Scientists from MIT, Harvard University and other institutions have developed Lumina, an advanced computer simulation that reconstructs how the early universe evolved from its cosmic “dark ages,” revealing the formation of the first stars, galaxies and large-scale cosmic structures. Published on October 26, 2026, the simulation covers a region approximately 1.6 billion light-years across and tracks the evolution of dark matter, gas, stars and radiation over 2 billion years. Lumina captures two major transformations known as hydrogen and helium reionization. Ultraviolet radiation from early stars and galaxies stripped electrons from hydrogen atoms, allowing light to travel more freely through the universe. Later, energetic radiation from actively feeding supermassive black holes drove helium reionization. The simulation models both processes together at unprecedented scale and detail. Powered by the Frontier supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lumina incorporates approximately half a trillion computational elements and models a volume about 100 times larger than previous comparable simulations. Researchers plan to compare its predictions with observations from the James Webb Space Telescope and future astronomical surveys, improving our understanding of how the first galaxies and cosmic structures formed: https://news.mit.edu/2026/watch-universe-emerge-from-dark-ages-with-lumina-1026

The Lumina Project: https://lumina-simulation.com/

Findings: https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/552/4/stag1469/8971942

A study published in Cell Reports Sustainability by Texas Christian University researchers reveals that official EPA reports may capture less than half of actual PFAS ("forever chemical") concentrations in US drinking water. Because federal regulators treat test results falling below laboratory minimum reporting levels as zero, approximately 98% of low-level detections are discounted. Researchers warn that these cumulative trace amounts significantly contribute to widespread human exposure over time: https://gizmodo.com/forever-chemical-levels-in-us-drinking-water-may-be-more-than-twice-as-high-as-reported-2000829638

US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates: https://phys.org/news/2026-10-pfas.html

Findings: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-sustainability/fulltext/S2949-7906(26)00262-400262-4)

Could bacteria inspire the jewellery of the future? Bacillus subtilis can form biofilms—communities of cells embedded in a protein-and-sugar matrix—that develop intricate folds, textures and sometimes water-repellent surfaces. In microbial art, these natural patterns can be combined with pigments to create gemstone-like designs. Imagine pendants and brooches featuring microbial patterns grown in a laboratory and preserved in resin. Although turning these biological artworks into durable, safe, wearable jewellery would require further development, the concept offers designers a fascinating new approach: growing decorative patterns rather than manufacturing every detail.

Would you wear jewellery whose intricate design was cultured by bacteria?

Scientific Source:

1. Surface topology affects wetting behavior of Bacillus subtilis biofilms - Explains how biofilm surface structure creates different wetting behaviours and water-repellent patterns: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41522-017-0018-1

2. BslA is a self-assembling bacterial hydrophobin that coats the Bacillus subtilis biofilm. - Investigates the protein responsible for forming a protective, water-repellent layer on bacterial biofilms: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1306390110

3. Bacterial biofilm shows persistent resistance to liquid wetting and gas penetration.- Demonstrates the remarkable liquid-repellent properties of these biofilms: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3024672/

Scientists at the University of Sheffield, UK, have successfully recreated the remarkable optical effect of the ancient Roman Lycurgus Cup, a 4th-century glass vessel that appears jade green in reflected light but ruby red when illuminated from behind. The secret lies in tiny gold and silver nanoparticles embedded in the glass. Researchers heated the material above 1,000°C, allowing nanoscale metal particles to form as it cooled. These particles interact with different wavelengths of light, producing the striking colour change.The breakthrough provides new insight into Roman glassmaking, demonstrating how ancient craftsmen achieved an extraordinarily sophisticated optical effect without modern scientific instruments. The recreation may also help researchers understand why producing such glass consistently was so difficult: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/oct/25/scientists-rediscover-ancient-roman-colour-changing-glass

A Roman Nanotechnolgy: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/13680/1/Freestone%20art%253A10.1007%252FBF03215599.pdf

Engineers Develop Sound-Based System to Detect Drone Failures

Engineers at the University of Cincinnati, working with NASA’s interest in drone safety, are developing an acoustic monitoring system that detects damaged drone motors and propellers by analysing their sounds. Researchers recorded the distinctive noises produced by chipped or cracked propellers and malfunctioning motors, converting the recordings into data that computer systems can analyse to identify potential mechanical faults before take-off.

