Science

The world’s first highway capable of wirelessly charging electric vehicles while in motion has opened on the A10 southwest of Paris. The “Charge as you drive” pilot project uses induction coils embedded in the road surface to deliver up to 300 kilowatts of power to EVs as they travel.

The latest Hubble Picture of the Week is an image of a star-studded spiral galaxy — NGC 4571. From hot massive blue stars to glowing pink nebulae, the image presents interesting features of this galaxy that could help scientists understand the process of star formation better.

With the advent of nanoscale OLEDs, VR headsets, AR glasses, projectors and wearables could soon integrate screens with billions of pixels, bringing lifelike visual accuracy and increased power efficiency.

Ohio State University researchers have demonstrated the ability to read and write data to shiitake mushrooms using an Arduino UNO microcontroller board and a simple test circuit. Roadblocks to commercialization include the storage unit size and hungry moms.

As the planet brightens under city lights and screens, moonlight’s ancient rhythm is fading. Scientists warn that artificial light is disrupting the lunar clock shared by humans, corals, and other species; reshaping sleep, reproduction, and migration across the natural world.

Using data from ESA’s Swarm satellite constellation, scientists have discovered a growing weak spot in the Earth’s magnetic field. The weak spot is called the South Atlantic Anomaly as it is located over the South Atlantic. This data from Swarm is helping us understand more about the Earth’s complex magnetic field.

Google claims its new Willow quantum processor has achieved a verifiable “quantum advantage,” performing calculations 13,000 times faster than today’s most powerful supercomputers. The superconducting chip’s design could finally push quantum computing into practical use in AI, materials science, and medicine.

An international research team has tested enteral ventilation – oxygen delivery through the intestine – in humans for the first time. The phase 1 study confirms that the method is well tolerated. Further research will be needed to determine whether it also offers therapeutic benefits.

Researchers in Wyoming have uncovered two remarkably well-preserved fossils of the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens, providing the first known evidence of hoof-like structures in a dinosaur.

A wireless bionic eye implant the size of a grain of rice has helped legally blind patients read and recognize faces again for the first time. Early trials show that the device, which connects to AI-powered smart glasses, could mark a new era in artificial vision.

NGC 3370 is the featured galaxy on the ESA/Hubble Picture of the Week. The galaxy contains Cepheid stars and type Ia supernovae, both of which are standard candles. These objects help astronomers measure distances to faraway galaxies and are critical for measuring how fast the universe is growing.

A UCLA Health study has found that inhalers in the U.S. had generated over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually over the past 10 years, resulting in an estimated social cost of $5.7 billion.

A United Airlines 737 suffered a cracked cockpit window mid-flight over Utah, forcing an emergency diversion. Investigators are analyzing debris and flight data to determine whether the mystery object that struck the aircraft originated on Earth or in space.

Investigators examining the Titan submersible wreck found a deep-sea camera containing a $62 SanDisk SD card that remained intact. The card yielded 12 photos and 9 videos, a rare example of consumer storage surviving an extreme ocean disaster.

A recently published study shows that the prompts given to AI assistants play a major role in the occurrence of so-called AI hallucinations. This is good news for users, as it suggests they can actively reduce false or fabricated responses through more effective prompt design.

TSMC has moved up its 2 nm production schedule in a major shift in the global semiconductor race. With its Arizona expansion and growing AI demand, the chipmaker is positioning itself at the center of next-generation computing.

In only a few years, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could transform the job market. Some experts warn of large-scale job losses, while others remain more optimistic.

A new AI breakthrough from Zurich could revolutionize cardiac care. Researchers have developed a model that predicts heart attack risk and treatment outcomes more accurately than previous systems, revealing that not all patients respond equally to the same interventions.

A group of researchers at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) has developed a highly capable artificial muscle with adjustable characteristics. This muscle can go from being flexible to being extremely strong when necessary.

British science YouTuber Steve Mould teamed up with NASA astronaut Don Pettit aboard the ISS to explore the chain fountain effect he originally discovered – this time in zero gravity. Pettit conducted the experiment under Mould’s guidance during a Microsoft Teams video call.

In its latest iteration, Kungfu Kid V6.0, the humanoid robot Unitree G1 demonstrates impressively smooth and precise martial arts movements, including complex routines and noticeably improved spin kicks. Compared to earlier footage, Unitree seems to have made substantial progress.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is an image of NGC 7496. NGC 7496, a galaxy that sits about 24 million light-years away from Earth, has now featured twice as the picture of the week.

Together with the Berlin-based BBF Group, the Fraunhofer Institute has unveiled the first lightweight prototypes of a highly efficient small wind turbine. With a low startup threshold, the turbines are well suited for areas with limited wind, offering a sustainable energy solution for homes, businesses and remote locations.

