Discoveries · Pollar

Spanish-led team detects sugar in interstellar space for the first time, revealing ingredients for life form before stars exist

Using two radio telescopes in Spain, astronomers have identified erythrulose, a four-carbon sugar found in raspberries, inside a molecular cloud 27,000 light-years from Earth. The finding fills a gap in prebiotic chemistry and shows that sugars essential for life's building blocks can assemble before stars or planets.

Read article

Discoveries·4d ago

Australia confirms first deadly H5N1 bird flu case in a native seabird as total detections climb to 12

The first case of H5N1 bird flu in a native Australian seabird has been confirmed in South Australia, adding to a dozen detections since the virus arrived on the continent.

Read article

Discoveries·4d ago

Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87

The trailblazing aviator who waited six decades to reach space died Wednesday in Grapevine, Texas, at age 87.

Read article

Discoveries·5d ago

Spain prepares for first total solar eclipse in over a century on 12 August

On 12 August 2026, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the Iberian Peninsula for the first time since 1905, drawing millions of viewers and sparking a rush for certified safety glasses and prime viewing spots along the Mediterranean coast.

Read article

Discoveries·from Jul 3·upd. Jul 3

NASA launches rescue spacecraft to save aging Swift gamma-ray telescope from orbital decay

A three-armed robotic spacecraft named Link rocketed into orbit from the Pacific on Friday, beginning a months-long mission to grab the drifting Swift observatory and boost it to a safe altitude before it burns up in Earth's atmosphere.

Read article

Discoveries·2d ago

Romania wins two gold medals at 2026 International Physics Olympiad amid disputed silver count

Romanian students earned two gold medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad in Bucaramanga, Colombia, though silver medal counts vary from two to three across different reports. The event ran July 4-12 with 381 competitors from 90 countries.

Read article

Discoveries·from Jul 2·upd. Jul 2

Minnesota team builds synthetic cell from lifeless parts that eats, grows and divides for five generations

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have assembled a cell-like system named SpudCell from nonliving chemicals. It can feed, replicate its genome and divide, though it requires constant lab support and has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Read article

Discoveries·Jul 4

Spain prepares for first total solar eclipse in over a century on August 12 as tourism demand triples

On August 12, a total solar eclipse will sweep across Spain for the first time in more than a century, drawing visitors from around the world and prompting safety campaigns from the government.

Read article

Discoveries·Jul 5

Tenerife records 500 micro-earthquakes in 10 hours, the 14th seismic swarm since 2016

A swarm of about 500 low-magnitude earthquakes was detected under Tenerife between Friday evening and Saturday morning, the 14th such episode since 2016. Neither Involcan nor the IGN see an increased short-term eruption risk.

Read article

Discoveries·from Jul 5·upd. 6d ago

Australia identifies metal spheres on Queensland beach as debris from foreign rocket

Six metallic spheres found on Forrest Beach in Queensland are likely pressure vessels from a foreign rocket that recently re-entered the atmosphere, the Australian Space Agency says.

Read article

Discoveries·Jul 1

Meloni gives Parmitano Italian flag to take on Artemis III Moon mission

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni receives ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano at Palazzo Chigi, presenting the national flag for NASA's Artemis III Moon mission, slated for the second half of 2027.

Read article

Discoveries·Jul 7

Australian Space Agency: six metallic spheres on Queensland beach are foreign rocket debris

Six metallic spheres that washed up on Forrest Beach in northern Queensland over the weekend are pressure tanks from a foreign launch vehicle, the Australian Space Agency said on Monday.

Read article

Spanish-led team detects sugar in interstellar space for the first time, revealing ingredients for life form before stars exist

Australia confirms first deadly H5N1 bird flu case in a native seabird as total detections climb to 12

Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87

Spain prepares for first total solar eclipse in over a century on 12 August

NASA launches rescue spacecraft to save aging Swift gamma-ray telescope from orbital decay

Romania wins two gold medals at 2026 International Physics Olympiad amid disputed silver count

Minnesota team builds synthetic cell from lifeless parts that eats, grows and divides for five generations

Spain prepares for first total solar eclipse in over a century on August 12 as tourism demand triples

Tenerife records 500 micro-earthquakes in 10 hours, the 14th seismic swarm since 2016

Australia identifies metal spheres on Queensland beach as debris from foreign rocket

Meloni gives Parmitano Italian flag to take on Artemis III Moon mission

Australian Space Agency: six metallic spheres on Queensland beach are foreign rocket debris

Free to read, and staying that way