Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck, and FarWestGirl.
Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man (RIP), wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, JeremyBloom, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP), jlms qkw, and doomandgloom .
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos since 2007, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
NASA discovers 'space gum' and sugars 'crucial to life' in asteroid Bennu samples brought to Earth (video).
Space.com
"I'm becoming much more optimistic that we may be able to find life beyond Earth, even in our own solar system."
Scientists have detected several sugars essential for life in the samples brought back from asteroid Bennu, NASA announced on Tuesday (Dec. 2).
Analyzing pristine fragments of the asteroid delivered to Earth by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in 2023, a team led by Yoshihiro Furukawa of Tohoku University in Japan found ribose, a crucial building block of RNA, and glucose, an energy-rich sugar used by nearly all life on Earth.
Although the researchers stress that these sugars are not evidence of life itself, their presence suggests that the basic chemical ingredients needed for biology were common throughout the early solar system.
I watched scientists track interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS leaving the solar system in real-time: 'This is some prime-time science'.
Space.com
It was 4 a.m. on Nov. 25 at the top of Hawaii's dormant Maunakea volcano. The process to view the comet took less time than expected.
On the main screen, the subject at hand, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was a small, fuzzy blob drifting through a crowded field of stars. On another, its light had been stretched into a barcode of rainbow lines, some brighter than others, each corresponding to a different gas boiling off the object's nucleus.
"This is some prime-time science happening in real-time right now," said Bryce Bolin, principal investigator of a study on the interstellar comet, as he greeted a global audience logged into the online skywatching session. The session was hosted by Shadow the Scientists, an organization that directly connects experts and non-experts through virtual seminars like this recent one, and the Gemini North Telescope, one half of the international Gemini Observatory.
Cosmonaut removed from SpaceX's Crew 12 mission for violating national security rules: report.
Space.com
A Russian spaceflyer was pulled from SpaceX's next astronaut mission for violating U.S. national security regulations, according to a media report.
Oleg Artemyev, of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, had been manifested on SpaceX's Crew 12, a four-person mission scheduled to launch toward the International Space Station (ISS) as early as February.
Fellow cosmonaut Andrei Fedyayev recently took his place, a "decision made in connection with Oleg Artemyev’s transfer to another job," Roscosmos officials said today (Dec. 2) in a statement (in Russian; translation by Google). But that's not the whole story, according to the Russian investigative site The Insider.
For the 1st time ever, 8 spacecraft are docked to the International Space Station.
Space.com
The space station is feeling like a lot of us in the wake of Thanksgiving — very, very full.
All eight docking ports for spacecraft on the current configuration of the International Space Station (ISS) are fully occupied for the first time in the complex's history, NASA officials said in a statement on Monday (Dec. 1). (Construction of the ISS began in 1998, but the complex didn't have that many ports in the beginning.)
The ISS is so full up that controllers had to temporarily move aside a robotic spacecraft to make room for an astronaut taxi last week. NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos arrived aboard Russia's Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, which docked at the Russian Rassvet module on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28), for an expected eight-month mission.
Time travels faster on Mars than on Earth, and here's why.
Space.com
Time passes, on average, 477 millionths of a second faster per day on Mars than on Earth thanks to the impact of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Scientists say this will have repercussions for future navigation and communication networks that may span the inner solar system.
Neil Ashby and Bijunath Patla of NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S., calculated the time discrepancy between Mars and Earth by considering the strength of gravity on Mars (which is five times weaker than on Earth), the velocity and eccentricity of the Red Planet's orbit around the sun, and the gravitational influence of not only the sun but also Mars' nearest neighbors, Earth and our moon.
"[Mars'] distance from the sun and its eccentric orbit make the variations in time larger," said Patla in a statement. "A three-body problem is extremely complicated. Now we're dealing with four: the sun, Earth, the moon and Mars. The heavy lifting was more challenging than I initially thought."
Sri Lanka braced for more damage after torrential rain kills hundreds across Asia.
The Guardian
Meanwhile, Iran grapples with one of worst droughts and temperatures fall 10C below normal in US
More heavy rainfall is expected in Sri Lanka in the coming days, likely resulting in further damage across the country. It comes after torrential rainfall in south-east Asia triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides that have affected millions, killing more than 300 people in Indonesia and 160 in Thailand, with hundreds more still missing.
Parts of North Sumatra, Indonesia, were hit with rainfall totals of 800mm over four days, with other areas also experiencing heavy rainfall. The extreme weather has been associated with a rare cluster of tropical cyclones affecting swaths of southern Asia.