How do cells move – for instance, during wound healing or when immune cells track down bacteria? Scientists have been investigating this question for years. Now, a team from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund has uncovered how actin filaments are broken down, shedding light on a key mechanism behind cell movement.

A Texas city is investing nearly $1 million to save a 400-year-old oak tree using a rare engineering system known as ArborLift. The high-tech pneumatic lifting method will allow the million-pound tree to be moved safely without damaging its extensive roots.

A research team at Fudan University has successfully combined an atomically thin 2D memory module with a conventional silicon chip. The result — a fully functional hybrid chip that could lead to smaller, faster, and more powerful devices.

Researchers combined data from two Mars missions to build a catalogue of 1,039 dust devils. They measured the speed and direction of these dust devils, using the information to map the Martian wind. This study could be crucial when planning for future missions to Mars.

These Martian probes have managed to capture an image that terrestrial telescopes are not capable of capturing. And the result is mind-boggling given their equipment.

A team of researchers at the University of Tokyo has developed a device called picoRing — an ultra-low-power, ring-based mouse that uses a novel communication method. The researchers say it can endure over a month of continuous use without recharging.

For the first time ever, scientists have been able to get direct measurements of the physical and chemical properties of a potential moon-forming disk. With the data from this study, scientists can advance in their understanding of how moons form.

A team of researchers has discovered a great wave in our Milky Way galaxy. The discovery was made using observations from ESA’s Gaia space telescope. The discovery is helping our understanding of how stars in the Milky Way move.

NASA is planning a summer 2026 launch for the heliophysics mission, SunRISE. The mission involves six small satellites. These satellites will work together to better protect astronauts and satellites by determining the direction of harmful particles from the Sun.

Faced with the US government shutdown, NASA finds itself in serious difficulty. And one of its most important missions could even disappear, dashing many hopes.

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week is a spiral galaxy located about 70 million light-years away in the constellation Cepheus — NGC 6951. The image shows the galaxy in detail, including the activity around its center.

New research has photographed a young protoplanet in the ring-shaped gap around the WISPIT 2 star system. This protoplanet is only about 5 million years old but already about five times as massive as Jupiter.

In four years, more than two billion people will be able to observe a unique spectacle in the night sky. But for that to happen, the weather conditions will have to be favorable.

Samsung is targeting heart and brain health with its newest research surrounding wearables, with AI-based LVSD detection via smartwatch and daily-use EEG for brain-computer interface applications - both validated by Korean clinical partners.

Chinese start-up AheadForm has unveiled the Origin M1, a robotic head capable of remarkably lifelike facial expressions, in a one-minute video – so realistic that it leaves many viewers feeling uneasy.

BYD plans to install a potentially revolutionary solid-state battery in electric cars for the first time from 2027. Energy densities of up to 400 Wh/kg, ranges of 932 miles and extremely short charging times are on the cards, even if much of the information is based on unconfirmed reports.

Renowned robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, co-founder of iRobot and Rethink Robotics, made a bold prediction in an essay published on September 26, 2025: the current wave of humanoid robots – including Tesla’s Optimus and Figure 02 – is doomed to fail.

An American company has just developed a rather impressive spacecraft. Indeed, it will be capable of delivering packages anywhere on Earth in less than an hour.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have made a discovery — a single organic material that can efficiently convert light into electricity. This breakthrough could lead to more compact solar cells for powering future electronics.

MIT researchers have optimized their carbon-cement supercapacitor from 2023, increasing its capacity by 10 times. This brings the vision of using a building's foundation to power the home it supports one step closer to reality.

A near-Earth asteroid passed very close to our planet on October 1, surprising many astronomers. And this could lead to improvements in sky surveillance systems.

A collage of eight images showing gravitational lensing has been released for the ESA/Webb picture of the month. These images offer us a peek into the Universe’s early history — as far back as when the Universe was barely a billion years old.

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed details of the largest and most active star-forming region in the Milky Way, Sagittarius B2. This observation is providing scientists with valuable information that could help them understand some mysteries in the region.

A team of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics has successfully generated a steady magnetic field of 35.1 tesla using a new all-superconducting magnet. This breakthrough has potential applications in many fields.

A new Yale study has stirred debate on Reddit. While the researchers report that AI has had little measurable effect on the US job market so far, many users reacted with disbelief.

Chinese researchers have developed a method for reusing discarded lithium iron phosphate batteries with the help of tea polyphenols. Instead of destroying the batteries, the treatment repairs the crystal structure and renews damaged protective layers. After 400 charging cycles, the regenerated cathodes retain over 90% of their original capacity, opening up a sustainable alternative to conventional recycling.

A strange phenomenon has been observed at the heart of our galaxy, the Milky Way. But its origin is not yet known, requiring further observations by scientists and astronomers.