scienceSaturday, July 18, 2026
Today's science news is a grab bag of the weird and the promising: a startup wants to light up the night with orbital mirrors, a gut microbe might keep you strong as you age, and a copper deposit in Chile has geologists arguing over whether to dig it up. The common thread is that each story forces a trade-off between ambition and risk.
Two space stories this morning ask the same question: just because we can, should we?
Reflect Orbital got federal approval to launch a satellite with mirrors that would reflect sunlight onto a 5-km patch of Earth, turning night into day. The technical and philosophical implications are huge, and the piece does a good job of exploring both.
This week's space podcast covers an exoplanet with a potentially habitable atmosphere, landslides on Pluto, and SpaceX's growing defense contracts. The SpaceX military angle is the most consequential item here.
From mitochondria to metabolism, new research is reshaping how we think about health and aging.
The gut microbe Roseburia inulinivorans produces a compound that converts muscle fibers into fast-twitch type II fibers, which are linked to strength. Levels decline with age, so this could lead to a supplement for maintaining muscle mass.
Martin Picard's mitochondrial theory of mind argues that mitochondria do more than produce energy, they communicate and shape consciousness. It's a provocative idea that could reframe how we think about mental health and aging.
Semaglutide, the weight-loss drug, may reduce liver scarring in advanced fatty liver disease (MASH). The study is early but offers hope for a condition with few treatment options.
Beyond the Perseids: 6 meteor showers worth watching this summerwww.space.com
Geologists May Have Found One of the World’s Greatest Treasures. Some Say It’s Too Dangerous to Dig Up.www.popularmechanics.com
Kuhn Structure Of Scientific Revolutions : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archivearchive.org
Scientists looked at Antarctica from the air. What they saw has them worriedwww.discoverwildlife.com
A few optics/metamaterials highlights from META 2026nanoscale.blogspot.comIPCC climate reports reveal an unequal sciencewww.carboncopy.info
The IPCC's final Synthesis Report from its sixth assessment cycle (AR6) compiles key findings from three working group reports published in 2021-2022, reiterating warnings about the rapidly closing window for emission reductions needed to avert the worst climate impacts. The arti
The redefined identity of Prevotella: new implications for oral, respiratory, and vaginal healthjournals.asm.org
This article examines the genus Prevotella, a group of bacteria that is abundant in the human microbiome across multiple mucosal sites (oral cavity, airways, vagina) but has been historically neglected due to bacteriology's pathogen-centric focus. The piece redefines Prevotella's
They Ran Nattokinase Against a Statin. The Enzyme Wonsayerji.substack.com
A 2017 randomized trial from Sun Yat-sen University compared the fermented-soybean enzyme nattokinase against the statin drug simvastatin in 82 patients with carotid plaque and high cholesterol. The enzyme outperformed the drug significantly — shrinking arterial plaque more than
Can poppy seeds actually make you fail a drug test?www.popsci.com
This article explores the science behind whether poppy seeds can cause a positive drug test for opiates. It explains that unwashed poppy seeds can be contaminated with opium latex containing morphine and codeine during harvesting, which can lead to detectable levels of opiates in
This ‘Tiny’ Breakthough Could Make AI Data Centers Obsolete and Change Digital Storage Foreverwww.popularmechanics.com
This article discusses a potential breakthrough in data storage technology that could make traditional AI data centers obsolete. Physicist Melvin Vopson highlights the staggering growth of global data (59 zettabytes in 2020) and the massive physical, energy, and environmental foo
Weed really does change your dreamswww.popsci.com
This article explores the well-documented phenomenon of cannabis users experiencing more vivid, intense, and memorable dreams when they stop or reduce consumption. It explains the science behind how THC suppresses REM sleep (the stage where dreaming occurs), leading to a "REM reb
The Role of Bubbles in Air‐Sea Gas Exchange: A Critical Reviewagupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
This critical review examines the role of bubbles in air-sea gas exchange, a process that regulates the transfer of climatically important gases between the ocean and atmosphere. Bubbles beneath the sea surface enhance gas exchange by creating an additional transfer pathway paral
This protocol paper describes a two-phase qualitative study investigating stakeholders' perceptions of ethical issues related to simulative technologies (robotic pets, virtual reality) used in long-term dementia care. The study aims to meaningfully include the voices of people li
Amylin: A Novel Diabetes and Obesity Therapymdsc.pe
This article discusses the emergence of long-acting amylin analogs as a novel therapeutic option for diabetes and obesity, particularly for patients who do not achieve adequate results with current incretin-based therapies (like GLP-1 agonists) or cannot tolerate them. The piece
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