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Solar system built its first bodies from fire, not ice

Iron meteorites reveal the solar system’s earliest planetesimals were up to 92% heat-forged chondrules, not icy dust. [ https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/31088/solar-system-b…fire-ice-2](https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/31088/solar-system-b…fire-ice-2)

What processes are responsible for the first planets in our solar system forming? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to address as a team of scientists from the United States and Germany investigated the complex geological processes that formed the first planetesimals, or young planets, in our early solar system. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of the solar system’s first planets and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.

For the study, the researchers conducted a series of geochemical analyses on iron meteorites to ascertain the geochemical composition of their original state billions of years ago, specifically the silicate (volcanic) rock called chondrules that comprise space rocks. This is because the rocks have melted and eroded so much over time, so the researchers have to examine radioactive isotopes to ascertain the composition of the parent body the meteorites broke away from.

The primary motivation behind the study was to fill a longstanding knowledge gap regarding how the first planets, also called planetesimals, formed and evolved. In the end, the researchers found that the first planetesimals were formed from hot impacts, as opposed to longstanding hypotheses that they formed from icy materials.

Chinese researchers plot path to 3-nm chips using older lithography tools

Chinese researchers have made early strides in pushing semiconductor processing nodes below 3-nm using older lithography technology, as more advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools from ASML remain blocked under US sanctions.

The breakthrough marks the latest progress in China’s drive to chart an alternative path to advanced chipmaking amid US export restrictions. Under current export control rules, Dutch equipment giant ASML is barred from selling its state-of-the-art EUV machines – essential for producing chips below the 7-nm node – to Chinese clients.

In the latest development, state-backed Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has established a preliminary gate-all-around (GAA) device development path using the less advanced deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography, Taiwanese media Digitimes reported on Thursday, citing a speech by Ye Tianchun, a veteran from the academy’s Institute of Microelectronics (IMECAS).

Flocks of nomadic sheep might be Europe’s oldest fix for extreme wildfires

Marcelli, his 1,500 sheep, 50 herding dogs, and the few dozen people he employs at his agricultural firm in the hilltop town of Anversa degli Abruzzi are some of the last vestiges of a nomadic pastoral tradition pre-dating the founding of Rome. It’s a practice that could also be Europe’s best unheralded tool to curb the extreme wildfires that have ravaged the continent year after year.

Climate change has supercharged heatwaves in the Mediterranean and caused prolonged droughts, leaving vegetation severely dehydrated. Rural land abandonment in recent decades and dwindling pastoral activities have also allowed trees, shrubs, and tall grasses to encroach across grasslands, turning swathes of southern Europe’s countryside into highly flammable tinderboxes.

Scientists and herders say encouraging more extensive grazing can help manage landscapes and stem the tide of wildfires. But the current incentive structure rewards large-scale, intensive operations that can guarantee high yields, rather than the extensive grazing practices that tend to be most beneficial to the land. For pastoralism to survive in modern Europe, shepherds say, it will require subsidies and targeted assistance from national governments and the European Union—support that has so far failed to gain traction among policymakers.

Irrigating US Crops Slashes Global Footprint

The study finds that expanding irrigation on cropland could substantially reduce agriculture’s global environmental footprint by increasing yields and reducing the amount of land needed to produce food. [ https://www.labroots.com/trending/earth-and-environmental-sc…ootprint-2](https://www.labroots.com/trending/earth-and-environmental-sc…ootprint-2)

How can land irrigation help curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)? This is what a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences hopes to address as a team of scientists compared the impacts of land irrigation to land conversion and how this impacts GHGs. This study has the potential to help farmers, scientists, and the public better understand the role of land irrigation and land conversion on the environment and the steps that can be taken to improve the impact.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data regarding crop irrigation with the goal of ascertaining how its GHG emissions compare to land conversion methods. The primary motivation behind the study was to fill a longstanding knowledge gap regarding the pros and cons of irrigation compared to its GHG emissions. Land irrigation is the controlled watering of crops while land conversion is the intense process of modifying unfarmable land into farmable land.