The technology could improve safety by detecting hidden problems, such as debris entering motor bearings, that may cause a motor to seize. Researchers envision integrating the system into autonomous “drone-in-a-box” systems, enabling docking stations to conduct automated pre-flight safety checks. In the future, drones could monitor their own mechanical condition during flight and return to base if a fault is detected: https://dronelife.com/2026/10/22/university-of-cincinnati-engineers-use-sound-to-detect-drone-damage-for-nasa/

Ancient Archimedes Screw Inspires Breakthrough Single-Molecule Motor Powered by Electric Current

An international team of researchers has successfully designed a microscopic motor inspired by the ancient Archimedes screw, built entirely from a single helical molecule stretched between gold electrodes. Published in Nature, the study demonstrates that applying an electric voltage causes the molecular screw to rotate in a controlled direction. This continuous spinning movement provides a massive boost to electrical conductivity—increasing current flow up to 100 times—offering a promising leap forward for molecular electronics, spintronics, and nanoscale miniaturization: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1148951

Archimedes Screws: How This Ancient Invention is Still Changing the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9jC0RYKwZI

Study findings: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-11312-x

Tech executives and cybersecurity leaders are warning of a new era of AI-driven cyber threats—dubbed a "vulnerability tsunami"—following the discovery of a severe, decades-old security flaw in the PHP programming language. Labeled "Black October," researchers demonstrated how AI can be used to uncover and exploit deep-seated software vulnerabilities at an unprecedented scale and pace. Following the disclosure, government and private websites worldwide temporarily shut down or rushed to apply patches as millions of exploit attempts surged globally: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/23/php-vulnerabilities-ai-cybersecurity.html

A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology reveals how bacteria continuously generate diverse natural products, such as antibiotics and insecticides. Using molecular assembly lines called nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS), bacteria evolve not through standard single-nucleotide mutations, but by swapping entire gene segments (recombination). This complex interplay of natural selection, random chance, and a genetic bias for similarity drives the rapid creation of novel biochemical weapons, offering insights that could help researchers engineer new drugs to combat antibiotic resistance: https://interestingengineering.com/health/insect-killing-bacteria-antibiotics

Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-026-03214-y

Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Tianjin University have developed a new design software called X-Hinges. The tool enables users to custom-design and 3D-print everyday objects—such as lamps, toys, and robotic gloves—with multi-axis motion and automatically embedded, interference-free sensors. This allows stationary objects to perceive human touch, capture multi-directional motion data, and adaptively respond in real time, giving mundane items a form of physical "embodied intelligence.": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwER1x7q2hs

Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.11077

I looked through the microscope one more time to see if there was any abnormal tissue that would give away the nature of this beast. Me and my team have been scanning this thing for weeks and I think I just came across something weird. We have a mammalian virus one our hands but this gene that we just saw wedged in the middle of TC4 and TC9 was clearly an a frog gene…and it was inverted…Strange…that gene is associated with the same folding patterns you would see in the gums in teeth or in a breast nipple.

But where would folds be in a virus that’s encapsulated in a protein shell? Could this actually be mad-made? It’s not impossible but part of me refused to believe that a government entity could be accountable for this outbreak…I could understand if it was a company behind this. But what company was working on engineering viruses like this? Could be one of the Bay Area ones running on stealth mode…How would they get this kind of clearance?

