Strange 'fast radio bursts' across the universe could help solve major cosmic mysteries: 'It's only the beginning'

www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/strange-fast-radio-bursts-across-the-universe-could-help-solve-major-cosmic-mysteries-its-only-the-beginning

An illustration of a fast radio burst travelling through a distant galaxy and reaching Earth. (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva))

"We've established that FRBs are a leading probe of the distribution of matter in the universe."

Though their origins may be shrouded in mystery, fast radio bursts (FRBs) could be used to probe some of the universe's biggest puzzles. This includes probing the nature of dark matter, the invisible sort of matter that somehow dominates the universe, and dark energy, the mysterious force causing the expansion of our universe to accelerate. They could even shed light on the mysteries of neutrinos, or "ghost particles." Let's dive into how.

FRBs are brief but intense blasts of radio waves currently thought to erupt from rapidly rotating dead stars with the universe's strongest magnetic fields, called magnetars. As FRBs travel billions of light-years to reach Earth, they pass through dense clouds of gas and dust in galaxies. This "cosmic fog" changes the original FRB signal. What this means is these blasts of radio waves carry the fingerprints of how matter in the universe is distributed.

Mapping the distribution and "clumpiness" of ordinary matter in galaxies can then help trace the distribution of dark matter, the effect of dark energy and the mass of neutrinos.

                                                      cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/RXVm6jy6

"We've established that FRBs are a leading probe of the distribution of matter in the universe," team leader Kritti Sharma, a graduate student working with Vikram Ravi, a professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and also part of the team, said in a statement. "These FRB data can be used to enhance cosmology experiments that are trying to answer questions about dark matter, dark energy, and the mass of neutrinos."

For this research, Ravi and Sharma analyzed a sample of about 100 FRBs. This represents the first time scientists have used FRBs to directly measure the impact of so-called "feedback" from galaxies on the clumpiness of matter in the large-scale regions between galaxies.

Cosmic ghosts and the dark universe

Ordinary matter, composed of atoms made up of electrons, protons and neutrons, accounts for just around 5% of the universe's energy/matter budget despite comprising stars, planets, moons, our bodies, next door's cat and everything we see around us on a day-to-day basis.

Of this budget, the other 95% is composed of dark energy (68%) and dark matter (27%). It's little wonder that scientists are very keen to better understand these two aspects of the cosmos, sometimes collectively referred to as the "dark universe."

Things get even more murky when considering how, of that 5%, the second most abundant particles in the universe, aside from particles of light or photons, are neutrinos. These get their nickname of "ghost particles" because they interact with other matter particles so infrequently that approximately 100 trillion neutrinos pass through your body every second without leaving any trace. This is possible because neutrinos are virtually massless, and scientists are keen to accurately measure the mass of these cosmic ghosts.

These three mysterious elements of the cosmos have played a vital role in the evolution of large-scale cosmic structures like galaxies and galaxy clusters. That means, in turn, that measuring the clustering of matter can reveal details about the aspects of the universe that influenced that clustering.

An illustration of a supermassive black hole pumping energy into its surroundings, a type of cosmic feedback that can smooth out clumpy cosmic matter. (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva))

However, to do that, scientists also have to understand how other factors smooth out cosmic clumpiness. That includes the energy pumped out from the hearts of galaxies by feeding supermassive black holes, a type of cosmic feedback that smooths out clumpy cosmic matter lying outside galaxies.

"The feedback process thins the gas around the galaxies, redistributing matter across vast distances. It smooths out clumps of matter in a way that looks astonishingly similar to what massive neutrinos do, or what dark energy or dark matter theories predict," Ravi said. "Unless scientists can independently measure this contribution from feedback, they can't tell these effects apart."

That's where FRBs come in.

An animation shows the random appearance of fast radio bursts (FRBs) across the sky. Astronomers have discovered about 85 since 2007. (Image credit: NRAO Outreach/T. Jarrett (IPAC/Caltech); B. Saxton, NRAO/AUI/NSF))

The researchers found that, while galactic feedback does indeed smooth surrounding material, making it less clumpy, the effect is weaker than has previously been measured.

"Our analysis of FRBs reveals how gas ejected by astrophysical feedback suppresses cosmic structure," team member Elisabeth Krause of the University of Arizona said in the statement. "This is amazing considering we only had about 100 FRBs in our sample. It's only the beginning."

