Gold may not come from where you think. According to new research, some of the gold found in objects like phones and laptops could have been forged in violent magnetar explosions billions of years ago.
Kosmos 482, a Soviet descent module built to survive Venus’s atmosphere, is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 8 and 11, 2025, with a high probability of debris survival due to its robust design.
Researchers predict that solar cycle 25 will produce 2 ± 1 extremely strong solar flares (stronger than X14.3) after spring 2027, along with a broader estimate of 5 ± 2 flares exceeding X10, based on solar observations since 1975.
A new study reveals that 14–17 % of global cropland, roughly 242 million ha (598 million acres), is contaminated with toxic metals, affecting food safety for up to 1.4 billion people. The contamination, driven by metals like cadmium and nickel, poses risks to agriculture and human health worldwide.
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected molecules in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b that may indicate potential biological activity. The analysis revealed the presence of dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide—compounds that, on Earth, are primarily produced by biological processes.
Large-scale pressure changes following a strong sudden stratospheric warming event in mid-March 2025, which caused the collapse of the polar vortex, are expected to drive spring weather patterns across Canada and the United States into May. Northerly winds are expected to bring colder air into parts of North America, while high-pressure zones may lead to warmer conditions in the central U.S. and southern Canada. The shifts in weather patterns are consistent with the typical effects observed following a polar vortex disruption, where the jet stream becomes more erratic, leading to unusual temperature distributions and weather events.
M5.2 earthquake that struck San Diego County near Julian on April 14, 2025, occurred along the Elsinore Fault Zone, a major strike-slip fault in Southern California capable of producing earthquakes up to magnitude 7.8. The fault runs near densely populated areas including Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Riverside, and its long period of limited activity may indicate an increased potential for a significant seismic event, according to recent research.
Crops worth hundreds of millions of dollars have been reportedly damaged across Turkey as the worst agricultural frost event since 2014 struck the country during a three-day cold spell from April 10 to 12, 2025. Farmers across the country are trying desperate measures such as lighting fires around the crops to save them from the frost and avoid further losses.
A 2025 study published in the journal Space Weather suggests the minimum of the Centennial Gleissberg Cycle (CGC) has recently ended, marking a transition toward stronger solar cycles and rising solar irradiance that may persist through the mid-21st century.
Newly-discovered Comet SWAN25F is rapidly brightening and may become visible to the naked eye by late April 2025. Its green coma and long tail are currently visible through telescopes.
