Going supersonic! NASA's X-59 jet breaks sound barrier for the 1st time
The X-59, a long-nosed demonstrator designed to help develop the tech required for "quiet" supersonic flight, notched the milestone on Friday (June 5), more than six months after getting off the ground for the first time. "The X-59’s first supersonic flight is a testament to America's enduring leadership in science, engineering and aerospace innovation," Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the U. Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement on Friday. NASA’s X-59 eXternal Vision System shows Mach 1.077 on June 5, 2026, marking the aircraft’s first time reaching supersonic speed in support of NASA’s Quesst mission. ()Friday's flight began and ended at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The X-59, with NASA test pilot Jim "Clue" Less at the yoke, took off at p. m. EDT (1808 GMT; a. m. local California time) and touched down 81 minutes later. Less took the jet to a maximum altitude of 43,400 feet (13,228 meters) and a top speed of 713 mph (1,147 kph). That works out to about Mach 1.1, or 1.1 times faster than the speed of sound, NASA officials said in the statement. (The speed of sound varies with temperature, as sound waves move faster in warmer air. At sea level, where the air is relatively warm, Mach 1 is about 761 mph, or 1,225 kph.) X-59 team members won't rest on their laurels, however. In just a few days, they plan to send the plane on its first "mission conditions" flight — one that reaches a top speed of Mach 1.4 and an altitude of about 55,000 feet (16,764 m). "This speed and altitude are the base conditions for the X-59 when it will eventually fly over several U. S. communities, enabling NASA to gather data about how people may perceive its quiet thump," NASA officials wrote in the same statement. "NASA will share this data with U. S. and international regulators to help establish new data-driven noise standards to enable a future viable market for supersonic commercial flight over land," they added. That market dried up in 1973, when the Federal Aviation Administration banned such flights to protect people and property from loud sonic booms. The X-59, the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst ("Quiet Supersonic Technology") program, is designed to generate mild thumps rather than clapping booms. If all goes to plan, the work it's doing now could help bring widespread supersonic flight back to the U. He primarily covers human and robotic spaceflight, military space, and exoplanets, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat.
DC Studios lights the fuse on a sensational final 'Supergirl' trailer and it's totally peak (video)
It had been pretty much complete radio silence from its marketing campaign for the past two months ever since a lackluster preview landed in April, but that all changed this week! DC Studios just released one helluva new "Supergirl" trailer that has us reenergized and extremely upbeat about its cinematic fortunes when it does finally arrive in multiplexes starting on June 26, 2026. It’s a kickass battle royale from start to finish with all fight and no filler as Milly Alcock's soaring, fully-suited Kara Zor-El and Krypto the Superdog take on a cadre of intergalactic enemies. Latest Videos From View more Watch full video here: A teenage Kara Zor-El. arrives on Earth with Krypto in "Supergirl" ( Studios)The plot for director Craig Gillespie's "Supergirl" has been snagged straight from DC Comics' "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," a 2021-2022 comic book miniseries written . DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran serve as producers on the DCU’s $175 million big screen superhero slugfest that just might exceed expectations. It all revolves around a revenge mission when Supergirl teams up with gal pal Ruthye Marye Knoll (Eve Ridley) to hunt down the pirate assassin Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts) and crosses paths with rowdy alien bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa) in his first live-action DCU appearance. Interestingly, that cigar-smoking biker ruffian was not a character in the DC Comics title of a few years back. Kara Zor-El about to scorch an enemy with her heat ray in "Supergirl" ( Studios)We’re getting a bit fed up with the Blondie "Call Me" anthem that seems to cling to every 'Supergirl" preview, but here in this invigorating trailer we're given so much more than in any previous publicity offering. This time we visit exotic alien cityscapes, witness brutal action galore, feel the blast of crimson heat rays, are shown the bond between Kara and Ruthye, share in seeing Supergirl’s first true costume, score a surprise cameo from David Corenswet’s Man of Steel, and even get to check out a cool flashback to when little Kara first came to planet Earth with Krypto. "I know it’s pretty colorful, but that's just so everyone knows we're good," Superman declares when displaying Kara’s flashy new blue, red and yellow supersuit. With a screenplay -starring David Krumholtz as Zor-El and Emily Beecham as Alura In-Ze, "Supergirl" zooms into theaters and IMAX on June 26. You can catch "Superman" on HBO Max.