The investigation of the universe with FRBs could get a major boost in 2029 when Caltech's Deep Synoptic Array (DSA) begins operating in Nevada. This powerful radio telescope is expected to find tens of thousands of FRBs, a major boon for cosmology.

The team's research was published on Tuesday (Sept. 8) in the journal Nature Astronomy.

BepiColombo Begins Final Approach to Mercury

www.sci.news/space/bepicolombo-mercury-arrival-15044.html

An artist’s impression of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft in cruise configuration, with Mercury in the background. On its 7.2 year journey to the innermost planet, BepiColombo will fly by Earth once, Venus twice and Mercury six times before entering into orbit. The MTM module is shown with ion thrusters firing, and with its solar wings extended, spanning about 100 feet (30 m) from tip-to-tip. The 24.6-foot (7.5 m) long solar array of the MPO orbiter in the middle is seen extending to the top. The Mio orbiter is hidden inside the sunshield in this orientation. Image credit: ESA / ATG Medialab / NASA / JPL.

After nearly eight years and billions of kilometers of travel, BepiColombo — a science mission led by ESA in close collaboration with JAXA — has begun its long-awaited arrival at the smallest and innermost planet in our Solar System.

BepiColombo blasted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on October 20, 2018.

It is the first European mission to Mercury and is the first to send two spacecraft to make complementary measurements of the planet and its dynamic environment at the same time.

It consists of two individual orbiters: ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO, or ‘Mio’).

BepiColombo is named after the Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo.

Professor Colombo was the first to see that an unsuspected resonance is responsible for Mercury’s habit of rotating on its axis three times for every two revolutions it makes around the Sun.

He also suggested to NASA how to use a gravity-assist swing-by of Venus to place the Mariner 10 spacecraft in a solar orbit that would allow it to fly by Mercury three times in 1974-5

                                                           www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC7lQngNG3o

On September 3, 2026, mission controllers confirmed that the spacecraft’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) successfully separated from the rest of the stack, kicking off the mission’s ‘arrival phase.’

Confirmation came via two of ESA’s deep-space tracking antennas in Spain and Argentina, which picked up signals validating the separation.

Telemetry showed all systems functioning normally, with MPO’s solar panels already charging the spacecraft’s batteries.

The maneuver was a high-stakes one: it took place more than 200 million kilometers from Earth, a distance that ruled out any real-time troubleshooting and demanded exhaustive advance planning from mission teams.

With the transfer module gone, MPO and Mio orbiters are now headed toward orbit insertion at Mercury, with MPO powering the joined spacecraft until the two orbiters separate from each other.

“The arrival phase begins with the separation of MTM from the spacecraft stack on September 3, 2026,” members of the BepiColombo team said in a statement.

“The composite spacecraft will enter orbit around Mercury on November 21, 2026, and MPO and Mio will separate from each other on December 9-10, 2026.”

“The mission’s science phase is set to begin in April 2027.”

In Germany, Rafael will produce components of the Iron Dome on a former Volkswagen site

www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/defense/artc-in-germany-rafael-will-produce-components-of-the-iron-dome-on-a-former-volkswagen-site

The agreement was preceded by tensions over Qatar's participation in the German manufacturer's capital

Rafael, the state of Lower Saxony, and the Aurelius Capital fund signed a letter of intent on Monday to convert the Volkswagen site in Osnabrück into an industrial center dedicated to defense and security technologies.

The Israeli company plans to manufacture components there for air defense systems, including the Iron Dome. According to information published in Germany, production could begin as early as next year and would involve heavy trucks, launchers, and generators in particular.

The interceptor missiles themselves would not be produced on site.

The project must also make it possible to preserve a significant portion of the 2,300 jobs at the site, which are threatened as part of the restructuring undertaken by Volkswagen.

The agreement, however, was preceded by tensions surrounding Qatar's participation in the German automaker's capital. According to the German press, the Qatari fund, a shareholder in Volkswagen, had opposed direct cooperation with Rafael and had threatened to block the deal.

An alternative arrangement was ultimately put in place so that Volkswagen would not be directly involved in the partnership with the Israeli company.

The state of Lower Saxony must play a central role in this industrial transformation by participating in the site's oversight and supporting its conversion. Rafael, for its part, will contribute its technologies and experience in air defense systems.