In the end, the researchers found that not only does land irrigation improve crop production, but the estimated benefits of GHG emissions reduction from land irrigation compared to GHG emissions production from land irrigation are about 361 times greater. The researchers note the majority of GHG emissions produced from land irrigation come from the energy needed to pump the water, which they note can be even further reduced from using electric pumps instead of fossil fuel pumps.

4D AI Model Decodes Mitochondrial Drug Effects

A 4D AI model uses mitochondrial shape and movement to predict how drugs affect cells, potentially speeding up drug discovery. [ https://www.labroots.com/trending/biotech-and-pharma/31081/4…-effects-2](https://www.labroots.com/trending/biotech-and-pharma/31081/4…-effects-2)

How can AI be used to improve drug discovery and delivery? This is what two recent studies published in Cell hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated a new method for delivering drugs to mitochondria, with mitochondria often being dubbed as the “powerhouse” of the cell. This study has the potential to help scientists, medical professionals, and the public better understand new methods for drug discovery and delivery and how it can improve patient lives.

For the studies, which were published in July 2026 and September 2026, respectively, the researchers used a combination of deep-learning AI models and 4D movies created from a novel method called 4D lattice light-sheet microscopy to ascertain how mitochondria behave when it’s healthy and not. The method of 4D lattice light-sheet microscopy involves imaging 3D movement and behavior of mitochondria over time. The primary motivation behind the study was to create new methods for studying mitochondria, which traditionally were studied using 2D snapshots.

In the end, and in one study, the researchers successfully created digital models of mitochondria, which they dubbed “digital twins”, to analyze how the mitochondria behaved compared to real cells. For the other study, the researchers and used the AI model to observe about 40,000 4D movies showing drug-treated cells to analyze how the mitochondria reacted.

How Much Does A Humanoid Robot Cost In 2026

Humanoid robot price alone excludes integration labor, maintenance, downtime, and software licensing — all of which can add 30–50% to the first-year total cost of ownership on top of the purchase or subscription figure quoted by the manufacturer.

Strategic Impact: Humanoid robot cost is bifurcating into two completely different markets — cheap, real, shippable Chinese hardware and expensive, largely theoretical Western platforms — and buyers who don’t separate the two end up comparing numbers that were never meant to be compared.

AI-powered barcode unmasks ‘zombie cells’ in aging tissue

As we age, some of the cells in our body enter a state of senescence, in which they stop dividing but do not die. Those senescent cells can contribute to age-related disorders such as cancer, tissue degeneration and inflammatory diseases. In an advance that could lead to better ways to diagnose and treat those diseases, MIT researchers have developed a noninvasive way to detect biomarkers of senescence. Their method is based on Raman microscopy, which can reveal the biochemical composition of cells without harming them.

By combining Raman microscopy with gene expression data at single-cell resolution from the same cells, the researchers were able to identify unique “barcodes” that can be used to quickly identify senescent cells. This study was done in mouse cells, but the researchers are now working on adapting it for use with human tissue.

“You can imagine that one day we may develop an endoscope that can look inside your body and identify cellular senescence,” says Jeon Woong Kang, an MIT research scientist and one of the senior authors of the study.

Gene that drives blood cancer drug resistance uncovered with new CRISPR activation tool

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown gene that causes resistance to a leading blood cancer drug, as well as several genes that accelerate lymphoma growth, using a powerful new CRISPR activation library.

Traditional CRISPR is a genetic engineering tool that allows scientists to easily delete specific genes in an organism’s DNA and assess their role and importance. It has become a cornerstone technology in cancer research.

A newer frontier is CRISPR activation, a technique that enables the activation of specific genes. It offers valuable insights into the roles of certain genes in cancer and other genetic disorders.

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