Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 13h

Two small asteroids recently made close, harmless flybys of Earth. 2025 TF passed over Antarctica on Sept 30 about 401 km up, slightly closer than the International Space Station’s orbit. 2025 TQ2 passed over northern Canada on Oct 2 about 4,851 km up.
🧪☄️🔭
#Astronomy
#NEOs
#Space
#Science

2 asteroids safely buzzed by Earth this past week

earthsky.org

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 1d

Summer Sets, Fairbanks, Alaska, October 2025

Photo credit Kenneth Becker

#photography
#nature
#landscape
#goldenhour
#skyscape
#sunsetphotography

The image portrays a serene landscape at sunset, featuring two prominent evergreen trees silhouetted against a vibrant sky. The sky is filled with a mix of dark, heavy clouds and lighter, golden clouds illuminated by the setting sun. The sunlight creates a warm glow around the trees, casting gentle shadows. Sparse, leafless branches of smaller trees are visible in the foreground, adding texture and depth to the scene.

The image captures a scenic view of the sky during sunset or sunrise. The sky is filled with a dense pattern of clouds, ranging in shades from dark gray to light orange and yellow, indicating the presence of the sun below the horizon. Beneath the sky, the silhouette of several tall trees, including a prominent pine tree in the center, stands against the colorful backdrop. These trees are mostly bare, suggesting a seasonal context of late autumn or early spring. The overall atmosphere is serene and expansive, with the cloud formations creating a textured and dynamic sky.

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 2d

Gaia data shows a massive wave rippling up and down through the Milky Way’s disk. It displaces stars hundreds of light years above and below the galactic plane and stretches across tens of thousands of light years.
#Astronomy #MilkyWay #Gaia #SpaceScience

🧪🔭✨🌌📡

www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

Gaia discovers our galaxy’s great wave

Our Milky Way galaxy never sits still: it rotates and wobbles. And now, data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope reveal that our galaxy also has a giant wave rippling outwards from i...

www.esa.int

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 4d

Astronomers have found the most powerful odd radio circle ever detected. Named RAD J131346.9+500320, it lies nearly 8 billion light years away and shows two overlapping rings of radio emission.
🧪🔭🌌✨📡
#Astronomy #Radio #Galaxies #Discovery

Paper:
academic.oup.com/mnras/articl...

Most powerful 'odd radio circle' to date is discovered

drupal-media[data-view-mode=half_page_width] { display: inline-block; width: 50%; } The most distant and most powerful 'odd radio circle' (ORC) known so far has been...

ras.ac.uk

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 4d

A new Jurassic fossil from Scotland, Breugnathair elgolensis, shows a combination of snake-like jaws and teeth with a lizard-like body and limbs, providing direct evidence of diverse squamate traits early in their history.
#Paleontology #Evolution #Fossils
🧪🐍🦴⚒️
Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Scientists uncover a mysterious Jurassic lizard with snake-like jaws

A strange Jurassic lizard discovered on Scotland’s Isle of Skye is shaking up what we know about snake evolution. Named Breugnathair elgolensis, the “false snake of Elgol” combined hook-like, python-s...

www.sciencedaily.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 5d

Researchers have turned human skin cells into early egg-like cells by placing their DNA into donated egg material. When fertilized, some developed into early embryos. This is a proof of concept, not a treatment yet.
#IVF
#Bioethics
🧪🧬🧫
Paper:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

OHSU researchers create human eggs from skin cells, pointing to new frontier in fertility treatment

Scientists describe the technique as an early proof of concept and say it could take at least a decade of further research before clinical translation.

www.oregonlive.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 6d

NOAA’s ship Rainier spent five days in August 2025 mapping the seafloor of Lituya Bay, Alaska. The team found parts of the bay up to 130 meters shallower than older maps showed, shaped by landslides and glacier movement. #NOAA #Hydrography #Alaska
🧪🏔️🌊⚒️

nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/updates/rain...