“Today, we are laying the foundations for a sustainable industrial partnership with our German partners,” said Rafael's CEO, Yoav Turgeman. According to him, the objective is to produce these technologies in Germany in order to strengthen “the security of Germany in particular and of Europe in general.”

The project is part of the broad rearmament effort undertaken by Berlin. Germany plans to invest heavily in its defense over the coming years, with particular attention given to air defense capabilities.

                                        https://snippet.univtec.com/share/ea3ebd7f2d

Israeli scientists develop huge sponge to mop up and ‘eat’ oil spills

www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-scientists-develop-huge-sponge-to-mop-up-and-eat-oil-spills/

Ben-Gurion University scientists say plant material, enriched with nutrients to attract oil-guzzling bacteria, can absorb 100 times its own mass in crude oil or fuel in just seconds

This satellite image released by the European Space Agency shows oil leaking from a grounded UK-sanctioned tanker near Qibliyah Island off the coast of Oman, July 28, 2026. (European Space Agency via AP)

Scientists at southern Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have engineered a high-tech sponge made from plant fibers that can both mop up an oil spill and feed the bacteria that feast on oil and break it down, the university said.

The usual methods for tackling oil spills are to skim and soak up the black mess or wait for nature’s microscopic cleaners to digest it.

But oil-eating bacteria operate slowly in open water because they lack essential nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

In the past, scientists tried dumping liquid fertilizers into oil-slicked waters to feed the bacteria. While it helped accelerate cleanup, the liquid fertilizer quickly diluted into ocean currents, lost its effectiveness, and sometimes caused unintended environmental consequences, such as triggering massive algae blooms.

The new research, led by Prof. Ariel Kushmaro and headed by Dr. Danit Lisa Karsagi Biron in the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, combines physical strength with sped-up biology.

In the past, scientists tried dumping liquid fertilizers into oil-slicked waters to feed the bacteria. While it helped accelerate cleanup, the liquid fertilizer quickly diluted into ocean currents, lost its effectiveness, and sometimes caused unintended environmental consequences, such as triggering massive algae blooms.

The new research, led by Prof. Ariel Kushmaro and headed by Dr. Danit Lisa Karsagi Biron in the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, combines physical strength with sped-up biology.

The scientists created a spongy material made from cellulose fibers enriched with nutrients, then freeze-dried and baked at high heat (pyrolysis) to create a porous aerogel that acts like an ultra-light sponge. It repels water while locking onto petroleum compounds and can absorb roughly 100 times its own mass in crude oil or fuel in just seconds.

The time it takes for the aerogel sponge (in black) to consume the oil (in red). (Danit Lisa Karsagi Biron, Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)

Once the oil is trapped, the aerogel transforms into a micro-ecosystem. The baked-in nutrients give local oil-degrading bacteria a comfortable platform from which to guzzle their favorite food source. Instead of floating away or washing out, the nutrients remain on the sponge. Bacteria swarm the fibers, form dense colonies, and rapidly break down the trapped pollutants, then devour the sponge itself.

“These findings demonstrate the potential of the method we developed as a versatile and sustainable platform for treating oil spills in aquatic and marine environments,” a university statement quoted Kushmaro as saying. “By combining physical adsorption with biodegradation, the technology offers a promising and innovative alternative to conventional approaches, addressing both immediate containment and long-term environmental recovery.”

The research team also included Hanna Barak, Barak Halpern, Esti Kramarski-Winter, Lee Sheli, Noa Azri, Prof. Shmuel Hayoun, and the late Prof. Alex Sivan, all from Ben-Gurion University.

The research is published last month in Chemical Engineering Journal Advances and the product is currently undergoing patent protection through BGN Technologies, the university’s technology commercialization company.

Gemini North Telescope Captures Stunning Portrait of Merging Spiral Galaxies

www.sci.news/astronomy/gemini-north-telescope-merging-spiral-galaxies-15036.html

A new image from the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea in Hawai’i offers the sharpest look yet at a striking pair of interacting spiral galaxies, cataloged as NGC 7253.

This image of NGC 7253 was captured by the Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, one half of the International Gemini Observatory. Image credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. Miller & M. Rodriguez, International Gemini Observatory & NSF’s NOIRLab / T.A. Rector, University of Alaska Anchorage & NSF’s NOIRLab / D. de Martin & M. Zamani, NSF’s NOIRLab.

NGC 7253 is located more than 200 million light-years away in the constellation of Pegasus.