…
The extreme weather across much of south and south-east Asia has resulted in more than 1,300 deaths, with this number likely to rise over the coming days. Millions more have been affected by devastating floods and landslides.
Aid cuts have shaken HIV/Aids care to its core – and will mean millions more infections ahead.
The Guardian
Reports highlight devastating impact of slashed funding, especially in parts of Africa, that could lead to 3.3m new HIV infections by 2030
In Mozambique, a teenage rape victim sought care at a health clinic only to find it closed. In Zimbabwe, Aids-related deaths have risen for the first time in five years. In Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), patients with suspected HIV went undiagnosed due to test-kit stocks running out.
Stories of the devastating impact of US, British and wider European aid cuts on the fight against HIV – particularly in sub-Saharan Africa – continue to mount as 2025 comes to an end, and are set out in a series of reports released in the past week.
The Trump administration abruptly cut all overseas aid spending in January, with only piecemeal restorations to funding since then. Other countries, including the UK, have announced their own cuts. It has been estimated that external health assistance over 2025 will be between 30% and 40% lower than it was in 2023.
EU looks at legally forcing industries to reduce purchases from China.
The Guardian
The EU is considering legally forcing industries to reduce purchases from China to insulate Europe from future hostile acts, the industry commissioner, Stéphane Séjourné, says.
He made his remarks as the European Commission unveiled a €3bn (£2.63bn) strategy to reduce its dependency on China for critical raw materials amid a global scramble caused by Beijing’s “weaponisation” of supplies of everything from chips to rare earths.
The ReSourceEU programme will seek to de-risk and diversify the bloc’s supply chains for key commodities with a funding initiative to support 25-30 strategic projects in the sector.
It will include new rules to stop scrap aluminium leaving the bloc, recycling of magnets used in car batteries and a new €2bn a year fund backed by the European Investment Bank to support industries diversifying away from cheap Chinese supplies.
Underlining the threats posed by over dependency on China, Séjourné said if industry did not respond, the commission reserved the right to introduce legislation.
Israeli settlers attack and rob Italian and Canadian volunteers in West Bank.
The Guardian
Italy and Canada have raised concerns about the treatment of their citizens who were beaten and robbed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
Three Italians and a Canadian were attacked early on Sunday morning in the village of Ein al-Duyuk, near Jericho, where they had volunteered to help protect the Palestinian population from intensifying settler violence.
All four were hospitalised and one, an Italian man, was still receiving care in Ramallah on Monday for more substantial injuries.
In a written account, the Canadian said: “At 4.30am on 30 November, 10 masked settlers, two carrying army-issued rifles, burst into the home where we were sleeping after night-watch.
“They beat us for about 15 minutes. I was repeatedly kicked in the head, ribs, hips and thighs. They shouted insults at us in Arabic and told us we had no right to be there. They smashed the interior of the house and destroyed the solar batteries before leaving.” The woman, who did not want her name published for safety reasons, added: “This is not about us. We were beaten for 15 minutes. Palestinians here endure this violence every day, every hour, a thousand-fold.”
European Commission plans ‘reparations loan’ to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets.
The Guardian
The European Commission will move ahead with controversial plans to fund Ukraine with a loan based on Russia’s frozen assets, but in a concession to concerns raised by Belgium, which hosts most of the assets, the EU executive has also proposed another option: an EU loan based on common borrowing.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said on Wednesday the two proposals would ensure “Ukraine has the means to defend [itself] and take forward peace negotiations from a position of strength”.
EU leaders will be asked to decide on the options later this month, as Ukraine faces a looming funding crunch, while the latest round of US-Russia peace talks appear to have made little progress.
A Kremlin official said on Wednesday, a day after talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, that the discussions had been “positive” and Trump told reporters that Putin “very strongly” wanted to end the war, but there was little sign that Putin was ready for compromise on his maximalist goals.
Indian order to preload state-owned app on smartphones sparks political outcry.
A political outcry has erupted in India after the government mandated large technology companies to install a state-owned app on smartphones that has led to surveillance fears among opposition MPs and activists.
Manufacturers including Apple, Samsung and Xiomi have 90 days to comply with the order to preload the government’s Sanchar Saathi, or Communication Partner, on every phone in India.
All phones must have the app pre-installed before sale, while those already sold should have it installed through software updates. The Indian government denied any privacy implications, stating that Sanchar Saathi “does not automatically capture any specific personal information from you without intimation on the application”.
