SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 with the third classified US Space Force mission in five weeks from Vandenberg. The Pentagon is investing $17B in a distributed constellation of hundreds of cheap encrypted satellites in low orbit with laser communication links to defend against anti-satellite weapons.
Researchers at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences protected a spin qubit in diamond using mechanical vibrations—phonons—instead of microwave pulses. The 'all-mechanical coherence protection' method extended coherence time by about three times and achieved a Rabi frequency of 800 MHz. The work was published in Nature Physics.
Tesla displayed the Cybercab in showrooms in Beijing and Shanghai starting September 17, but stated it is only a demonstration of design and technology. Sales of the vehicle in China and launch of a driverless service are not planned: the Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals, and Tesla lacks permits for autonomous rides in the country.
A State of Charge test confirmed that the Mercedes CLA 350 4Matic charges from 0 to 100% in 52–56 minutes, and from 10 to 80% in about 26 minutes. Peak power of around 350 kW is reached in under a minute, range is 385 miles at 70 mph. The model starts at $49,400.
Dassault Aviation and OHB announced at a Paris briefing that VORTEX will become a crewed vehicle with a prototype for crew by 2031. The key condition is successful hypersonic heat shield tests in 2028. The project was supported by Macron at the September International Space Summit.
A team of researchers created modern papyrus scrolls, charred them to mimic ancient ones, and tested a method for finding scrolls with lead-based ink. This should speed up the decipherment of more than 600 scrolls from Herculaneum as part of the Vesuvius Challenge.
Researchers from Seoul National University, KAIST, and KBSI showed that silver nanoparticles in solid oxide cells behave differently for electricity generation and hydrogen production: the reaction occurs at the particle-electrode boundary in the first case and on the particle surface in the second.
Stanford scientists created mice with about 92% of cortical space occupied by human neural tissue from organoids. The model will allow testing psychiatric drugs on living human tissue; no signs of human consciousness were found.
HiTHIUM unveiled the ∞Power N4.0MWh system using ∞Cell N785Ah sodium-ion cells with 20,000 cycles and a 30-year lifespan. Full production and deliveries are planned for 2027, and the system is compatible with an existing 1000 Ah lithium line.
MIT researchers developed a nanoscale computing device using soft PDMS polymer that mimics neurons: a polymer layer between metal electrodes compresses under voltage and gradually recovers, creating mechanical memory. The device combines memory, sensing and logic in one component, published in Science Advances.
Physicists from Ben-Gurion, Ulm and Oxford universities measured the quantum phase of a freely falling rubidium atom wave and compared it with a stationary one. The result matched Einstein's equivalence principle prediction, published September 2 in Science Advances, with Roger Penrose among co-authors.
MIT researchers developed a compact computing platform using polymer devices that mimic neuron firing. The devices combine computing and memory in one energy-efficient component and target edge computing.
Scientists proposed a method to read ancient scrolls damaged in the 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A study in PLOS One showed that X-ray tomography and AI, combined with detecting lead in the ink of fragments, can recognize text.
NASA has begun commissioning the Nancy Grace Roman observatory, launched August 30; the telescope is about three months from reaching L2. The 300-megapixel WFI infrared camera and coronagraph passed initial checks, calibration will take about another month, and first science images are expected in early 2027.
A study in Science Advances confirmed that the internal temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex was about 97 °F (36 °C), similar to modern warm-blooded humans. The method analyzing carbon and oxygen isotope bonds in tooth enamel reduced the required sample size by 90%.
A study published in Nature describes the prime assembly method, which allows inserting long DNA fragments into specified positions in living cells. The approach could form the basis of universal genetic therapies applicable to many patients.
Porsche began selling a wireless charging pad for the Cayenne Electric in Germany and other European countries. The system delivers up to 11 kW at 90% efficiency and can fully charge the 113 kWh battery overnight. US sales start in 2027.
BYD launched the Formula S series under its Fang Cheng Bao brand, with five models priced from 189,900 to 239,900 yuan ($28,000–35,000). The RWD sedan offers up to 750 km CLTC range and charges 10–70% in 5 minutes with second-generation Blade Battery and Flash Charging.
University of Murcia reported the first human trial of mesenchymal stem cells with glycocalyx editing for osteoporosis. In 10 women aged 51–72, fracture rate fell from 8 to 0.5 per year over two years after one infusion; 7 of 10 showed bone tissue growth.
US-based X-energy, with UK's Centrica, has been accepted into the UK's Generic Design Assessment for the Xe-100 small modular reactor. Each unit provides 80 MW of electricity or 200 MW of heat, and the Hartlepool fleet is planned for 6 GW. The review will take about three years.
A team at ETH Zurich led by Laurenz Thümmler described the mechanism of accretion-induced collapse: a white dwarf made of oxygen, neon, and magnesium pulling matter from a companion star collapses into a neutron star. Conditions must be 'just right' — accretion rate in a narrow range, or nova flashes or stellar wind will disrupt the process.
Fortell, founded by Matthew de Jonge, raised $163M from Founders Fund, Thrive Capital, and Valor Equity Partners. The company develops AI hearing aids that identify important sounds in real time and suppress others instead of amplifying everything. The goal is to break the monopoly of five companies that control 97% of the market.
Impulse Space, a startup developing space transportation technologies, raised an additional $308 million. The total for its latest round reached $808 million.
A Tesla Cybercab ride from 99 Ranch Market to The Domain in Austin took 70 minutes instead of 10 and cost about $20. The cause was routing restrictions: the robotaxi avoids highways and railroad crossings amid an NHTSA investigation into FSD.
Blykalla deployed a Microsoft-built computing platform to automate licensing documentation for its SEALER lead-cooled reactors. The system cuts preparation time from years to months and reduces time and resource costs by 90% without lowering safety requirements. The platform is already used in Sweden and the US.
Researchers at Meunaut University created a DNA computer that performs 100-bit calculations using heat, water and salt. It is described as one of the most complex and fastest molecular computers to date.
Stanford researchers created genetically modified mice that develop only 2% of the brain cortex and transplanted human cerebral organoids into them. In 90% of cases the tissue engrafts and within several months occupies most of the free volume. The work is published in Nature.
Researchers at the University of Rochester created a solar desalination system based on black metal treated with a femtosecond laser. It evaporates water without liquid brine, extracts nearly 100% of salts in solid form, and allows lithium extraction. Tests were conducted on real water from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
Paradromics reported that a woman from Michigan with motor neuron disease made a live call to her grandchildren using only neural signals. The Connexus implant decoded spontaneous speech without errors in the FDA-approved Connect-One study.
ETH Zurich, with support from IBM and Lockheed Martin, is creating the Swiss Quantum Innovation Hub. It will host Switzerland's first IBM Quantum System Two with a 120-qubit Nighthawk processor at the CSCS supercomputing center in Lugano. Lockheed Martin projects will focus on quantum sensors and additive manufacturing for aerospace and defense.
