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This tiny outer Solar System world has an atmosphere. It shouldn’t

Astronomers have spotted something surprising in the far outer Solar System—a faint, short-lived atmosphere clinging to a tiny icy world that shouldn’t be able to hold one at all. The object, called 2002XV93, is far smaller than Pluto, yet observations during a rare stellar alignment revealed its presence through a subtle dimming of starlight. Even more puzzling, calculations suggest this atmosphere should vanish within about 1,000 years unless it’s constantly being replenished.

A group of professional and amateur astronomers in Japan has uncovered evidence that a small, distant object in the outer Solar System is surrounded by a thin atmosphere. The finding is surprising because the object is far too small to hold onto gas for long, raising new questions about how and when this atmosphere formed. Future observations will be needed to better understand its composition and origin.

Far beyond Neptune’s orbit, thousands of icy bodies known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) circle the Sun. Pluto is the most well-known example and is one of the few with a confirmed thin atmosphere. For most TNOs, however, the combination of extremely low temperatures and weak gravity makes it unlikely for them to retain any gases. As a result, scientists generally expect these distant objects to be airless.

Developmental emergence of sparse and structured synaptic connectivity in the hippocampal CA3 memory circuit

Using multicellular patch-clamp recording, the authors show that the hippocampal CA3 autoassociative network undergoes pruning of CA3–CA3 synapses and downregulation of synaptic efficacy during postnatal development, suggesting a double transformation of coding properties and memory functions.

New kind of dark tourism emerging in online ‘Backrooms,’ study shows

Digital culture is reshaping people’s experiences of fear, curiosity and belonging, according to new findings from Lancaster University. Researchers have explored why online environments like the “Backrooms”—mysterious empty spaces resembling uncharted office blocks, basements and corridors—have become so compelling, and why people are choosing to get lost in spaces that don’t exist.

Unlike traditional “dark tourism,” which focuses on physical sites and historical events, the “Backrooms” represent a new kind of experience that exists entirely online. They emerge from, and circulate through, the darker corners of the internet that are less visible, less regulated, and often more experimental in tone.

The research, co-authored by Dr. Sophie James and Professor James Cronin from Lancaster University Management School (LUMS), explains how, in these online spaces, people are not traveling to real locations, but entering shared digital environments that feel immersive, unsettling, and just out of reach.

Multiplexed MRI provides a comprehensive view of the human brain

New multiplexed imaging technology using standard clinical MRI systems can simultaneously map more than 20 biomarkers in high resolution, providing a comprehensive view of the brain with a single scan.

Researchers demonstrated the multiplexed MRI technology, or MRx, by characterizing brain tumors and multiple sclerosis lesions — revealing different structural, physiological and molecular changes within the diseases. The team reported its findings in the journal Nature.

“MRx can be a powerful tool for noninvasive tissue characterization, helping to advance personalized, precision and predictive medicine,” the author said. “By providing rich, multidimensional biomarkers to capture disease progression and treatment response, this capability could open new opportunities for more precise diagnosis, individualized treatment planning and improved patient outcomes.”

Recurrent Limitations of CAR-T Therapy in Gliomas: Evidence from Preclinical and Phase I Clinical Studies

In recent years, the development of new immunotherapy strategies has been a significant breakthrough in cancer treatment. Among these, engineered T cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T) has produced notable clinical results, especially in hematological malignancies. This success has sparked growing interest in extending the application of CAR-Ts to solid tumors, including gliomas. Gliomas—in particular, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)—are among the most aggressive primary brain tumors, associated with a poor prognosis and a median survival of approximately one year after diagnosis. However, the translation of CAR-T therapy to gliomas presents significant challenges, related to factors such as tumor heterogeneity, presence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), and a strongly immunosuppressive tumor environment.

Neurotransmitter Systems in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of global dementia, is a multifactorial process that goes beyond the accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and tau protein tangles, including glia cell-mediated neuroinflammation, vascular dysfunction, metabolic alterations, and synaptic loss. Its complex etiology also involves oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Multiple neurotransmitter systems involved in the pathogenesis and the various cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms of AD are thus altered. The cholinergic system, historically the first to be associated with AD, suffers early degeneration and loss of neurons/receptors, correlating with cognitive impairment. The glutamatergic system, the main excitatory system, exhibits excitotoxicity due to increased extracellular glutamate and alterations in NMDA/AMPA receptor distribution, exacerbating neuronal damage.

Unusual nonlinear thermoelectric effect appears in chiral tellurium, confirming theoretical predictions

An unusual thermoelectric effect has been observed in the semiconductor tellurium by RIKEN physicists for the first time. This demonstration points to the potential of similar materials to be used in applications such as energy harvesting and advanced heat management.

Thermoelectric materials can convert electricity into heat and vice versa. For most of them, doubling the voltage across them will double the heat they produce. But for some special thermoelectric materials, there is a nonlinear relationship between voltage and heat. Such nonlinear thermoelectric materials are useful for applications that require heat to flow in one direction and for generating electricity from thermal fluctuations.

Some theoretical calculations have predicted that even more exotic nonlinear thermoelectric effects will occur in materials where the atoms or molecules have a chiral arrangement. But they hadn’t been observed in the lab—until now.

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