According to Reuters, Apple is among the big tech companies that is reportedly refusing to comply with the edict, while otherlarge tech companies have yet to respond publicly.
Hegseth risked US troops by sharing strike details on Signal, Pentagon watchdog finds.
Times of India
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is back in the political hot seat as the Pentagon’s watchdog alleged he put American personnel and missions at risk by using the Signal messaging app to share sensitive details about a strike targeting Yemen’s Houthi militants.
Trump administration officials used the encrypted app Signal to coordinate sensitive military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi militants in March — and the group chat accidentally included a journalist. Then–national security adviser Mike Waltz set up the chat with several of Trump’s top Cabinet officials but mistakenly added Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
And later, The Atlantic published additional text messages from the Signal group chat, underscoring a massive breach in operational security as specific sensitive information about the Houthi attack was shared in the chat before it was carried out.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei goes on ‘feminist’ rant, blames America and capitalism for oppressing women.
Times of India
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, went on a “feminist” rant on social media on Thursday, discussing gender pay gaps, the effects of capitalism, and how he believes the West “degrades” women.
He described women as “flowers” that must be protected and claimed that Western countries limit women to “objects” and “slaves.”Khamenei claimed that, in the name of “freedom,” some countries harass and torture women.
He said that every woman in the household should receive “affection” and added that pursuing Islam and following the Islamic code is better for both men and women, regardless of where they live in the world.
US firm's 'we still sponsor H-1Bs' hoardings in India grab eyeballs amid $100,000 visa fee row.
Times of India
A US-based AI recruitment firm came to IIT-Delhi for placement and assured the students that they will not hesitate to sponsor H-1Bs because of the $100,000 fee that the Donald Trump administration imposed, so that companies rely on American talent and don't import foreign skills.
The firm's social media marketing also targeted the H-1B issue, the concerns over the high fees and established their message that the $100,000 fee will not stop them from hiring the best.
"We want to work in India for sure. But the exposure one gets abroad, in a diverse and fast-moving environment, is different. Strict visa rules are a big setback. So companies offering sponsorship is a huge thing for us," a student told news agency PTI.
Pakistan govt buckles: Imran Khan's sister meets jailed leader; massive stirs continue.
Times of India
NEW DELHI: Authorities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday allowed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khanum, to meet him, breaking weeks of restricted access that had prompted protests by PTI supporters and family members.
According to Pakistan news website Dawn, Uzma entered the prison in the afternoon as several PTI workers gathered outside the jail premises demanding transparency about Imran’s condition.
The meeting came on a day when PTI had already planned demonstrations outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail to protest what it called unjustified curbs on Imran Khan’s visitation rights. The family and party members had been denied meetings for several weeks despite an earlier Islamabad High Court order permitting twice-weekly visits.
Earlier, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan had filed a contempt petition against the Adiala Jail superintendent and senior officials for allegedly defying the court’s directions. The petition said authorities had repeatedly blocked visits by family, lawyers and PTI leaders since March. Jail officials have maintained that Imran remains in Adiala Jail in good health.
Poor countries got $1tn from China. So did rich ones.
Times of India
As one of the world's most prolific lenders, China has paid out more than a trillion dollars in loans to the developing world to fund roads in Africa, ports in South America and railroads in Central Asia.
But the biggest recipient of its financing over the past two decades has been the US, where Chinese banks have extended $200 billion in financial support to American companies and projects, according to AidData, a research institute at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
The money poured into the construction of pipelines, data centres and airport terminals, and it helped to grease the wheels of corporate financing for US firms like Tesla, Amazon, Disney and Boeing. By 2017, some of this financing started to raise alarms in Washington.
In all, Chinese state-owned firms have provided $2.2 trillion in loans and grants around the world since 2000, a figure two to four times larger than previously thought, according to Brad Parks, the lead author of a report that AidData released on Tuesday, which draws on data from more than 30,000 projects in over 100 countries.
A cheap, mass produced hypersonic missile.
Chinese private aerospace company unveils YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile.
Global Times
A YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile conducts a test launch at an undisclosed location and at an undisclosed date. Photo: Screenshot from the video clip released on WeChat account of Beijing Lingkong Tianxing Technology, developer of the missile
A Chinese private aerospace company on Tuesday unveiled the YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile capable of automatic target identification and evasive maneuvers.
With China having displayed several types of hypersonic weapons at the V-Day military parade on September 3, an expert said that China has strong scientific capabilities in the hypersonic field, providing foundation for diversified hypersonic projects.
