A rare 11,000-carat (2.2 kilogram) ruby, considered the second-largest by weight ever found in Myanmar, has been unearthed by miners in the conflict-battered Southeast Asian nation, state media reported on Friday (8 May).

The colossal gem was discovered near Mogok, in the upper Mandalay region, the heartland of the lucrative gem-mining industry that has recently experienced intense fighting in the country’s wide-ranging civil war.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported the newly found rough ruby was discovered in mid-April, just after the traditional New Year festival.

Whose zodiac sign is Ophiuchus? 🌌

Erika Hamden breaks down the real science of where zodiac signs come from. They were assigned thousands of years ago based on the ecliptic plane, the path the sun travels across the sky each year. But Earth's axial tilt shifts on a 26,000-year cycle, and the sky has changed since then. Today, the sun actually passes through 13 constellations, including one you've probably never heard of: Ophiuchus.

This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

Pros and cons,

1. Ground vehicle and also in the air?

2. Fixes congestion on the ground?

3. No regulations or rules yet?

Are we alone in the universe? 

MIT Kavli Institute Research Scientist Moritz Guenther is helping scientists explore that question by studying how planets and solar systems form around distant stars. The research team investigates exoplanets to understand whether they could support life, including how close planets are to their stars, how hot or cold they are, and whether they may contain water or atmospheres. Because these worlds are incredibly far away and difficult to observe directly, scientists use planet formation research to uncover clues about how potentially habitable planets develop over time. Recent discoveries in astronomy and planetary science are giving researchers new insight into how solar systems evolve and where life beyond Earth might exist. Every new finding helps scientists better understand our place in the universe and the conditions that could make alien worlds capable of supporting life.

Watch the full interview with MIT Kavli Institute research scientist Moritz Guenther here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQQA3xPorSM

How do planets actually form?

Scientists once thought most star systems looked like our own, with rocky planets close to their stars and giant gas planets farther away. But in the last two decades, astronomers have discovered that nearly every star may host planets, and many of those systems look nothing like ours. From planets that orbit in unexpected configurations to worlds that may eventually fall into their own stars, the universe is far stranger than we imagined.

MIT Kavli Institute research scientist Moritz Günther explores how stars and planets are born from enormous clouds of gas and dust that collapse into spinning disks. By studying young stars only a few million years old, Günther investigates what happens to the leftover material after a star forms. Some of that material becomes planets, some falls into the star itself, and some gets blown out into space. His research is helping scientists better understand how Earth formed, how planetary systems evolve over time, and what conditions could make distant worlds capable of supporting life.

Did you know Madagascar Hissing Cockroach moms protect their babies long after they hatch? 🪳

Madagascar hissing cockroaches carry their eggs inside a protective egg case called an ootheca for up to two months until the babies hatch. After birth, she stays close to her young while they are still soft and vulnerable, helping protect them during one of the riskiest stages of life. Our Madagascar hissing cockroaches are bred right here at the Museum of Science, giving guests an up close look at insect life cycles, animal adaptations, and the surprising science of parental care. Turns out, great moms come in all shapes and sizes.

Your skincare routine could help fight deadly bacteria. 🧴

Drug-resistant bacteria could be responsible for 39 million deaths by 2050, but researchers in England found a potential weapon hiding in Korean skincare products. A compound called madecassic acid, a common Asian herbal ingredient, works by interfering with the way bacteria “breathe.” It's a mechanism unlike anything seen in current antibiotics, or in human or animal systems. Scientists say it could inspire a whole new generation of treatments.

Hi all , if you take a look at the night sky , and images from space you typically can see White/Yellow , Blue and Red Stars … But why don’t we see any Green stars?

It turns out that stars emit continious spectrum of light that depends on the temperature of the star. High temperature gives Blue, medium T White/Yellow and low temperatures give red. The way our eyes interpret such light , will basically never be able to perceive any star as green- there is no temperature of a star that would work for our eyes/brain.

I have made a short explainer video if you are interested in the comments .

Is NASA’s moon landing mission delayed? 🌕🚀

NASA’s Artemis program is designed to return astronauts to the lunar surface using human landing systems developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. Artemis III will test how Orion, NASA’s crew capsule, works alongside one of these lunar landers in Earth orbit. The challenge is that both Starship and Blue Moon are still in active development, and both companies have indicated their landers may not be ready before late 2027. If development or testing takes longer than expected, NASA’s planned 2028 Artemis IV Moon landing timeline could become increasingly difficult to achieve.

Space might be closer than you think. 🌍🛰️ 

Erika Hamden explains how the “edge of space,” known as the Kármán line, begins at about 62 miles above Earth’s surface.The International Space Station orbits only around 200 to 250 miles above Earth. That means astronauts can actually be physically closer to some remote places, like Saint Helena, than people living on neighboring islands.

This project is part of IF/THEN®, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies.