SciChi

Smart Rods Stop Tumbling Space Junk in Its Tracks

satellite in space

When a defunct satellite spins out of control in Earth’s orbit, it becomes a deadly projectile threatening operational spacecraft. Now, Chinese researchers have developed an ingenious solution: flexible robotic rods equipped with self-adjusting dampeners that can stabilize tumbling space debris while suppressing their own violent shaking. The system combines piezoelectric actuators with advanced mathematics to … Read more

Wheatgrass Compounds Beat Vitamin C as Antioxidants

wheatgrass in dew

Young wheat shoots contain flavonoid compounds that outperform vitamin C in fighting cellular damage—and these antioxidants can actually extend lifespan in laboratory animals. Chinese researchers who screened 228 modern wheat cultivars discovered that two specific wheatgrass flavonoids, isoorientin and luteolin, demonstrated twice the antioxidant power of vitamin C in laboratory tests. Even more striking: wheatgrass … Read more

Fence-Like Surgical Technique Tackles Giant Nerve Tumors

beach fence

Surgeons at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have developed a technique that creates a “fence” of sutures around massive nerve tumors before removal, dramatically improving safety for patients with plexiform neurofibromas that can grow larger than footballs. The FENCY ligation method, combined with preoperative blood vessel blocking, has shown promising results in 11 patients with giant … Read more

Dangerous Viruses Related to Deadly Nipah Found in Chinese Bats

Bats in orchard

Scientists have discovered two viruses closely related to the lethal Nipah and Hendra viruses lurking in bat kidneys near villages in China’s Yunnan province. The findings raise urgent concerns about potential spillover to humans through contaminated fruit, as these bats inhabit orchards where they could spread the pathogens through urine. The comprehensive study, published in … Read more

Bacteria Turn Steel Waste Into Carbon-Capturing Cement

cement powder

Chinese researchers have developed a microbial system that transforms steel industry waste into useful construction materials while simultaneously capturing carbon dioxide from cement plant emissions. The technology addresses two major environmental challenges with a single biological solution. The study, published in Engineering, demonstrates how bacteria can accelerate the conversion of steel slag—a massive industrial byproduct—into … Read more

Scientists Turn CO2 Into Fuel Using Hot Water

CO2 conversion diagram

Chinese researchers have achieved complete conversion of carbon dioxide into methane using an inexpensive catalyst in hot water—a process that mimics natural geological phenomena. The team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University developed a honeycomb-structured catalyst made from common metals that transforms 100% of CO2 into methane, a valuable fuel that can be stored and transported … Read more

Why Dense Cities Keep Getting Hotter Despite Climate Fixes

Hong Kong Urban Heat Island

Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula might be one of the most studied urban climate zones on Earth, yet it continues heating up at an alarming rate. New research reveals why standard cooling solutions—from ventilation corridors to energy-efficient buildings—have failed to stop rising temperatures in dense cities. The study, published in City and Built Environment, shows that … Read more

Brain Chips Read Minds at 78 Words Per Minute

Showcases cutting-edge products in the field of brain-computer interface (BCI): A: coin-sized chip; B: BCI-enhanced headset; C: electrode encapsulation film; D: endovascular stent electrode; E: graphene-based neural chip; F: mesh Lace data acquisition array.

A paralyzed stroke patient thinks about speaking, and words appear on a screen at 78 words per minute—faster than most people type on their phones. This isn’t science fiction. It’s the current reality of brain-computer interfaces, technologies that are quietly revolutionizing medicine while raising profound questions about the future of human consciousness itself. A comprehensive … Read more

