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Black holes evaporate through Hawking radiation, meaning their days are numbered. But a new study finds they could enter a metastable stage where they look similar to white holes.

Aerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against Micro-Meteoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD). While most designers understand the threat, designing structural solutions capable of withstanding the hypervelocity impacts these undercontrolled pieces of material can cause can take a significant bite out of a mission’s mass budget. A new paper from Binkal Kumar Sharma of the University of Bremen and Harshitha Baskar, an independent researcher, provides a detailed review of cutting-edge options for defending against those deadly particles.

An impression made in clay around 175,000 years ago could be a kneeprint left by one of the builders of a strange stalagmite circle found deep inside Bruniquel cave in south-west France

A secret society of French mathematicians has been revolutionising the field of mathematics under a pseudonym for nearly a century. Columnist Jacob Aron finds that this mythic collective provided maths a rigorous and useful foundation, and did some real harm along the way

Scientists may have uncovered a surprising secret behind why life exists at all. A new study suggests that the Universe’s fundamental constants — the deep physical rules that govern everything from atoms to stars — appear to sit within an incredibly narrow “sweet spot” that allows liquids to flow properly inside living cells. Even tiny shifts in these constants could make blood too thick, water too sticky, or cellular motion impossible, potentially wiping out life as we know it.

Scientists may have uncovered a surprising secret behind why life exists at all. A new study suggests that the Universe’s fundamental constants — the deep physical rules that govern everything from atoms to stars — appear to sit within an incredibly narrow “sweet spot” that allows liquids to flow properly inside living cells. Even tiny shifts in these constants could make blood too thick, water too sticky, or cellular motion impossible, potentially wiping out life as we know it.

Anyone who truly values open and rational discussions about controversial subjects need to be cleared-eyed about where the threat to such dialogue is coming from.

The post The “We’re Not Allowed to Question This” Gambit first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

A mysterious comet from beyond our solar system is giving astronomers a rare glimpse into alien worlds — and it may have formed in a place far colder and stranger than anything around our Sun. The interstellar visitor, called 3I/ATLAS, contains an astonishingly high amount of “heavy water,” far exceeding anything seen in our own solar system.

The Universe’s biggest black holes may not be born giants after all. Scientists analyzing gravitational-wave signals from dozens of black hole collisions found evidence that the heaviest black holes are likely “cosmic recyclers” — formed through repeated smashups inside incredibly crowded star clusters. These violent chain reactions appear to create a distinct class of rapidly spinning black holes that stand apart from ordinary ones formed by dying stars.

When researchers look up at the sky and wonder if we’re not alone, they also realize the origins of life here on Earth might hold the key to finding out. The chaotic chemical soup of our early world eventually led to the staggering complexity of modern life, but how exactly did it start? Proteins were one of the key ingredients in the early years, but we’re still only just discovering how these marvels of modern biology first managed to fold, function, and survive. A new review paper, The borderlands of foldability: lessons from simplified proteins, published recently in Trends in Chemistry, showcases how scientists are attempting to answer this question - by researching “simplified proteins”.

The history of SETI is long and varied, with countless contributions made by some of the most brilliant minds humanity has ever produced. In this series, we will look into the milestones and principles that have led the field to where it is today.

Somewhere out there, hurtling through space in the darkness, is an asteroid with our name on it. We just don't know which one yet. NASA's answer to that uncomfortable truth is NEO Surveyor, a purpose built infrared space telescope currently taking shape in laboratories across America, and scheduled for launch in 2027. The stakes, quite literally, could not be higher.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted something that shouldn’t exist—at least not so early in the universe. A massive galaxy, formed less than 2 billion years after the Big Bang, appears to have no rotation at all, a trait usually seen only in much older, evolved galaxies. This challenges current theories that young galaxies should still be spinning from their formation.

A bizarre planetary pairing 190 light-years away is challenging everything astronomers thought they knew about how worlds form. A “lonely” hot Jupiter — typically found without nearby companions — is sharing its system with a smaller mini-Neptune tucked even closer to the star, a setup once thought nearly impossible.

A team of researchers used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope together with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to observe almost 9,000 star clusters in four nearby galaxies. They studied younger clusters that were still embedded in their natal gas clouds, and older ones that had dissipated that gas. Their results show that more massive star clusters emerge more quickly from their birth, clearing away gas and filling the galaxy with ultraviolet light. The research presents a better understanding of star formation in galaxies, something lacking in scientific simulations, as well as how and where planets can form.

For years, when something happened on the far side of the Sun, we didn't know much, if anything about it. Sunspots could form there, flares could lash out and the corona could send masses of material out to space. However, we didn't know about any of this until those active regions rotated around to our view. In the late 1900s, scientists came up with a technique called helioseismology to analyze sound waves created by such activity as they echoed through the Sun.

The World Health Organization sought to quell worldwide fears over the hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius and reassure the public that the risk of widespread transmission is low

Only 3 per cent of those with polycystic ovary syndrome reach perimenopause by the age of 46, which may allow them to conceive when older

A comprehensive study exploring coffee’s physiological effects finds that some of its benefits are down to polyphenols and their influence on gut bacteria

About two weeks ago I wrote to both of my Senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (Durbin is not seeking re-election this year), criticizing their votes for a bill blocking the sale of U.S. weapons and other aid to Israel, and asking why they have voted this way.

The bill, S. J. Resolution 32, was introduced by Bernie Sanders, and stipulated that the Senate would block military aid (comprising both military bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs) to Israel.  The bill was rejected by the Senate by a vote of 40-59, largely along party lines, with all Democrats (save seven: Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Chris Coons of Delaware, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York) voting to block aid. Note that the U.S. was selling the materiel to Israel, not giving it to them.