Beijing-based company Lingkong Tianxing Technology released a video on its WeChat account introducing the YKJ-1000 hypersonic missile on Tuesday.
According to the company’s introduction in the video, the missile has an operational range between 500 to 1,300 kilometers, a speed between Mach 5 to 7, and a powered cruise time of 360 seconds.
Lebanon and Israel hold first direct talks in 40 years as war fears rise.
Al Jazeera
Civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel joined a session of the US-chaired ceasefire monitoring committee in Naqoura, marking the first direct talks between the two countries in more than four decades.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Wednesday that Beirut is prepared to engage in negotiations extending beyond security matters, but underlined these are not peace talks and “normalisation is tied to a peace process”.
Salam said these negotiations are aimed solely at “the cessation of hostilities”, the “release of Lebanese hostages”, and “the complete Israeli withdrawal” from Lebanese territory.
Salam said Lebanon remained committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative – which offers a full normalisation of relations with Israel in return for its complete withdrawal from territory it occupied in 1967 – and has no intention of concluding a separate peace deal with Israel.
Funeral held in Gaza for journalist killed in Israeli strike.
Al Jazeera
A funeral was held in Khan Younis for Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Essam Wadi, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday. Another journalist was wounded in the attack. More than 220 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Martial law: Year after South Korea imposed it, where else is it in force?
Al Jazeera
One year ago, on December 3, 2024, South Korea was thrust into a political crisis after then-President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, citing rising unrest and an alleged threat to national security.
Troops were deployed, Yoon ordered the detention of opposition lawmakers, and key state institutions, including the National Assembly, were placed under military command. Press freedoms were also curtailed, though journalists continued reporting in defiance of the restrictions, and citizens mobilised to demand an end to the decree.
…
But elsewhere, the story often unfolds very differently.
Several countries remain under martial law or effective military rule, with wide-ranging implications for civil liberties, political opposition and daily life.
So, where does martial law exist today and what does it mean for the people living under it?
Family of man slain in a US boat strike in the Caribbean lodges complaint.
Al Jazeera
The family of a Colombian man killed in a United States military strike on an alleged drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea has filed a complaint with an intergovernmental agency charged with monitoring human rights.
The complaint, reported by the AFP news agency on Wednesday, was submitted to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) a day prior.
It accuses the US of violating Alejandro Carranza’s rights to life and due process when it bombed a boat on September 15, as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-drug campaign.
Carranza’s family maintains he was on that vessel and was killed in the explosion.
“We know that Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense, was responsible for ordering the bombing of boats like those of Alejandro Carranza Medina and the murder of all those on such boats,” the complaint said.
What if…. we abolished billionaires?
Al Jazeera
People have been asking ‘What if …’ forever. Over the next few months, Al Jazeera will explore some of the biggest challenges of our time and ask leading experts: ‘What if …’
Calls to abolish billionaires, or at least curb their growth, have gained traction across many capitals in the West, where extreme wealth has risen to unprecedented levels.
Elon Musk’s pay award of a potential $1 trillion in November will make the Tesla owner not just the richest person in the world, which he already is. If Musk gets the full pay package, he will become the richest person in history. Musk would soar ahead of the world’s other billionaires – a record 3,028 of them, according to Forbes magazine, estimated to be sitting on $16.1 trillion of global wealth.
The difference between the world’s rich and poor hasn’t been so stark since the peak of Western imperialism in the early 20th century. Currently, about 831 million people live at or below the level of extreme poverty across the globe. According to the World Bank, that’s $3 per day when adjusted for currency and cost of living.
In fact, if every billionaire were left with only a billion dollars to their name, the rest of their seized wealth would be enough to cover the amount UN experts believe is needed to end world extreme poverty for the next 196 years.
US halts immigration processing for 19 nations.
Deutsche welle
The US government on Tuesday suspended the processing of all immigration applications from 19 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
President Donald Trump's administration cited national security concerns as the basis for the move after an attack on National Guard members in Washington last week. An Afghan national was arrested as a suspect.
What is the US immigration ban?
Under the new policy, all applicants from the affected countries must undergo a comprehensive vetting process. The administration has not specified how long the pause will last or whether additional nations could be added.
Officials said the shift is intended to ensure the integrity of the immigration system and prevent what they called "security gaps." Critics warn the move could leave thousands in legal uncertainty while the review continues.
Ukraine: Germany says Russia resisting negotiated peace.
