Physicists at City College of New York demonstrated conversion of microwaves to an optical signal using the layered magnetic semiconductor CrSBr. Magnons excited by microwaves interact with excitons and transfer the signal to laser light in a band around 300 MHz. The work, published in Nature Materials, could form the basis for interfaces between quantum processors and fiber-optic networks.
Startup Mazama Energy closed a $135M Series B round. The company drills horizontal wells in super-hot rocks at temperatures up to 400 °C to produce up to 15 MW per well. The first site in Oregon could yield 10 GW, with power generation starting in 2027.
Arevon Energy is building the Cormorant battery storage facility in Daly City, California, with 250 MW capacity and 1,000 MWh using LFP batteries. Launch is planned for 2027, expanded from initial 188 MW/752 MWh, with MCE signing a long-term purchase agreement.
The Nevada Transportation Authority permit limiting Zoox's fleet to 100 robotaxis expires on September 25. This will allow the Amazon-owned company to expand its commercial fleet in Las Vegas amid Waymo's launch and permits for Tesla and Uber.
University of Warwick scientists used 3D visualization to show that a material considered a uniform superconductor for 40 years is actually a mosaic of different crystal structures throughout its volume.
NASA scientist Robert Wagner discovered a new crater on the Moon during a routine check of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data. The impact occurred between April 11 and May 22, 2024, and an object the size of a six-story house left a crater 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep. NASA named it McGetchin.
Scientists at HZDR and the University of Rostock have developed a method to produce ultra-small, high-purity nanodiamonds by compressing plastic with laser shocks. The method provides a narrow particle size distribution, unlike explosive technologies, and is scalable for clean production.
BMW has unveiled iX5 Hydrogen prototypes without camouflage and is preparing fuel cell production at its Steyr plant. Range is up to 750 km WLTP, refueling at 700 bar takes up to 5 minutes, and 0-100 km/h acceleration is under 5 seconds. Serial production is planned for 2028.
A 3-year-old boy with metastatic hepatoblastoma achieved complete remission after experimental CAR-T therapy targeting the glypican-3 protein. The remission has lasted at least a year with no serious side effects. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Porsche, together with German company Cylib, has demonstrated the viability of a closed-loop recycling process for used batteries: raw materials from old batteries are returned to new cathodes for electric vehicles. The pilot project confirmed the technology is practically applicable.
A study in Science showed that after six North Korean underground nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri test site at Mount Mantap, seismic activity did not subside but increased. From September 2017 to May 2025, 1,399 local earthquakes were recorded — a record for the region since 1904.
According to an Ember Energy report, in 2025 coal generation did not grow in more than half of China's regions for the first time in a decade, driven by rapid renewable and storage deployment. China still leads in coal power plants, and electricity demand will grow nearly 5% annually until 2030.
In Austin, a Tesla Cybercab robotaxi failed to exit a hotel parking lot due to a blocked lane, drove back and forth four times, and told the passenger it had arrived at the starting point. The engineer who summoned the car called the experience unsuccessful and said the technology is not ready for mass deployment.
Lockheed Martin signed a framework agreement with the US Department of Defense to accelerate production and delivery of the AIM-260 JATM missile; the multi-year contract still requires Congressional approval. Australia will invest about $736 million to equip its air force with these missiles. The AIM-260's range exceeds existing air-to-air missiles, and it integrates with F-22 and F-35.
Centrus Energy will provide HALEU fuel to Antares Nuclear under a multi-year contract for compact microreactors. Deliveries start before 2030, with Antares prepaying for Centrus expansion in Ohio. Reactors are planned for military bases and space.
The STAR collaboration at RHIC in Brookhaven found that baryon number in protons may be carried by a Y-shaped gluon node rather than three valence quarks. Published in Science, the result could overturn a long-held textbook assumption if confirmed.
BYD introduced the updated Yuan Up (Atto 2) for China with a new Excellent version offering 501 km CLTC range and a 51.13 kWh battery. Prices for five trims range from 74,800 to 104,800 yuan (about $11,000–15,500), with a temporary subsidy from 69,800 yuan.
Object Sakurai — a white dwarf that underwent a helium flash in 1996 — became six times hotter over 30 years and turned into a [WC]-type star with a carbon-oxygen spectrum. VLT/FORS2 observations showed the star's temperature is 27–36 kK, and heating is slower than early models predicted.
The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa directly detected faint neutral hydrogen emission that traveled to Earth for 4–5 billion years. The signal was extracted from ~96 hours of 2018 observations, confirming the hydrogen intensity mapping method for studying the structure of the Universe.
On September 16, sales of the Fang Cheng Bao Formula S started in Shanghai from $28,080, the first mass-market electric vehicle with DiSus-M suspension. The system changes shock absorber stiffness 1,000 times per second without mechanical valves and costs the same as conventional air suspension.
Scientists at MagLab, Florida State University and Brookhaven National Laboratory studied the Murchison and Aguas Zarcas meteorites. Mass spectrometry revealed tens of thousands of carbon molecules, and atomic force microscopy showed individual molecular structures for the first time. Results were published in The Planetary Science Journal.
BYD announced that its first solid-state battery EV will arrive in 2027, with mass production starting by 2030. The company uses sulfide cells; competitors Honda and Toyota are targeting 2030.
In August 2026, the share of electric cars in new car sales in Europe reached a record 30.5%, exceeding the annual forecast. Battery electric vehicle registrations grew 54.2% year-over-year, driven by subsidies in Germany and France.
Waymo has resumed paid rides in San Antonio five months after its robotaxis got stuck in a flooded area. The service covers dozens of vehicles and a 60-square-mile area, including downtown and the airport; software was updated to recognize standing water.
NASA will use Artemis III in 2027 as a rehearsal before astronaut landing in 2028: Orion will practice docking with test landers SpaceX Starship V3 and Blue Origin Blue Moon. Three launches of the most powerful rockets, two dockings, and two astronauts entering the Blue Origin module are planned.
Scientists identified a hereditary EGFR T790M mutation: in nonsmoking carriers, lung cancer risk is 62 times higher, and in smokers, 11 times higher. The study on data from 3.3 million people from 23andMe was published in Science; the mutation is more common in those born in the southeastern US.
General Dynamics Electric Boat showed the first completed Virginia Payload Module (VPM) for the submarine USS Arizona (SSGN-803). The 184-foot section was delivered from Quonset Point to Groton; once installed, the boat will reach about 460 feet and carry more weapons for long-range strikes.
NASA reported the discovery of the 222-meter-wide, 43-meter-deep McGetchin crater, formed by an impact from an object the size of a small house between April 11 and May 22, 2024. A cold anomaly about 7 km in radius was recorded around the crater, with nighttime temperatures 8–9 °C below the surrounding surface.
In four US states, more than 30 people were poisoned by bacterial endotoxins after receiving intravenous glutathione drips at wellness clinics. The cause was compounding pharmacies using oral-grade glutathione instead of sterile injectable-grade. Three pharmacies in Texas recalled products, and three affected people were hospitalized.
The Basel Action Network report 'The Coming AI Waste Wave' estimates annual e-waste from AI infrastructure at 8.6–13.1 million metric tons by 2030. Only about one-fifth of such waste is currently recycled, and US data center pollution causes about 1,300 premature deaths and $11.7–20.9 billion in healthcare costs annually.