The latest expedition in Lituya Bay: NOAA and National Park Service collaborate to update nautical charts – Office of Coast Survey

nauticalcharts.noaa.gov

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 6d

Reanalysis of 1978 Pioneer Venus probe data finds Venus' clouds contain water in hydrated minerals, plus iron sulfates and sulfuric acid. Estimates are about 60% water and 15-22% each for the sulfates.
#Venus
#PlanetaryScience
#Atmosphere
🧪
Paper
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

www.cpp.edu

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 6d

Fungi may have been shaping Earth’s ecosystems far earlier than we thought. New fossil-calibrated timelines show their ancestors branching off between 1.4 and 0.9 billion years ago, long before plants appeared.
#Fungi
#Evolution
#Paleobiology
#EarthHistory
🧪🍄🍄‍🟫

Paper
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The billion-year reign of fungi that predated plants and made Earth livable

Fungi may have shaped Earth’s landscapes long before plants appeared. By combining rare gene transfers with fossil evidence, researchers have traced fungal origins back nearly a billion years earlier ...

www.sciencedaily.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 8d

A short-lived gravity anomaly over the eastern Atlantic in 2007, detected by GRACE, points to sudden mass movement at the base of Earth’s mantle, likely from a deep mineral phase change reshaping that boundary
#Geophysics
#GRACE
🧪⚒️
Paper
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Vast Anomaly in Earth's Gravity Field Signals Shifts Deep Beneath The Surface

In 2007, something strange happened over the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

www.sciencealert.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 9d

Researchers have found a way around a key limit of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. By exploiting entangled particles, they can improve precision of one property without violating quantum rules.
🧪⚛️
#QuantumPhysics #Entanglement #ScienceNews #Research

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Physicists find a loophole in Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle without breaking it

By using something called a quantum grid, scientists have found a clever way to simultaneously measure momentum and position without violating Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.

www.livescience.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 11d

Astronomers detected a cosmic explosion unlike any seen before: GRB 250702BDE showed repeated gamma-ray bursts over a full day, defying known behaviors of standard explosions.
🧪✨🌌🔭🛰️📡
Paper:
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...

#CosmicMystery #GammaRays #Astrophysics #SpaceEvents

www.livescience.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 12d

A dogbane flower species, Vincetoxicum nakaianum, mimics the smell of injured ants to lure flies into pollinating it. This is the first known case of floral mimicry using ant-attack odors
🧪🌿🐜
#Botany
#Evolution
#Plants

Source
www.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/press/109...

Paper
www.cell.com/current-biol...

This flower smells like dying ants, and flies can’t resist it

Vincetoxicum nakaianum tricks flies into pollinating it by imitating the smell of ants attacked by spiders. Ko Mochizuki stumbled upon this finding when he noticed flies clustering around the flowers ...

www.sciencedaily.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 12d

Researchers have confirmed that the Silverpit crater beneath the North Sea was created by an asteroid impact over 43 million years ago, revealed by seismic imaging and shock-altered rock

#AsteroidImpact
#Cosmos
🧪☄️⚒️🌊

Source:
www.hw.ac.uk/news/2025/sc...

Paper:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Evidence of an ancient asteroid impact in the North Sea

earthsky.org

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 12d

NASA’s Terra satellite captured Iceberg A-23A losing 2/3rds of its area in its final drift northward from Antarctica

Once over 4,000 km², it now spans ~1,500 km² and is shedding named fragments A-23G and A-23I

🧪🔭🏔️🧊🌊
#Antarctica
#ClimateChange

More info:
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/15482...

The image shows a satellite view of iceberg A-23A and its fragments, A-23G and A-23I, drifting near South Georgia Island. The ocean appears dark blue, contrasting with the bright white icebergs and the surrounding scattered clouds. A-23A is the largest iceberg fragment, depicted centrally, with A-23I adjacent to it to the southeast, and A-23G located further south. South Georgia Island is visible at the bottom, with a detailed coastline highlighted in white. The image also includes extensive cloud cover, especially on the left and right edges, which surrounds the icebergs and obscures parts of the ocean.

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 13d

A new nova has erupted in the constellation Centaurus, first reported on Sept 22, 2025, at about magnitude 6.0, just visible without a telescope under dark skies. Its brightness may change rapidly in the coming days
🧪✨🌌💥🔭
#astronomy #stargazing #nova #space

New nova in Centaurus might be visible to the unaided eye

earthsky.org

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 13d

A new study shows that the ability to produce psilocybin evolved twice in mushrooms, arising independently in distantly related lineages. That repeated innovation might hint at a deeper ecological purpose

Paper:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#Evolution #Biochemistry #Psychedelics

🧪🧬🧫🍄‍🟫

Mushrooms evolved psychedelics twice, baffling scientists

Researchers found that magic mushrooms and fiber caps independently evolved different biochemical pathways to create psilocybin. This convergence shows nature’s ingenuity, but the reason why remains u...

www.sciencedaily.com

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 19d

Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu eruption (Episode 33) began Sept 19, 3:11 a.m. HST, with fountains >500 ft; gases drift SW

Updates from USGS volcanos:
www.facebook.com/share/p/1725...
Cam1
www.youtube.com/live/oG5zz9S...
(down)

Cam2
www.youtube.com/live/fiyttmA...