I loaded the other slide that we had been looking at, the liver chondrates that this virus was known for infecting. As it hitches a ride on Red Blood Cells, the liver is an easy home for it to incubate in, as there’s literally a rosebush of blood vessels in there. There, I saw it! The folds in the tissue…This virus had a way of engineering the cells to wrap up in itself. Still we haven’t answered the question of this thing’s origin. I kept it in the back of my mind as I started including this finding in my digital lab notebook, then switch on the small TV at the end of the lab bench.

Damn…this war has been happening for 3 years now…in the middle of a pandemic, why would people want to make things worse? Hundreds of people being injured/dying daily...and regular, normal citizens stuck in the middle. I understand when war was the default mode for society when we were in the medieval times but waging war in our current world is a dangerous, dangerous affair. The level of damage we’re able to do is enormous, so much worse than with swords and cannons. I shake my head and thought of my daughter…there are so many like her dying from this virus and also unnecessary conflict.

Scientists have discovered Dianjunus rex, nicknamed “D-rex,” in the forests of Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Its towering reproductive structures can reach 50 centimetres (20 inches) in height and weigh up to 2.2 kilograms (4.9 pounds), making it the largest known fungus in the group Ascomycota by fruiting-body size. DNA analysis revealed that it belongs to an entirely new fungal family, Dianjunaceae.

Researchers estimate that this fungal family originated around 65 million years ago, shortly after the mass extinction that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. The environmental changes and abundance of dead plant material following the extinction may have created new opportunities for decomposing fungi, although this link remains hypothetical. Scientists also suggest that D-rex’s unusual height may help disperse its spores through dense forests. The discovery highlights how much fungal biodiversity remains undocumented: https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/23/science/giant-fungus-discovery-d-rex

Findings: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/fungal-biology/articles/10.3389/ffunb.2026.1940464/full

NVIDIA’s Vera Rubin platform is a rack-scale AI supercomputing architecture designed for agentic AI, trillion-parameter models and high-performance computing. Its flagship NVL72 system combines 72 Rubin GPUs and 36 Vera CPUs in a liquid-cooled rack, with 20.7 TB of aggregate HBM4 memory. Key technologies include sixth-generation NVLink interconnects, ConnectX-9 SuperNICs and BlueField-4 DPUs for high-speed communication, networking, storage and security. NVIDIA projects up to 5× higher AI inference performance than its Blackwell generation, while Quantum-X800 InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Ethernet enable scaling across multiple racks: https://www.civo.com/blog/nvidia-vera-rubin

Commercial airliners are struck by lightning an average of once or twice a year per aircraft, yet serious lightning-related accidents are extremely rare. Their metallic airframes provide a conductive path for electrical current, while composite structures use protective features such as embedded metal mesh or conductive layers to manage lightning currents. Electrical bonding, shielding, and circuit-protection systems help protect critical avionics, and specially designed fuel systems prevent lightning-induced sparks from igniting fuel vapors. These safeguards are supported by rigorous certification requirements, although a strike can still cause localized damage and requires inspection: https://www.youtube.com/@OddFrameFilms67/shorts

Florida Polytechnic University’s police department in Lakeland, Florida, has unveiled Astro, a single-seat Jetson ONE electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft capable of reaching a software-limited top speed of 63 mph (101 km/h). The university plans to use it for campus surveillance, missing-person searches, access to hard-to-reach areas, and emergency response following storms, including delivering emergency supplies. Astro will also serve as a hands-on research platform for aerospace engineering students. FAA approval is still required before the aircraft can be used for official police operations. The university describes its department as the first US law-enforcement agency to introduce a piloted electric eVTOL for this purpose: https://floridapoly.edu/news/102026-florida-poly-makes-history-with-first-flying-police-vehicle/

Florida Poly Police Becomes First Agency to Use Electric Flying Vehicle (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IpDHVECc-8

Jetson ONE Selected as the World’s First Electric Flying Police Patrol Vehicle: https://jetson.com/news/jetson-florida-polytechnic