Astronauts return to ISS after sheltering during air leak repair attempt
9 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent, and Dan Sales Reuters Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) were ordered to shelter in an attached spacecraft after the structure suddenly started leaking more air. Five of the seven crew were directed to go into the docked SpaceX shuttle Dragon "Freedom" on Friday afternoon and were braced for a potential evacuation. Meanwhile, two remaining personnel - a pair of Russian cosmonauts - attempted to repair a part of the Russian segment of the ISS, where the leaks had started increasing on Monday. The repairs were paused and the crew ordered back onto the ISS . Watch: Moment crew docks at International Space Station Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev, who arrived on the ISS in February, had been sheltering on the docked ship, along with another astronaut Chris Williams. They had been told to put on their spacesuits so they were ready to undock and return to Earth at short notice. The Dragon effectively functions as a lifeboat - attached to the station but ready to detach the moment the order is given. The trigger for the order was a worsening air leak in the transfer tunnel, known as PrK, leading to a section of the Russian segment of the station called the Zvezda service module. Russian cosmonauts, station commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev, attempted to fix the problem. Their escape route was the separately docked Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft. Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who was a commander of the ISS in 2012, said it had always leaked around half a pound of pressure a day. "When you have an area that's leaking a little more, you get up to a pound a day, maybe a pound a half or even two, then we hit a threshold where, okay, we've got to do something about this," he told BBC Newshour. "You're always one breath away from having to take shelter somewhere if the station has a problem. It's just a matter of fact of living on board a spaceship." It is not the first time the station has had to deal with this latest leak - the cracks responsible have persisted on and off for around six years. However, following the arrival of a Russian cargo ship last month, the Russian space agency Roscosmos noticed a fresh slow pressure drop in the tunnel, prompting the decision to move beyond patchwork fixes and attempt a more extensive repair operation on Friday.
Are we getting to the point where it's safe to gene-edit babies?
Light micrograph of a human egg cell after fertilisation CC STUDIO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY When a rogue researcher in China revealed in 2018 that he had used CRISPR to create three gene-edited children, his actions were almost universally condemned . The main objection was not that gene-editing babies is wrong in itself, but that the CRISPR technique used was not safe and had a very high risk of causing harmful mutations. Now, a team in the US has used an improved form of CRISPR, known as base editing, to edit healthy embryos and shown that it can be done without introducing unwanted mutations. So are we now at the point where we could consider allowing the use of the technique? The answer is no, because a major obstacle remains. Baby with rare disease given world-first personal CRISPR gene therapy Our DNA consists of two strands. The first form of CRISPR to be developed uses a protein called Cas9, which hooks up with a piece of guide RNA that helps it find a specific place in the genome. Once there, Cas9 cuts through both strands. When a cell tries to repair the damage, it often makes mistakes, introducing small mutations that can disable genes. So CRISPR-Cas9 is a destructive technique even when it works as intended, and it sometimes goes wrong, with the cut ends of DNA being reattached in the wrong places, causing large mutations and chromosomal abnormalities. But many improved forms of CRISPR have been developed. For instance, CRISPR base editors change a single DNA letter to another, and during the process cut only a single strand of DNA. So base editing can be used to make precise repairs with much less chance of anything going wrong. The technique has already saved lives and a number of trials are under way – for instance, to test it as a treatment for conditions that result in very high cholesterol. But editing embryos is very different from treating diseases. In adults, it doesn’t matter if gene editing doesn’t work perfectly in every cell – often only a fifth of cells in the liver, say, need to be successfully edited to treat a disease. In a human embryo, however, gene editing has to work perfectly, because that embryo will give rise to every cell in the body. In 2017, a team in China reported promising results in a small study that used human embryos discarded during IVF because of abnormalities.
