compared to specialized machine-learning models and can detect smaller craters previously unrecorded. Water ice at the lunar poles is crucial for drinking water, oxygen, and rocket fuel to support future Artemis crews.
Tech Explorist ·
reveals fewer tiny TNOs beyond Neptune
Using NASA's Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, scientists studied 27 newly discovered Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs)—icy relics from the solar system's birth 4.5 billion years ago. The smallest bodies, some as small as 5 kilometers across, unexpectedly show preserved primordial surfaces with colors matching larger TNOs, suggesting fewer collisions than predicted. The findings challenge existing planetary formation models.
Tech Explorist ·
Tracked two massive stars over nearly eight years, ALMA says
Astronomers used ALMA to observe two young massive stars in system IRAS 07299−1651 for nearly eight years, revealing they formed separately then drew together through gravitational interaction rather than from a single disk. The stars follow a highly elongated orbit with tilted gas disks, challenging traditional formation models and offering new insights into how close massive binaries assemble.
Tech Explorist ·
Survives gamma-ray burst 2 billion light-years away
On October 9, 2022, astronomers detected a 300 teraelectronvolts photon from gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A, 2 billion light-years away. Standard physics says it should have been destroyed by collisions with cosmic microwave background photons. Researchers propose axion-like particles or Lorentz invariance violation allowed survival, predicting a one-hour delay perfectly matching observations from LHAASO.
Tech Explorist ·
Embeds quantum sensors into microscopic mechanical systems
Researchers at Tohoku University integrated nitrogen vacancy centers—quantum defects in diamond—directly into MEMS cantilevers to detect mechanical stress. These NV centers respond to vibrations, bending, and temperature changes via optically detected magnetic resonance, eliminating the need for separate external sensors and enabling smaller, more efficient devices with real-time stress monitoring.
Tech Explorist · · JP