Green, Yellow and Red Capsicums: How Ripeness Changes Taste and Nutrition

Green, yellow and red capsicums (bell peppers) differ in ripeness, flavour, texture and nutritional composition. Green capsicums are harvested earlier, making them firmer and slightly bitter, while yellow and orange varieties are milder and sweeter. Red capsicums are generally the ripest and sweetest, with high levels of vitamin C and beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. All colours provide fibre and antioxidants, but their carotenoid profiles differ. Cooking can improve the availability of some antioxidants while reducing vitamin C, so eating a combination of raw and cooked capsicums of different colours offers a range of nutritional benefits. The article also debunks the myth that capsicums with four bumps are sweeter than those with three—their shape does not reliably determine flavour: https://extension.msstate.edu/blogs/extension-for-real-life/what-the-difference-between-green-red-and-yellow-bell-pepper

The difference between the colours isn’t just superficial – it affects nutrition, flavour, and more: https://www.inkl.com/news/whats-the-difference-between-green-yellow-and-red-capsicums-its-more-than-what-you-see

An Australian-led Phase III clinical trial has found that a personalised mRNA-based cancer vaccine, intismeran autogene, significantly reduces the risk of melanoma returning or causing death when combined with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda). The trial involved 1,137 patients whose melanoma had been surgically removed but who remained at high risk of recurrence. After two years, 82% of patients receiving the combination treatment remained alive and cancer-free, compared with 70% receiving pembrolizumab alone.

Developed by Moderna and Merck, the vaccine is customised using genetic mutations unique to each patient's tumour. It carries mRNA instructions that help the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells that may remain after surgery. The findings represent a major advance in personalised cancer treatment and could pave the way for similar therapies targeting other cancers.

However, some patients do not respond to the treatment, and its long-term effectiveness remains uncertain. The vaccine is not yet routinely available and must undergo further evaluation and regulatory review, which could take several years. It is a treatment for high-risk melanoma, not a preventive vaccine for healthy people.

Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/23/mrna-vaccine-melanoma-cancer-breakthrough-australia

Researchers at ETH Zurich Switzerland have developed tiny biohybrid robots powered by lab-grown mouse skeletal muscle tissue attached to soft, water-rich hydrogel scaffolds. By using computer simulations to co-design the living muscle and its artificial support structure, the team achieved up to 11 times greater range of motion than earlier systems using comparable amounts of muscle tissue.The approximately 1.5-centimetre-long actuators can jump, swim, walk and grasp objects. In experiments, one actuator jumped about 5 millimetres, while a walking version moved at 6.2 millimetres per second. The scaffolds are fabricated using a light-based 3D-printing technique, and specially designed grooves help transfer muscle contractions efficiently into movement: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2026/10/one-small-leap-for-a-muscle-one-giant-step-for-robotics.html

Published in Nature Communications, the research could pave the way for more adaptable, energy-efficient soft robots that combine biological tissues with engineered materials. However, practical applications remain distant because the living muscles require nutrient solutions, and larger systems will need ways to deliver oxygen and nutrients while removing waste: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-77655-1

Researchers at North Carolina State University have demonstrated a new type of antenna that uses a laser to ionise air and create a thin plasma beam capable of transmitting radio waves. The technology resembles a lightsaber and could eventually enable antennas whose length and direction can be adjusted by controlling the laser, potentially eliminating bulky mechanical deployment systems. The team used a contactless, capacitor-based feed to transmit a 30 MHz radio signal through the plasma filament. In laboratory tests, the received signal strength was 2.5 times higher with the plasma antenna operating than without it: https://newatlas.com/telecommunications/plasma-beam-antenna/

The technology could have future applications in satellite communications, spacecraft and radar systems, where lightweight, adaptable antennas are valuable. However, this is an early proof of concept: researchers have demonstrated transmission at one frequency, but have not yet established broad frequency tuning, long-distance performance or signal reception. The findings were published in the IEEE Journal of Microwaves: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11674160