Cuts to US ocean programme will hinder monitoring of El Niño and AMOC
One of the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s mooring spheres being lifted out of the sea Rebecca Travis / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution In the winter of 2013-2014, the strong winds of the jet stream shifted north, allowing a mass of warm water dubbed “the blob” to swell across more than 1500 kilometres of the north Pacific Ocean. Floating instruments moored to the seabed off Alaska, Washington and Oregon alerted scientists and the fishing industry to the arrival of this water, which was up to 4°C hotter than normal. How climate change has pushed our oceans to the brink of catastrophe They were part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), five mooring arrays off the US west and east coasts and Greenland. Announcing $220 million in funding for the programme in 2023, the US National Science Foundation (NSF) said the OOI was needed to monitor “critical organs of the Earth”. But last month the NSF announced that these arrays would be largely removed from the water following funding cuts . As a planet-warming El Niño climate phase warmed the water further in 2015-2016, sensors running up and down OOI mooring wires revealed the blob was expanding into the deep sea below 250 metres. The mooring data helped show the blob, which repeated in 2019 and may be happening more frequently due to climate change, spurred toxic algal blooms that closed California’s $60 million Dungeness crab fishery for the season. The removal of most OOI moorings will diminish the accuracy of weather forecasting, including precipitation patterns influencing the record drought in the western US. It will also hinder efforts to monitor a possible weakening in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) that keeps Europe temperate, as well as the effects of an imminent El Niño. “We’re flying blind, and it will end up costing us more,” says John Abraham at the University of St. While the OOI costs $56 million a year to run, the US commercial fishing industry, which relies in part on OOI data, generates billions of dollars each year. Weather and climate disasters did $183 billion of damage in 2024. (The US government discontinued this tally in 2025.) Without the OOI, fleets won’t know which fishing areas might be less impacted ño, which some models say could be the strongest on record, says Jack Barth at Oregon State University. Oyster, clam and shellfish farms won’t be able to prepare for heating and reduced nutrients the El Niño could bring, and scientists will lose their view of harms to marine ecosystems.
Hidden supermassive black hole pairs may finally have a visible signal
Date: June 5, 2026 Source: University of Oxford Summary: Scientists have proposed a new method for finding tightly bound supermassive black hole pairs ’ gravity. The timing and brightness of these bursts could provide a unique fingerprint of black holes slowly spiraling toward a future collision. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY Gravitationally lensed starlight (orange) by a supermassive black hole binary. The Einstein ring is shown in blue. Credit: Hanxi Wang Astronomers from the University of Oxford and the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) have outlined a new strategy for uncovering one of the universe's most elusive objects: tightly bound pairs of supermassive black holes. These giant black hole duos are expected to form naturally after galaxies merge. Although astronomers have identified some widely separated supermassive black hole pairs, finding those that orbit much closer together has proven far more difficult. In a study published in Physical Review Letters, the researchers suggest searching for a distinctive signal. As the black holes orbit each other, their immense gravity could repeatedly magnify the light from stars located behind them, creating recurring flashes that may reveal the hidden systems. Galaxy Mergers Create Supermassive Black Hole Binaries Most galaxies contain a supermassive black hole at their center. When galaxies collide and eventually combine, their central black holes can become gravitationally bound, forming what scientists call a supermassive black hole binary. These systems are important for understanding how galaxies evolve over time. They are also expected to generate some of the strongest gravitational waves in the universe. Future space-based gravitational wave observatories should be able to detect these binaries directly. However, the new research suggests that astronomers may not have to wait. Existing and upcoming sky surveys could potentially identify them through their effects on visible light. "Supermassive black holes act as natural telescopes," said Dr. Miguel Zumalacárregui from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics. "Because of their enormous mass and compact size, they strongly bend passing light. Starlight from the same host galaxy can be focused into extraordinarily bright images, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing." How Gravitational Lensing Creates Bright Flashes A single supermassive black hole can dramatically magnify a background star, but only when the alignment is almost perfect. A binary system behaves differently. With two black holes acting as gravitational lenses, the region where extreme magnification can occur becomes much larger. The pair creates a diamond-shaped feature known as a caustic curve, where stars can appear dramatically brighter.
