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Ketamine's Second Act: A Fast-Acting Hope for Depression and PTSD
7 days ago•Source: The Dispatch
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Bronze Bottle in 2,300-Year-Old Qin Tomb Reveals Ancient Beer
A bronze bottle found in tomb M39 near the Shanjiabao cemetery, about 1.5 km from the Great Wall of Qin, preserved residues of a 2,300-year-old beer. Molecular analysis detected malted grains and yeasts, suggesting a fermented beverage used in funerary rituals; the liquid contained more than 2,400 compounds and was thicker than modern beer, akin to a fermented porridge, offering insights into Qin-era fermentation techniques and cereal use.
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Vatican Observatory Names Four Asteroids, Highlighting Pope Leo XIII
The Vatican Observatory announced four asteroids named after important figures in its history, including Pope Leo XIII who re-founded the institute in 1891. The names were based on discoveries with the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope and approved by the IAU's Working Group for Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN).
Artemis II uncovers evidence the Moon isn’t dead after all
After Artemis II’s lunar flyby and splashdown, onboard instruments detected a transient outgassing event near the Aristarchus Plateau that thickened the Moon’s exosphere and produced a faint glow, complemented by spikes in noble gases. If verified, this could be the strongest evidence yet of present-day lunar activity, guiding future landers and missions to study lunar volatiles and surface processes.
Christina Koch’s Moon Mission Homecoming Sparks Viral Dog Reunion
Astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after the Artemis II moon mission, and a heartwarming reunion with her dog Sadie—captured on video and widely shared online—became a viral moment, highlighting both the mission’s milestone and the emotional side of space travel.
Sugar Substitutes Under Scrutiny: Do They Really Help Health?
New research questions whether sugar substitutes truly deliver health benefits; despite being marketed to cut calories and prevent tooth decay, emerging evidence suggests potential downsides and calls for long-term studies to weigh risks and benefits.
Brain-on-a-chip tackles Doom, hinting at a new era of computing
Australian startup Cortical Labs wired 200,000 human brain cells onto a silicon chip to play Doom, building on Pong experiments as it pitches biological computers that could someday sit in data centers alongside traditional silicon chips for far greater energy efficiency.
Volcanic Warmth Creates Hidden Nursery for Giant Deep-Sea Skate Eggs
Scientists discovered large rectangular eggs of the Pacific white skate at about 3,500 meters beneath an active seafloor volcano off Vancouver Island. The geothermally heated water provides a gentle incubator that can accelerate embryo development in the cold, high-pressure deep sea, potentially shaving years from the lengthy incubation. The finding links volcanism to biodiversity, highlighting conservation needs for geothermal nurseries and offering new questions about how vent activity shapes reproductive success. Researchers used ROVs, high-def imagery, temperature readings, and geochemical data to map the thermal landscape where eggs cluster.
NASA recalibrates Artemis, eyeing a sustainable Moon base by 2028
NASA, under new leadership from Jared Isaacman, is rethinking Artemis with a tighter, more realistic timetable and a focus on establishing a long‑term lunar base by 2028. While the program remains costly and complex, the plan prioritizes pragmatism, commercial partnerships, and sustained presence on the Moon, as China pursues a potentially simpler path and could beat the U.S. to a crewed lunar landing.
NASA charts $20B lunar base plan and nuclear Mars mission
NASA unveils a seven-year, $20 billion overhaul to build a surface lunar base with robotic prep, repurpose the Lunar Gateway for surface infrastructure (pausing its orbital role), and advance a nuclear-powered Mars mission via Space Reactor 1 Freedom by 2028, including a Mars helicopter test; the move reshapes Artemis and heightens competition with China.
Music and the brain: benefits for beginners too
The article argues that playing music positively affects brain health and cognitive function, debunking old phrenology ideas and indicating that even amateur musicians can gain neural benefits from making music.
Single-Atom Indium Catalyst Enables Efficient CO2-to-Methanol Conversion
ETH Zurich researchers engineered a hafnium oxide-supported single-atom indium catalyst that dramatically lowers the energy required to convert CO2 and hydrogen into methanol, with each indium atom acting as an active site. This design offers clearer insight into reaction mechanisms, improved efficiency over nanoparticle catalysts, and durability under industrial conditions, potentially accelerating climate-friendly methanol production if powered by renewables.