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Chang’e-6 samples reveal first evidence of impact-formed hematite and maghemite on the moon

A joint research team from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS) and Shandong University has for the first time identified crystalline hematite (α-Fe2O3) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) formed by a major impact event in lunar soil samples retrieved by China’s Chang’e-6 mission from the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin. This finding, published in Science Advances on November 14, provides direct sample-based evidence of highly oxidized materials on the lunar surface.

Redox reactions are a fundamental component of planetary formation and evolution. Nevertheless, scientific studies have shown that neither the oxygen fugacity of the lunar interior nor the environment favors oxidation. Consistent with this, multivalent iron on the moon primarily exists in its ferrous (Fe2+) and metallic (Fe0) states, suggesting an overall reduced state. However, with further lunar exploration, recent orbital remote sensing studies using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy have suggested the widespread presence of hematite in the moon’s high-latitude regions.

Furthermore, earlier research on Chang’e-5 samples first revealed impact-generated sub-micron magnetite (Fe3O4) and evidence of Fe3+ in impact glasses. These results indicate that localized oxidizing environments on the moon existed during lunar surface modification processes driven by external impacts.

AI math genius delivers 100% accurate results

At the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), one competitor did so well that it would have been awarded the Silver Prize, except for one thing: it was an AI system. This was the first time AI had achieved a medal-level performance in the competition’s history. In a paper published in the journal Nature, researchers detail the technology behind this remarkable achievement.

The AI is AlphaProof, a sophisticated program developed by Google DeepMind that learns to solve complex mathematical problems. The achievement at the IMO was impressive enough, but what really makes AlphaProof special is its ability to find and correct errors. While (LLMs) can solve , they often can’t guarantee the accuracy of their solutions. There may be hidden flaws in their reasoning.

AlphaProof is different because its answers are always 100% correct. That’s because it uses a specialized software environment called Lean (originally developed by Microsoft Research) that acts like a strict teacher verifying every logical step. This means the computer itself verifies answers, so its conclusions are trustworthy.

Electrical control of spin currents in graphene via ferroelectric switching achieved

A collaborative European research team led by physicists from Slovak Academy of Sciences has theorized a new approach to control spin currents in graphene by coupling it to a ferroelectric In2Se3 monolayer. Using first-principles and tight-binding simulations, the researcher showed that the ferroelectric switching of In2Se3 can reverse the direction of the spin current in graphene acting as an electrical spin switch. This discovery offers a novel pathway toward energy-efficient, nonvolatile, and magnet-free spintronic devices, marking a key step toward the fabrication of next-generation spin-based logic and memory systems to control spin textures.

The findings are published in the journal Materials Futures.

Unusual days signal rising migraine risk

Harvard Medical School researchers report that higher day-to-day “trigger surprisal” scores were associated with migraine attacks over the next 12 and 24 hours. In this cohort, higher surprisal scores aligned with greater odds of a headache attack, even after accounting for recent headache history and fluctuations in daily experience.

Migraine management often revolves around trying to identify and control conditions that might trigger them. From food and drink and to physiological and psychological stressors, it is a crowded landscape of potential trigger suspects. Individuals attempting to match attack timing to these suspected triggers rely on memory and a self-selected list of candidates rather than controlled experimental designs.

In the study, “Information-Theoretic Trigger Surprisal and Future Headache Activity,” published in JAMA Network Open, researchers conducted a to evaluate the association between surprise and future attacks.

Neural ‘barcodes’: Intra-regional brain dynamics linked to person-specific characteristics

People can think, behave and function very differently. These observed differences are known to be the result of complex interactions between genetics, neurobiological processes and life experiences.

Understanding the factors underlying in behavior, cognition and mental health is a key objective of numerous psychology and behavioral science studies. One approach to explore these factors entails examining patterns of brain activity that spontaneously emerge when individuals are awake but not engaged in any tasks.

Earlier research aimed at uncovering individual-specific brain activity patterns has primarily looked at the neural fluctuations indicating communication or coupling between distant brain regions. In contrast, very few studies have focused on intra-regional neural dynamics (i.e., fluctuations that take place within individual brain regions over time).

Nature-inspired navigation system helps robots traverse complex environments without GPS

Robots could soon be able to autonomously complete search and rescue missions, inspections, complex maintenance operations and various other real-world tasks. To do this, however, they should be able to smoothly navigate unknown and complex environments without breaking down or getting stuck, which would require human intervention.

Most autonomous navigation systems rely on global positioning systems (GPS), which can provide information about where a robot is located within a map. In many environments, however, including caves, unstructured spaces and collapsed buildings, GPS systems either do not work or become unreliable.

Researchers at Beijing Institute of Technology recently developed a new nature-inspired system that could improve robot navigation in unstructured and complex environments, without relying on GPS technology. Their proposed framework— outlined in a paper set to be published in Cell Press and currently available on the SSRN preprint server—is inspired by three distinct biological navigation strategies observed in insects, birds and rodents.

Low-grade heat from renewable sources could be used to desalinate water

A McGill University-led research team has demonstrated the feasibility of a sustainable and cost-effective way to desalinate seawater. The method—thermally driven reverse osmosis (TDRO)—uses a piston-based system powered by low-grade heat from solar thermal, geothermal heat and other sources of renewable energy to produce fresh water.

Though previous research showed promise, this study is the first to analyze TDRO’s thermodynamic limits. The results have brought researchers closer to realizing the technology which could improve access to water and increase the sustainability of infrastructure.

“Most desalination is done by , which uses electricity to drive water through a membrane,” said Jonathan Maisonneuve, study co-author and Associate Professor of Bioresource Engineering.

Fighting poverty may require cultural wisdom, not just cash

Most poverty-fighting efforts focus on meeting basic material needs, such as food and shelter. But this overlooks the psychological and cultural factors that shape how people take action in their lives.

University of Michigan researchers found that psychosocial programs designed to support women’s agency in Niger, West Africa, were effective in promoting women’s economic empowerment when grounded in local values—such as social harmony, respectfulness and collective progress—but not a Western-style program grounded in individual ambition.

The new study highlights how culturally attuned approaches to empowerment can offer a powerful pathway for reducing . The research, published in the latest issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, introduces a “culturally wise” approach: psychosocial programs that honor diverse worldviews and community values.

HD⁺ ions cooled to 18 mK yield most precise vibrational-rotational spectra to date

A research team from the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology (APM) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made significant progress in precisely measuring the vibrational-rotational spectra of hydrogen molecular ions (HD⁺).

The researchers prepared a Be⁺-HD⁺ two-component ion Coulomb crystal at millikelvin temperatures in a linear ion trap. They developed an innovative quantum state preparation and spatially resolved fluorescence detection techniques and used these to measure the high-resolution vibrational-rotational transition spectra of HD⁺ molecular ions. Their findings were published in Physical Review A.

HD⁺ is the simplest heteronuclear molecular ion, composed of one proton, one deuteron, and one electron. Its vibrational-rotational transition energies can be precisely calculated, making it an ideal system for testing quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory and determining , such as the proton-electron mass ratio.

Randomly aligned defects explain low thermal conductivity in some materials

QUT researchers have identified why some materials can block heat more effectively, which is a key feature for energy conversion, insulation and gas storage.

The research, published in Nature Communications, discovered a structural mechanism that explains why some materials with uneven composition exhibit exceptionally . This is a property vital for the conversion of heat into .

The first author, Siqi Liu, said the findings challenged conventional models that overlook the role of microstructural features.

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