Both Senator Duckworth and Senator Durbin voted “yea” on the bill, meaning they favored blocking the aid to Israel. As I have consistently voted for both Senators in the past, I wanted them to know that I did not favor their votes, and I asked them to explain their positions.  I haven’t yet heard from Duckworth, but here is Durbin’s response.

May 6, 2026

Dr. Jerry Allen Coyne
ADDRESS REDACTED

Dear Jerry:

          Thank you for contacting me about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  I appreciate hearing from you.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed a horrific terrorist attack on Israel, killing more than 1,000 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostages.  Since the attack and the ensuing war, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, 70 percent of which were women and children.

On April 3, 2025, the Senate considered whether to discharge two joint resolutions of disapproval from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  These joint resolutions of disapproval, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, would have blocked the sale of billions of dollars of certain offensive weapons to Israel.  I voted for both of these measures on the Senate Floor, but they both failed by a vote of 15-82 and 15-83, respectively.

On May 20, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request.  In this hearing, I pressed Secretary of State Rubio on why the Trump Administration has failed to join our allies in calling for the immediate delivery of aid to the civilians of Gaza.

On July 25, 2025, I joined many of my Senate Democratic colleagues in issuing a joint resolution urging the Trump Administration to call on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire agreement and support a surge in humanitarian assistance.  Following the joint statement, on July 28, 2025, I delivered a speech on the Senate Floor denouncing the actions of Hamas and calling on Prime Minister Netanyahu to take a measured approach and to release critical aid to those starving in Gaza.  The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling, unconscionable, and cruel.

    Representatives from Israel and Hamas signed a ceasefire deal on October 9, 2025, marking the beginning of the end of the war in Gaza.  The agreement includes provisions that significantly increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, with a goal of 600 truckloads of aid carrying food, water, and medical supplies entering Gaza daily.  However, the ceasefire agreement remains extremely fragile amid mutual accusations of violations and humanitarian challenges.  The deal will require sustained attention and vigilance from President Trump and our allies in order to make the agreement a reality.  It will take a long time to heal from the pain and suffering that has occurred since the brutal Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, but this ceasefire agreement offers the best chance at a hopeful future where both people, Palestinians and Israelis, can live in peace.

I will continue to support funding for humanitarian efforts in Gaza and around the world through the Congressional appropriations process and work to hold the administration accountable when they fail to uphold the law and award funds appropriated by Congress.

Thank you again for contacting me.  Please feel free to keep in touch.

      Sincerely,      Richard J. Durbin      United States Senator

RJD/je

There’s not much of an explicit explanation save the disputed claim that there is not enough humanitarian assistance going to Gaza. Note Durbin’s words that “The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are appalling, unconscionable, and cruel.”  “Cruel” implies deliberate malfeasance by Israel, supporting a “genocide” accusation. Durbin does not add that Hamas is partly responsible for reducing aid, although some sources argue that the reduction of needed aid is also due to “underfunding, crossing delays, operational restrictions, and general post-war chaos” (from Grok). To the extent that these factors delay needed aid, they must be ameliorated, and to the extent that Israel is responsible for restrictions of needed aid, they must do better.

As far as the 70% women and children killed, this figured has been retracted by Hamas (see below). It’s also misleading, as “children” are defined in this tally as humans under 18, and of course plenty of Hamas fighters are under 18. Overall, the proportion of women killed, according to the figure given below (from Hamas) varies from 30% to 50%, depending on age, but of fighting-age people (13-55), 72% of the fatalities are male. This is certainly not out of line for urban warfare.

John Spencer, who teaches urban warfare at West Point, has said the following:

Israel has taken extraordinary steps to limit civilian harm. It warns before attacks using text messages, phone calls, leaflets, and broadcasts. It opens safe corridors and pauses operations so civilians can leave combat areas. It tracks civilian presence down to the building level. I have seen missions delayed or canceled because children were nearby. I have seen Israeli troops come under fire and still be ordered not to shoot back because civilians might be harmed.

Israel has delivered more humanitarian aid to Gaza than any military in history has provided to an enemy population during wartime. More than 94,000 trucks carrying over 1.8 million tons of aid have entered the territory. Israel has supported hospitals, repaired water pipelines, increased access to clean water, and enabled over 36,000 patients to leave Gaza for treatment abroad.

The IDF has coordinated millions of vaccine doses, supplied fuel for hospitals and infrastructure, and facilitated the flow of food and medicine through the UN, aid groups, and private partners. The U.S.–Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation alone has delivered more than 82 million meals—one to two million a day—while weakening Hamas’s control over aid. This is not genocide. It is responsible and historic mid-war humanitarian policy.

Maarten Boudry, in a critique of the “genocide” allegations called “They don’t believe it either”, takes issue with the 70% figure and cites sources for the data below, namely Hamas (neither Boudry nor Spencer are Jewish). Booudry:

Even according to Hamas’s own statistics, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians and include many natural deaths, casualties are predominantly male and of fighting age, which is inconsistent with a policy of indiscriminate killing (Hamas initially tried to fool global opinion that the casualties of the Gaza war were “70 percent women and children,” but that claim collapsed under scrutiny and was then quietly retracted). The source of the plot below is here.

What to make of all this? It seems that Democrats like Durbin are not up on the statistics, and are making statements that they cannot support. To the extent that they call out Israel for not providing enough humanitarian aid for Gaza, well, that claim needs to be examined, as well as the proposition that it is Israel’s complete responsibility to repair the damage of the war.  But the 70% figure bandied about seems to be flatly wrong. And I wish Durbin had been more straightforward in his answer, letting me know under what conditions he would have voted for aid to Israel.  But of coursse he’s a politician. And some other Democrat will be running for Senator this fall (the field is crowded).