DW
Germany says that despite diplomatic efforts, Russia has not done enough to engage in negotiations to end its war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Europe has reached a deal to phase out all Russian gas imports. DW has the latest.
- Germany says Russia not moving to 'negotiating mode' on Ukraine
- European Commission presents plan to use Russian assets for Ukraine
- Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin accepted some US proposals on Ukraine and is ready to continue talking
- Europe reaches deal to phase out all Russian gas imports
Putin's visit to India tests New Delhi's balancing act.
DW
With Vladimir Putin traveling to New Delhi, it seems Russia and India are willing to defy US pressure and forge even stronger ties. Both Putin and Narendra Modi rely on their partnership in a larger geopolitical game.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in India on Thursday for a two-day visit, underscoring a partnership between Moscow and New Delhi that has endured for nearly eight decades of geopolitical upheavals.
At the invitation of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Kremlin chief is due to attend the 23rd India-Russia annual summit in the Indian capital.
This is Putin's first visit to India since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The two countries have signaled they want to strengthen their "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" — an official designation for Russia-India ties adopted in 2010 — and "exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Gulf region paves the way to become digital data hub.
DW
Qatar and Saudi Arabia are investing in new terrestrial cable systems to relieve the strain on underwater cables in the Red Sea. This is part of a fundamental modernization strategy.
Ooredoo, a Qatar-based communications company, plans to spend 500 million US dollars (430 million euros) on new terrestrial fiber optic cable systems in the coming years. The cables will stretch from the Arabian Peninsula to Europe. According to a report by the Qatari news agency QNA, they will start in Oman, run from there to Iraq and Turkey and finally to France.
Notwithstanding, according to press reports, Syria and Saudi Arabia are also in talks to build a similar system of data cables that would also run from the Arabian Peninsula — more precisely Saudi Arabia — to Europe.
Ayad Al-Ani, a Professor for Change Management and Consulting in Berlin, told DW that it was noteworthy that both Qatar and Saudi Arabia were attempting to establish a land connection.
"This implies that both Iraq and Syria are safe transit countries that can be invested in," he said. "It will integrate the two countries more into the international data communication system, from which the local digital economy will benefit. This is likely to promote their economic development."
Global South drives green energy transition.
DW
From Beijing to Nairobi to Sao Paulo — the green energy surge is accelerating. China, Kenya and Brazil are increasing their renewable energy production, while progress in Europe and the US is slowing down.
Wind turbines, solar farms, geothermal power plants — the green transition is happening all over the world, and the Global South is currently taking the lead in renewable energies.
BRICS countries such as China and Brazil are leaders in solar energy production. Kenya gets 90% of its energy from renewable sources, primarily geothermal. But there is also a downside.
No country builds more solar power plants than China. At the same time, China is the world's largest emitter of CO2. Brazil is drilling for oil in the Amazon estuary, even though almost all of the country's electricity comes from renewable sources.
Malawi, Kenya and Mali in the path of climate change.
DW
From north to south, many countries in Africa are being affected by the impact of climate change. Malawi, Kenya and Mali have also recently faced climate-related disasters, including extreme drought, floods and a heat waves.
Science Chaser
Smart material instantly changes colors on demand for use in textiles and consumer products.
Phys.org
Scientists have developed a revolutionary technique for creating colors that can change on command. These are structural colors that don't rely on dyes or pigments and can be used for display signage, adaptive camouflage and smart safety labels, among other applications.
Structural colors are not created by pigments or dyes but are colorless arrangements of physical nanostructures. When light waves hit these nanostructures, they interfere with one another. Some waves cancel each other out (they are absorbed) while the rest are reflected (or scattered) back to our eyes, giving us the color we see.
Structural color systems can be engineered to reflect multiple colors from the same colorless material. This is different from pigments, which absorb light and reflect only one color—red pigments reflect red, blue pigments reflect blue and so on.
10-thousand-year-old genomes from southern Africa change picture of human evolution.
Phys.org
In southern Africa, a group of people lived in partial isolation for hundreds of thousands of years. This is shown in a new study based on analyses of the genomes of 28 people who lived between 10,200 and 150 years ago in southern Africa. The researchers also found genetic adaptations that likely shaped Homo sapiens as a species.
The study, which is the largest to date of African ancient DNA, is published in Nature.
Homo sapiens has been around for at least 300,000 years. But exactly where on the African continent our species originated has not been known. According to some theories, Homo sapiens evolved in eastern Africa and only spread southwards around 50,000 years ago. A new study by researchers at Uppsala University and the University of Johannesburg shows that this assumption is wrong.
