• Rare plutonium isotope preserved in Pacific seabed points to an ancient cosmic explosion

    ByReet Kaur

    Tiny traces of radioactive plutonium locked inside a slow-growing crust on the floor of the Pacific Ocean have helped scientists solve a cosmic mystery dating back more than 100 million years. In a study published on June 15, 2026, in Nature Astronomy, an international team reports that the last nearby event capable of forging many of the Universe’s heaviest elements occurred long before the supernovae whose signatures have already been found on Earth.

  • New study links Atlantic “cold blob” to declining ocean heat transport

    ByReet Kaur

    The Atlantic “cold blob” — a persistent cooling anomaly in the subpolar North Atlantic south of Greenland and Iceland — is primarily caused by reduced ocean heat transport into the region rather than increased heat loss to the atmosphere, according to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters on May 28, 2026. The findings add to growing evidence of a long-term weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).

  • 40-year solar record reveals solar-cycle changes beneath the Sun’s surface

    ByRishav Kothari

    A 40-year record of solar observations has revealed that structural changes linked to the Sun’s 11-year activity cycle are becoming increasingly concentrated near the solar surface. The finding is based on helioseismic measurements spanning Solar Cycles 22 through 25 and offers a new view of how solar magnetic activity evolves beneath the visible surface.

  • Stress along Southern California faults reaches highest level in 1 000 years

    ByRishav Kothari

    More than 160 years after the M7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake, tectonic stress along Southern California’s two dominant fault systems has reached record levels, according to a new study that reconstructs 1 000 years of earthquake activity across the southern San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.

  • Noctilucent cloud season begins: How glowing night clouds form near the edge of space

    ByRishav Kothari

    Noctilucent cloud season is underway across the Northern Hemisphere, bringing one of Earth’s most unusual atmospheric phenomena back to twilight skies. Composed of microscopic ice crystals suspended near the edge of space, these clouds shine with a distinctive silver-blue glow when conditions in the upper atmosphere become cold enough for them to form.

  • New analysis sheds light on unexpected reversal in Earth’s molten outer core beneath the Pacific

    ByTeo Blašković

    A new analysis of geomagnetic observations from 1997 to 2025 shows that the unexpected reversal in Earth’s outer-core flow beneath the equatorial Pacific around 2010 has weakened since 2020, refining scientists’ understanding of one of the most unusual deep-Earth changes detected in recent decades.

  • ESA and JAXA sign planetary defence agreement for Ramses mission to Apophis

    ByTeo Blašković

    The European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on planetary defence and a dedicated Ramses mission agreement in Berlin, Germany, on May 7, 2026. Ramses is planned to rendezvous with asteroid (99942) Apophis before its safe close flyby of Earth on April 13, 2029.

  • Biggest solar storms can occur years after solar maximum

    ByTeo Blašković

    Solar Cycle 25 remains in an active phase after reaching its peak sunspot number in late 2024, but major solar storms remain possible as the cycle declines, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) research scientist Mark Miesch said in a video update posted on May 1, 2026. Solar activity is forecast to gradually decrease in the coming years, but the declining phase can still produce strong flares, CMEs, and geomagnetic storms.

  • New York and New Orleans among most flood-prone U.S. cities, new study shows

    ByRishav Kothari

    Flood risk along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts affects a disproportionate share of the population, with 16.7% living in very high-risk zones that cover just 1.1% of land, according to a new study. New York City and New Orleans rank among the most exposed urban areas, with up to 4.75 million residents at risk in New York and nearly 99% of New Orleans’ population located in flood-prone zones. High-risk areas account for another 3.5% of land but include 16.21% of residents.

  • High radiation levels measured at sunken Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets site

    ByRishav Kothari

    Sunken Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets in the Norwegian Sea continues to release radioactive material more than three decades after sinking on April 7, 1989, according to a 2026 study. Measurements show extremely high concentrations of radionuclides near the wreck, while rapid dilution in surrounding seawater limits broader environmental impact.