The system was discovered by the German-British astronomer Albert Marth on 9 September 1863.

It consists of two relatively small-looking spiral galaxies separated by roughly four million light-years.

The northern member is generally called NGC 7253A, while the southern member is NGC 7253B.

They are close enough that their mutual gravity disturbs their structures, producing a system sufficiently unusual to be included in Halton Arp’s Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp 278.

The new image of NGC 7253 was captured by the Gemini North telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by NSF and operated by NSF’s NOIRLab.

The picture was produced as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program, an initiative that dedicates telescope time specifically to capturing detailed color images of astronomical objects for public outreach.

“NGC 7253 is a fascinating object because it’s two galaxies that are merging into one over billions of years,” said NOIRLab intern Raiyan Rahman.

“But we mainly picked this object because it was one of the few that actually lay within a Hawaiian constellation, Ka Lupe o Kawelo.”

“After spending so much time on Maunakea, it was important to us to pick something that was both culturally and astronomically significant.”

The image reveals two similarly sized spirals, with their wispy arms stretched and warped by the mutual pull of gravity as the galaxies slowly spiral toward a merger that will unfold over billions of years.

Scattered through the frame are bright pink knots of light, marking regions where hydrogen gas has been ionized by intense radiation from newly formed stars.

Such fireworks are typical of galactic collisions: as the two systems draw closer, clouds of gas and dust within their spiral arms collide and compress, triggering bursts of star formation.

The young, hot stars born from this process flood the surrounding gas with radiation intense enough to strip electrons from hydrogen atoms, producing the glowing pink clouds — known to astronomers as HII regions — that thread through the galaxies’ arms in the image.

“Stars are sources of life and health for us as human beings, because our Sun is a star, and we cannot live without it,” said NOIRLab intern Manu Silva-Sampaio.

Moon may have formed in 5 hours after a Mars-sized object smashed Earth, says new study

starlust.org/moon-may-have-formed-in-5-hours-after-a-mars-sized-object-smashed-earth/

One mystery that still remains is the almost identical compositional makeup of the Earth and the Moon.

A close-up 3D render of the planet Earth, with the Moon emerging from behind it, set against a backdrop of a galaxy in deep space (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty | Jaiphet Seehawong)

A recent study has shed new light on the formation of the Moon, an event that has been quite a mystery for decades. Scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Arizona have come up with a fresh explanation thanks to novel simulations that take into account factors previously ignored. Scientists generally believe a Mars-sized object named Theia collided with a young Earth billions of years ago, an impact that generated the material to form the Moon directly in our planet's orbit. Traditional models suggest that the collision may have either produced the Moon intact or created a disk of debris that later coalesced into the Moon, but what they failed to consider is the structural strength and temperature of the two colliding bodies.

An illustration of the Moon with the Earth in the background. — (Image Source: NASA)

“We discovered that the preexisting geology of the Mars-sized proto-Moon matters,” Dr. Adeene Denton, a postdoctoral researcher in SwRI’s Solar System Science and Exploration Division, said in a statement. “When you simulate the Earth and the [impactor] as colliding bodies with geologic properties, it changes how the Moon forms out of that impact—that’s something we considered unnecessary before.”

The researchers emphasized that this is the first study to consider material strength—how mechanically strong the bodies were—and what their temperatures were at the time of impact. Colder bodies are stronger than hotter ones, and protoplanets generally start off hot and cool with age. This is important because the research team found that how the Moon forms is highly sensitive to the temperatures of the colliding bodies.

Illustration of the view of planet Earth from the Moon surface. Elements of this image are furnished by NASA — (Image Source: buradaki/Getty Images)

“Depending on how hot the Earth and Theia are prior to the collision, the impact can destroy Theia and produce this massive disk of debris that eventually forms the Moon,” Denton said. “But when I used the same parameters as original impact modeling—down to the equal temperature structures inside both bodies—within around five hours, an intact Moon emerged.”

Image from the simulation on the left shows formation of a disk that does not account for material strength; Image shows an intact Moon formed when simulation accounts for material strength (R). — (Image Source: Southwest Research Institute)

The study found that in some scenarios, the simulations using certain temperature conditions produced an intact Moon within hours of the collision, whereas others created a protolunar disk around the Earth. In a foundational 2001 simulation study, scientists had ignored material strength, thinking it was insignificant for such high-energy events. “Models have evolved to include material strength, something that’s really important when you’re studying collisions between smaller bodies like asteroids…We weren’t sure if it would matter for the Moon or not. When we did the simulations, we found it actually matters quite a bit,” said Denton, who calls Earth and the Moon "fraternal twins." 