Giant fire tornadoes could clean up oil spills faster with less pollution
What if one of the best ways to fight an oil spill is with a controlled fire tornado? Date: June 5, 2026 Source: Texas A&M University Summary: Researchers have shown that controlled fire whirls can clean up oil spills faster and more cleanly than traditional burning methods. The spinning flames consumed up to 95% of the oil, cut soot emissions by 40%, and could help prevent spills from reaching sensitive marine habitats. Share: Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email FULL STORY Scientists have turned fire tornadoes into a potential eco-friendly weapon for rapidly destroying offshore oil spills. Credit: AI/ScienceDaily. com When a major oil spill occurs at sea, emergency crews often face a difficult choice. They can allow the oil to spread across the water, threatening coastlines and marine life, or they can set it on fire. Burning the oil, a technique known as an in situ burn, can prevent the slick from expanding. However, it also produces thick clouds of black smoke, releases soot into the atmosphere, and leaves behind a layer of unburned residue floating on the ocean's surface. Now, researchers have demonstrated a striking new approach that could make this process far more effective. In a first-of-its-kind large-scale study, scientists created giant fire whirls, spinning columns of flame that resemble fire tornadoes, and found they burn oil faster and more cleanly than conventional methods. The rotating vortex draws in large amounts of oxygen, creating a hotter and more efficient flame. As a result, the fire whirl consumed oil more rapidly while producing significantly less pollution. The study, supported (BSEE), was led by Dr. Qingsheng Wang of Texas A&M University and Dr. Michael Gollner of the University of California, Berkeley. "This the first time anyone has conceived using fire whirls for oil spill remediation, and it's really just the beginning," said Oran, professor of aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering. "Our goal is to harness the chaotic nature of fire whirls as a powerful, precise restoration tool, to protect coastlines, marine ecosystems and the environment as a whole." A Faster, Cleaner Way to Fight Oil Spills The research introduces an unconventional strategy for dealing with one of the most damaging environmental emergencies. The devastating Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 remains a powerful reminder of the impact offshore oil spills can have. The accident, the largest offshore oil spill in U. S. history, killed 11 workers, claimed the lives of thousands of marine animals, and caused widespread damage to ocean ecosystems. "We are looking at environmental disasters like oil spills, and identifying ways to remediate them in faster, greener and more sustainable ways," Oran said.
One in four births in England is now emergency caesarean, BBC analysis shows
1 day agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google Catherine Burns, health correspondentand Maryam Ahmed, BBC Verify BBC sees emergency C-sections in maternity unit A quarter of all babies in England are now delivered , BBC analysis shows - marking a significant rise over the last five years. The unplanned surgeries have increased , while the rate of elective caesareans has also increased. At the same time, the rate of vaginal births without instruments has fallen - from more than half of all deliveries to 43%. Prof Marian Knight, director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, which researches the care of women and babies in pregnancy and birth, says the rise represents a "total change in how women give birth" in England, and that it has not been replicated in other European countries. The NHS does not publish data on why an emergency C-section is performed, and experts say there is no single, clear explanation for the increase. However, some have told the BBC they are concerned a culture of fear in maternity units and among pregnant women is driving up the number of procedures. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which represents maternity doctors, says pressure on staff and operating theatres means the system is "really struggling" to meet the increased demand. NHS England says "decisions are made ". A caesarean section, or C-section, is a cut through the mother's tummy and womb. Emergency C-sections are graded from the most urgent - where there is an immediate threat to the life of the woman or the baby - to those where labour is not progressing well. Each unplanned surgery comes with weeks of physical recovery, the chance of mental trauma and a small but serious risk of complications in future pregnancies. BBC Verify has tracked the changes in births in England over five years. The most common way to have a baby is still a vaginal delivery where medics don't use instruments such as forceps to help pull the baby out - but that has fallen from 53% to 43% of births. Planned caesareans now make up 20% of births and there has been a steady increase in emergency caesareans - from 18% to 26%. Figures from other parts of the UK are not as up to date, but put emergency caesarean rates at 22% in Scotland, 20% in Wales and 16% in Northern Ireland. Prof Knight's unit has compared how caesarean birth rates - both planned and emergency - have changed across 42 countries.