"We have long known that southern Africa was inhabited, but it was previously unclear whether these inhabitants were just predecessors of ours or whether they were Homo sapiens. We can now show that Homo sapiens have existed and evolved in southern Africa for a long time. This area has played an important role in human evolution, perhaps the most important of all," says Mattias Jakobsson, who led the study and is a professor of genetics at Uppsala University.
Interstellar object covered in 'icy volcanoes' could rewrite our understanding of how comets formed.
Phys.org
Analysis of the second confirmed interstellar comet to visit our solar system suggests that the alien body could be covered in erupting icy, volcano-like structures called cryovolcanoes. Researchers also discovered that the comet has a metal-rich interior, which could challenge our understanding of how comets formed in our own planetary system.
The scientists tracked Comet 3I/ATLAS from July to November 2025 as it hurtled toward our sun. It presented a rare opportunity to study an object formed around another star in interstellar space. What makes it so valuable is that it is pristine, having never passed close enough to a star to be heated, melted, or otherwise altered by radiation. That means it is almost the same as it was when it formed billions of years ago in its home system.
In their study posted on the arXiv preprint server, the team describes how photometric observations showed a sharp and lasting surge in the comet's brightness when it reached about 2.5 times Earth's distance from the sun (2.5 astronomical units—au). This wasn't a sudden burst like an explosion, but a sustained increase in brightness, which the scientists interpreted as the activation of the water-ice layer across the comet's entire surface.
The GIST Turning mine waste into clean water: Research shows promise for acid mine drainage recycling.
Phys.org
Scientists from Heriot-Watt and the University of South Africa have developed a method to convert hazardous acid mine drainage into a valuable resource for drinking water treatment, offering hope for communities living near polluted mining areas.
Acid mine drainage (AMD), a toxic byproduct of mining, is notorious for contaminating rivers and groundwater with high concentrations of metals such as iron, aluminum, and manganese. It can make water undrinkable and destroy entire ecosystems, as well as destroy infrastructure like bridges and pipelines.
But the Heriot-Watt and Johannesburg-based researchers have found a way to extract ferric iron (Fe(III)) from AMD and convert it into ferric chloride, a widely used water treatment chemical. The research was presented at the International Mine Water Association (IMWA 2025) conference.
Aerial microrobot can fly as fast as a bumblebee.
Phys.org
In the future, tiny flying robots could be deployed to aid in the search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble after a devastating earthquake. Like real insects, these robots could flit through tight spaces larger robots can't reach, while simultaneously dodging stationary obstacles and pieces of falling rubble.
So far, aerial microrobots have only been able to fly slowly along smooth trajectories, far from the swift, agile flight of real insects—until now.
MIT researchers have demonstrated aerial microrobots that can fly with speed and agility that is comparable to their biological counterparts. A collaborative team designed a new AI-based controller for the robotic bug that enabled it to follow gymnastic flight paths, such as executing continuous body flips.
A new era beyond gas refrigerants: Magnetic cooling technology offers eco-friendly alternative.
Phys.org
A research team at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has successfully developed Korea's first full-cycle magnetic cooling technology, encompassing materials, components, and modules.
The paper is published in the journal Rare Metals.
This breakthrough is expected to address the environmental issues associated with conventional gas-based refrigeration technologies and pave the way for eco-friendly, high-efficiency alternative cooling solutions to enter the market.
How magnetic cooling technology works
Magnetic cooling technology is an eco-friendly alternative that enables cooling in the solid state without using gas refrigerants. It operates based on the magnetocaloric effect, in which the temperature of a refrigerant material changes when an external magnetic field is applied.
'Rock candy' technique offers simpler, less costly way to capture carbon directly from air.
Phys.org
University of Toronto Engineering researchers have discovered a new way of capturing carbon directly from the air—one that could offer significant cost savings over current methods.
The team calls their new technique evaporative carbonate crystallization. Because it is powered by passive processes such as capillary action and evaporation, it has the potential to eliminate some of the costliest steps required by existing carbon capture methods.
"We've had the technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from flue gases, or even directly from the air, for decades now," says Professor David Sinton, Interim Director of the University of Toronto's Lawson Climate Institute and senior author on a paper published in Nature Chemical Engineering that describes the new technique.
"There are even some full-scale plants in operation, but the criticism that the industry always gets—with justification—is that it's still just too expensive. So, we've oriented our team's approach around radical cost reductions, and that is what this new method of evaporative carbonate crystallization is all about."
Hope everyone has a great evening.