Cam3
www.youtube.com/live/BqmpkUd...

🧪🌋⚒️

The image is a screenshot from Kīlauea volcano cam number 2. It depicts a lava fountain with heights in excess of 500 ft (150 meters). The landscape surrounding it is covered in streams of lava. It is a night scene.

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 20d

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN), discovered Sept 12 by SOHO/SWAN, is brightening with a 2.5° tail. Best seen from the Southern Hemisphere, but may be visible from northern skies near Mars after sunset.
#Comet #Astronomy #NightSky #Skywatching

apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap25091...

🧪🔭☄️

New comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is becoming more visible

earthsky.org

1 3

Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 21d

Sunset's Guard, Fairbanks, Alaska, September 2025

Photo credit Kenneth Becker

#photography
#field
#landscape
#sunset
#evening
#alaska

The image displays a vast landscape under an overcast sky filled with dense, dark clouds. In the foreground, a grassy field stretches across the scene, showcasing various shades of green. A narrow, winding road cuts through the field leading toward the horizon. Beyond the field, a dense forest of coniferous trees forms a dark line along the horizon, indicating a transition from the open field to the wooded area. Above, the sky is dominated by heavy, grey clouds with patches of light breaking through, creating a dramatic and expansive view

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 22d

Scientists report the world’s oldest mummies in Southeast Asia, bodies smoke-dried and crouch-buried up to 12,000 years ago.

www.sciencenews.org/article/olde...

phys.org/news/2025-09...

Paper:
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

#Archaeology
#Anthropology
#SoutheastAsia
⚒️🧪

Earliest evidence of smoke-dried mummification: More than 10,000 years ago in southern China and Southeast Asia | PNAS

In southern China and Southeast Asia (collectively, Southeastern Asia), Terminal Pleistocene and Early to Middle Holocene (ca. 12,000 to 4,000 cal....

www.pnas.org

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 24d

Early JWST images revealed faint red dots in the young universe, and a new study suggests many may be black hole stars, huge gas clouds surrounding supermassive black holes instead of galaxies.
🧪🌌🔭✨
Paper: www.aanda.org/articles/aa/...

#JWST #BlackHoles #Cosmology #Astronomy

Mysterious ‘red dots’ in early universe may be ‘black hole star’ atmospheres | Penn State University

Tiny red objects spotted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are offering new insights into the origins of galaxies in the universe — and, according to a team including scientists at Penn State, may ...

www.psu.edu

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 26d

NASA’s Perseverance rover sampled a rock called “Cheyava Falls” and found “leopard-spot” mineral patterns and organic carbon in it, inside Jezero Crater’s Bright Angel Formation. This could be the strongest potential biosignature yet on Mars.
#Mars #Perseverance #Biosignature #Astrobiology #NASA

🧪⚒️

NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year - NASA

A sample collected by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover from an ancient dry riverbed in Jezero Crater could preserve evidence of ancient microbial life. Taken

www.nasa.gov

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · 28d

CU Boulder physicists built the first visible time crystal. Using liquid crystals lit in glass cells, molecules create swirling patterns that repeat like a clock. The effect lasts for hours and can be seen without instruments
🧪⚛️
#TimeCrystals
#MaterialsScience
Paper:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Physicists have created a new 'time crystal'—it won't power a time machine but could have many other uses

A team at CU Boulder has made a curious state of matter in which particles move constantly—like a clock with hands and gears that spin forever, even without

www.colorado.edu

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Kenneth Becker @geophotographer.org · Sep 5

NASA’s InSight lander confirmed Mars holds a solid inner core inside a molten outer one, showing the planet’s structure is more Earth-like than once thought
#Mars #InSight #Seismology
🧪⚒️
Paper/Nature article (institutional access only)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Marsquakes indicate a solid core for the red planet, just like Earth

Scientists revealed Wednesday that Mars' innermost core appears to be a solid hunk of metal just like Earth's.

phys.org

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