Super-Earth Found in Habitable Zone Using New Method

Astronomers have discovered a super-Earth planet ten times more massive than our world orbiting within the habitable zone of a Sun-like star, using an innovative detection technique that could revolutionize the search for "Earth 2.0." The planet, designated Kepler-725c, represents the first super-Earth found in a habitable zone using transit timing variations—a method that tracked tiny changes in another planet's orbit to reveal the hidden world. This technique opens new possibilities for finding potentially habitable planets that traditional methods might miss, particularly around Sun-like stars where Earth-sized worlds could support liquid water. A Hidden World Revealed by Gravitational Tugs The discovery emerged from careful analysis of Kepler-725b, a gas giant planet that researchers noticed wasn't keeping perfect time in its orbit. These subtle timing variations, lasting about 10 minutes, revealed the gravitational influence of an unseen companion. Located 758 light-years away, Kepler-725c completes one orbit every 207.5 days and receives roughly 1.4 times the solar radiation that Earth does. While this might seem too hot for life, the planet spends part of its eccentric orbit within the habitable zone where liquid water could theoretically exist on its surface. What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is that Kepler-725c represents a unique planetary arrangement. It's the only known low-mass planet within a habitable zone that orbits outside a gas giant—a configuration that raises fascinating questions about how such systems form and evolve. The TTV Technique: A New Window on Hidden Worlds Traditional planet-hunting methods face significant limitations when searching for Earth-like worlds around Sun-like stars. The transit method requires planets to cross directly in front of their stars from our perspective—a rare geometric alignment. Meanwhile, the radial velocity technique struggles with the faint signals produced by small, distant planets. The Transit Timing Variation (TTV) technique sidesteps these problems entirely. Instead of looking for planets directly, it measures how known planets deviate from clockwork precision in their orbits due to gravitational interactions with unseen companions. "Unlike the transit and RV methods, the TTV technique does not require the planet's orbit to be edge-on or rely on high-precision RV measurements of the host star," the research team explained. "This makes the TTV technique particularly well-suited for detecting small, long-period, non-transiting habitable planets that are otherwise difficult to discover using these other two methods." A Perfect Storm of Detection Conditions The Kepler-725 system provided ideal conditions for this discovery. The inner gas giant planet, Kepler-725b, orbits every 39.64 days in what researchers determined to be a 1:5 resonance with the outer super-Earth—meaning Kepler-725b completes five orbits for every one completed by Kepler-725c. This orbital resonance amplifies the gravitational interactions between the planets, creating detectable timing variations that might otherwise be too subtle to measure. The researchers analyzed data spanning about 1,470 days from the Kepler Space Telescope, tracking 21 individual transits to build their timing model. The discovery required sophisticated mathematical modeling to distinguish the true planetary signal from other potential causes of timing variations. The team tested both two-planet and three-planet scenarios, ultimately concluding that a single hidden super-Earth provided the best explanation for the observed data. Implications for Planetary Formation The research reveals important details about how planetary systems develop that weren't included in initial announcements. The study suggests two possible formation pathways for the Kepler-725 system, both involving dramatic early evolution. In one scenario, the super-Earth formed after the gas giant, with both planets initially orbiting much farther from their star before migrating inward. The gas giant may have acted as a "dynamical barrier," preventing smaller planetary embryos from spiraling into the star and allowing them to accumulate in the outer regions. Alternatively, the system may have originally contained multiple small planets closer to the star. Gravitational interactions with the gas giant could have destabilized these inner worlds, scattering them into new orbits or ejecting them entirely from the system. A New Era of Planet Detection The success with Kepler-725c demonstrates that TTV analysis can detect Earth-sized worlds in habitable zones that remain invisible to other techniques. This capability becomes especially important for Sun-like stars, where stellar activity and instrumental limitations make traditional methods less effective. The research team identified specific conditions where TTV detection becomes particularly powerful. When inner gas giants orbit in resonance with outer terrestrial planets, the timing variations can become enormous—potentially lasting days rather than minutes. However, these large variations create a double-edged sword. While they make hidden planets easier to detect through timing analysis, they also severely distort the transit signals of any outer planets that might cross in front of their stars, making them harder to find through traditional transit surveys. Future Missions and Earth 2.0 The timing couldn't be better for this discovery. Several upcoming space missions are specifically designed to search for Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars, including the European PLATO mission and China's "Earth 2.0" mission. These missions will monitor thousands of stars with the precision needed to detect subtle timing variations. The TTV technique could prove especially valuable for finding planets that don't transit from our perspective—a significant limitation of current surveys. "Based on the results of this study, once the European PLATO mission and Chinese ET ('Earth 2.0') mission are operational, the TTV method is expected to greatly enhance the ability to detect a second Earth," the researchers noted. Is Kepler-725c Habitable? While Kepler-725c orbits within its star's habitable zone, its potential for supporting life remains an open question. With ten times Earth's mass, it likely represents a "super-Earth" or "mini-Neptune"—planetary types that don't exist in our solar system. The planet's estimated surface temperature of about 268 Kelvin (roughly -5°C or 23°F) assumes an Earth-like atmosphere and reflectivity. However, if Kepler-725c possesses a thick hydrogen atmosphere like a mini-Neptune, it might experience a runaway greenhouse effect that prevents surface liquid water. Alternatively, the planet could represent a "Hycean world"—a new category of potentially habitable planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres and vast oceans. These exotic worlds could support life under conditions very different from Earth. The discovery of Kepler-725c marks a significant milestone in the search for worlds beyond our solar system. By demonstrating the power of gravitational detective work, astronomers have added a powerful new tool to their planet-hunting arsenal—one that could finally help answer whether Earth-like worlds are common or rare in our galaxy.  

Astronomers have discovered a super-Earth planet ten times more massive than our world orbiting within the habitable zone of a Sun-like star, using an innovative detection technique that could revolutionize the search for “Earth 2.0.” The planet, designated Kepler-725c, represents the first super-Earth found in a habitable zone using transit timing variations—a method that tracked … Read more