           

 A picture of the far side of the Moon which is not visible from Earth. — (Image Source: NASA)

Models that incorporate temperature-dependent geologic strength could be a great help in understanding the lunar formation process and better constraining when the event took place. However, one mystery that still remains is the almost identical compositional makeup of the Earth and the Moon. Scientists believe that this may be because Earth and Theia emerged in the same neighbourhood of the protoplanetary disk that surrounded our young Sun. Mars, on the other hand, which has a different chemical composition from Earth, may have formed farther away. This research was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Archaeology News: Archaeologists find Ramesses II inscription in Sinai pointing to Egypt’s lost city of Mesn

 

Archaeologists find Ramesses II inscription in Sinai pointing to Egypt’s lost city of Mesn

Alongside the lintel, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a temple believed to have been destroyed by the Romans during the legion’s quarrying efforts.

By Miriam Sela-Eitam, Jerusalem Post, August 30, 2026

https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-906900

Ancient lintel found in Tell Abu Saifi archaeological site pointing to lost city of Mesn, August 28, 2026. (photo credit: EGYPTIAN TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES MINISTRY)

Excavations at the Tell Abu Saifi archaeological site may have uncovered evidence of the lost Pharaonic city of Mesn, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced earlier in August.

Tell Abu Saifi is located in the city of Qantara East, in Egypt’s Ismailia Governorate along Egypt’s eastern border with the Sinai desert.

During ongoing excavations to uncover the historic Way of Horus military route, which leads from Egypt into ancient Canaan, archaeologists discovered a large, inscribed sandstone lintel broken into two pieces. 

Inscribed on three sides of the lintel are the titles of Ramesses II (“Ramesses the Great”), who is believed by many to have been the pharaoh in the biblical story of the Exodus.

But it is the second inscription that caught archaeologists’ eye: a reference to restoration work being carried out on a statue belonging to the deity “Horus, Lord of the City of Mesn.”

Ancient inscriptions found at Tell Abu Saifi archaeological site in Egypt that may point to lost city of Mesn, August 28, 2026. (credit: EGYPTIAN TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES MINISTRY)

Dr. Hisham Hussein, head of the Central Administration for Lower Egypt and Sinai and director of the archaeological mission, said that the inscription represents “highly significant evidence” in studying the identity of the site.

However, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Hisham El Leithy noted that while the newfound is significant, further excavations and research are underway in attempt to uncover additional evidence to conclusively determine the matter.

Remains of temple destroyed by Romans unearthed

Alongside the lintel, archaeologists unearthed the remains of a temple believed to have been destroyed by the Romans during the legion’s quarrying efforts.

A massive mudbrick wall belonging to the temple’s outer wall, its gateways, interior rooms, and various layers, were found at the site, as well as storehouses, service rooms, and a sanctuary area.

Study of the excavations indicate that the site underwent several stages of reconstruction and development.

According to researchers, the temple reached its height during the Ptolemaic (Greek) period of ancient Egypt before parts of the site were reused for the construction of Roman military barracks, known as a “Castra,” during the third century CE.

Two large circular kilns built over the corners of the temple’s sanctuary area and bearing traces of burnt limestone point to the site’s later transformation into a lime production quarry during the late Roman period.

Ancient roads uncovered at site

The remains of two successive stone roads leading from outside the fortified area into the temple were also discovered, dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods respectfully. 

Mahmoud Galal, director of the General Administration of Sinai Antiquities and director of the mission, added that archaeologists had also discovered a collection of artifacts with both administrative and military significance at the site.

The artifacts included a 26th Dynasty schist statue depicting an army scribe carrying a broken shrine, a headless and footless statue dating to the Late Period, the torso of a royal basalt statue, and fragments of falcon statues made of basalt and limestone.

The discoveries made at the site highlight the “strategic and cultural role the area played in protecting Egypt’s eastern borders throughout history,” said Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.

He added that the continuation of Egyptian excavations at sites connected to the Way of Horus contributes to “reconstructing the historical picture of the route and its stations,” while also emphasizing the importance of “scientific investment in archaeological excavation and documentation to uncover new aspects of ancient Egyptian history.”

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