'World-first' vaccine designed by artificial intelligence
'World-first' vaccine designed 1 day agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google James GallagherHealth and science correspondent Artificial intelligence has been used to develop a "fundamentally new" type of vaccine that could protect against large swathes of viruses and prevent pandemics, say researchers. The team at the University of Cambridge say it is the first time a vaccine's key component has been designed entirely . The vaccine was engineered to work on all coronaviruses which would include all Covid variants as well as viruses that currently infect animals yet have the potential to start the next pandemic. The work is still in the early stages, but the team is already developing separate vaccines that could tackle flu and Ebola. Vaccines teach our bodies how to spot an infection to increase our chances of fighting it off. But some viruses are adept at changing their appearance – or mutating – so vaccines can quickly go out of date. It's why Covid and winter flu vaccines need to be regularly updated. "We're always behind," said Prof Jonathan Heeney, from the University of Cambridge, adding "what we're trying to do is get ahead of the curve" and so far ahead they could protect against new outbreaks or pandemics. Vaccines played a crucial role in the pandemic, but needed to be designed from scratch and then updated as the virus mutated How does it work? Normally vaccines are designed using a current strain of a virus. The Cambridge researchers took known genetic codes – the instruction manuals of life – from a range of coronaviruses that had been recorded . These genetic codes were analysed . It then designed a "super-antigen" that could train the immune system in such a way it gave protection against the whole family of viruses – even if they mutated or a new infection jumped from animals to people. Antigens are the critical components of vaccines as this is what the immune system learns to attack. Heeney said this was the first time an antigen designed . He said the technology was "surprising all of us" and it was "amazing what we can do with it for the good of humanity". Heeney told BBC News: "This is about making vaccines that protect us, not just from today's viruses, but protect us from what can cause the next outbreak or disease. "This is a fundamental shift in how we prepare for pandemics." Bats are one source of coronaviruses The trials, in 39 people, were designed to assess if such vaccines were safe.
Failing sea defences 'disaster' for nature reserve
2 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google Jon CuthillSouth of England environment correspondent BBC Farlington Marshes near Portsmouth is one of the oldest nature reserves managed -important nature reserve faces "disaster" after being flooded , conservationists have said. The 120-hectare (300-acre) Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve near Portsmouth is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area for Conservation (SAC) and Ramsar site. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has highlighted a failing tidal valve and crumbling sea wall which are letting salt water flood grazing marshland and wash away birds' nests and reed beds. The Environment Agency (EA) said it was working to find a permanent fix but estimated it would cost about £90m to replace the entire 2-mile (3.5km) sea defence. The failed tidal flap has allowed sea water to surge onto the reserve The site is home to bird species including bearded tit, avocet, redshank and lapwing. Jamie Marsh, director of land management for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "This is a bit of a disaster", with eight hectares of reed bed already lost. "We have a tidal flap that's not sealing off properly and we're seeing water flooding into the site. "The elevated sea levels have flooded out a lot of these areas and consequently flooded out a lot of the nesting areas. So nests have been lost." Birds have been forced to move to higher ground to renest and rebreed. The tidal flap first broke in the spring of 2024. A temporary repair was put in place . Earlier this year, engineers installed a permanent replacement valve but that too has since failed. Marsh said it had left the situation "back to square one". "Habitats that were recovering are now back under threat and under pressure again." More stories from Hampshire & the Isle of Wight Watch the latest episode of South Today from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Areas of salt marsh and marsh grazing like Farlington are incredibly important and rare habitat in the south of England. Not only does it provide a unique home for wildlife but coastal fringes act as both a natural flood defence and a carbon sink. But with rising sea levels due to climate change such sites are getting squeezed out. Development and hard infrastructure - in Farlington's case, the A27 - means there is nowhere for the marshes to retreat inland. In the future, unless action is taken, there is a real risk they will be lost altogether.