Science

LOS ANGELES – Devastating fires here have forced the closure and evacuation of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as flames came less than one mile away from the facility. JPL, which operates robotic spacecraft and the Deep Space Network used for planetary missions, is located in a mandatory evacuation zone but officials have not reported

La Niña increases the risk of drought in certain regions, as occurred in California in 2022 David McNew / Getty Images A weak La Niña climate pattern has emerged in the Pacific Ocean, months later than was initially forecast. This will raise the risk of drought and heavy rain in parts of the world, even

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe survives its first close-up solar encounter – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here

ORLANDO, Fla. — Rocket Lab is asking the incoming administration to reconsider NASA’s plans for Mars Sample Return (MSR), arguing it can offer an approach that is faster and less expensive than the agency’s alternatives. NASA announced Jan. 7 it would spend the next year and a half studying two new architectures for MSR. One

The Palisades Fire advancing on homes in Los Angeles Ethan Swope/Associated Press/Alamy Fast-moving wildfires in the Los Angeles area are burning out of control long after fire season normally ends in California. Powerful Santa Ana winds are not unusual for this time of year but they have arrived after months of drought. The combination has

Vacuum expertise enables physics research – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here

TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite operator Ligado Networks, already suing the U.S. government over its stalled 5G plans, has filed a lawsuit against Viasat’s Inmarsat subsidiary for allegedly breaching their long-standing L-band spectrum partnership. Two days after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Ligado said in a Jan. 7 news release that it is seeking financial

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has probably been infecting people for centuries ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Alarmist headlines that warn of China once again being overwhelmed by a mysterious new virus have dominated in the past few days. But the virus reported to be responsible for a surge in respiratory infections there, called human metapneumovirus, or hMPV,

New method recycles quantum dots used in microscopic lasers – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here

TAMPA, Fla. — Satellite operator AST SpaceMobile hopes to turbocharge its proposed direct-to-smartphone services with L-band spectrum from Ligado Networks, which filed for bankruptcy after GPS interference concerns derailed its terrestrial 5G plans. The companies announced Jan. 6 that they are working toward a long-term deal granting AST SpaceMobile access to up to 40 MHz

A wastewater treatment plant in California Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Wastewater treatment facilities are a major source of PFAS contamination in drinking water in the US – they discharge enough of the “forever chemicals” to raise concentrations above safe levels for an estimated 15 million people or more. They can also release long-lasting prescription drugs into

Cross-linked polymer is both stiff and stretchy – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here

WASHINGTON — An upcoming European launch competition will be an early test of efforts by the European Space Agency to modify its approach to policies that link contracts to member state contributions. ESA has long used a policy known as georeturn where member states are guaranteed contracts to companies based in their countries in proportion

Teenagers in the US roughly doubled their use of nicotine pouches in 2024, despite turning away from alcohol and other drugs Read the original article here

Imaging and medical-physics firms bag Institute of Physics business awards 2024 – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here

WASHINGTON — SpaceX plans to test several upgrades to its Starship vehicle on its next test flight, scheduled for as soon as Jan. 10, as well as conduct the first payload deployments from it. SpaceX outlined its plans for the seventh test flight of the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle in a Jan. 3 statement. It confirmed

Artist’s impression of a group of Homo floresiensis with a freshly killed stegodon (Stegodon florensis insularis) MAURICIO ANTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Severe drought caused by climate change may have led to the decline of Indonesia’s pygmy elephants and the “hobbit”-like humans who hunted them. Until about 50,000 years ago, Homo floresiensis, standing about a metre tall,

Solar wind squashed Uranus’s magnetosphere during Voyager 2 flyby – Physics World Skip to main content Discover more from Physics World Copyright © 2025 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors Read the original article here