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Astronomers Create First 3D Map of an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere

“Eclipse mapping allows us to image exoplanets that we can’t see directly, because their host stars are too bright,” said Dr. Ryan Challener.

What can a 3D map of an exoplanet’s atmosphere teach astronomers about the planet’s formation, evolution, and composition? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to address as a team of scientists presented a first-time 3D map of an exoplanet’s atmosphere based on temperature. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanet atmospheres while opening the doors for developing better methods of studying them.

For the study, the researchers used data obtained from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to develop a new method called 3D eclipse mapping on WASP-18b, which is located just over 400 light-years from Earth and whose radius is slightly more than Jupiter’s while have ten times its mass. WASP-18b is known as an “ultra-hot” Jupiter, as it orbits extremely close to its star at 0.02024 astronomical units (AU) while completing one orbit in only 0.9 days. For context, the planet Mercury orbits our Sun at 0.387 AU and completes one orbit in 88 days. WASP-18b is also tidally locked to its star like our Moon is tidally locked to Earth.

In the end, the researchers found that WASP-18b’s “dayside” features variations in temperature and chemical composition while also exhibiting a circular “hotspot” where the largest amount of starlight hits the atmosphere. Additionally, the team found this hotspot is surrounded by a colder “ring” closer to the limbs of the planet, or the outer edges where the shape of the planet is visible.

White Dwarf Consumes Remnants of Its Long-Dead Planetary System

“This discovery challenges our understanding of planetary system evolution,” said Érika Le Bourdais. “Ongoing accretion at this stage suggests white dwarfs may also retain planetary remnants still undergoing dynamical changes.”

What can white dwarf stars eating their own planets teach astronomers about planetary and solar system formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated an old planetary system whose planets are still actively being consumed by their white dwarf star. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of planetary systems and what our solar system could look like billions of years from now.

For the study, the researchers observed and analyzed the white dwarf star, LSPM J0207+3331, which is located approximately 145 light-years from Earth and hosts one of the oldest known planetary systems to date. Additionally, this system contains the most extensive metal-rich debris disk orbiting a hydrogen-rich white dwarf star ever discovered, which could challenge longstanding notions regarding the fate of solar systems after Sun-like stars expire and become white dwarfs.

The hydrogen-rich aspect of the white dwarf is intriguing since these types of stars typically hide successful observations of certain elements within the dust and gas of the aged solar system. Potentially the most intriguing finding from this study is the researchers discovered the remnants of a planetary body that was originally about 120 miles (200 kilometers) in diameter that got shredded by its host white dwarf star.

Electricity reprograms immune cells to speed up recovery

By electrically stimulating macrophages, scientists at Trinity College Dublin have found a way to calm inflammation and promote faster healing. The process turns these immune cells into tissue-repairing helpers, enhancing regeneration and blood vessel growth. Safe, effective, and based on human cells, this discovery could revolutionize treatments for inflammation and injury recovery.

TxDOT spends $748M to burrow bus-size tunnels under Central Austin

The Texas Department of Transportation is set to launch one of Austin’s largest underground construction projects in 2026, digging 6.5 miles of 22-foot-wide tunnels beneath the city’s busiest highway.

Explained

As part of the I-35 overhaul in Central Austin, which will lower sections of the highway below ground level, the transportation agency will build underground drainage tunnels to help prevent flooding along the corridor.

BRCA2 research reveals a novel mechanism behind chemoresistance

One of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment is chemoresistance: Tumors that initially respond well to chemotherapy become resistant over time. When that happens, treatment options are often limited.

A research team led by Arnab Ray Chaudhuri at the Department of Molecular Genetics, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute has now uncovered a mechanism by which BRCA2-deficient tumors develop this resistance. The proteins BRCA2 and FIGNL1 appear to have a different function than previously assumed.

“These findings change the paradigm of thought,” says Ray Chaudhuri. The team also identified ways to reverse or prevent resistance.

Introducing Aardvark: OpenAI’s agentic security researcher

Aardvark represents a breakthrough in AI and security research: an autonomous agent that can help developers and security teams discover and fix security vulnerabilities at scale. Aardvark is now available in private beta to validate and refine its capabilities in the field.

Aardvark continuously analyzes source code repositories to identify vulnerabilities, assess exploitability, prioritize severity, and propose targeted patches.

Aardvark works by monitoring commits and changes to codebases, identifying vulnerabilities, how they might be exploited, and proposing fixes. Aardvark does not rely on traditional program analysis techniques like fuzzing or software composition analysis. Instead, it uses LLM-powered reasoning and tool-use to understand code behavior and identify vulnerabilities. Aardvark looks for bugs as a human security researcher might: by reading code, analyzing it, writing and running tests, using tools, and more.

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