News Archive for February 2026

This image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was captured by the JANUS camera aboard ESA’s Juice spacecraft on November 6, 2025, just seven days after the comet made its closest approach to the Sun. At the time, Juice was about 66 million km (41 million miles) away from the comet. The inset in the image shows the same data, but processed to highlight the coma structure. The arrows in the top left indicate the direction in which the comet was moving (blue) and the relative direction of the Sun (yellow). Image credit: ESA / Juice / JANUS.

Juice Spies Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Feb 28, 2026 by Natali Anderson

The JANUS science camera aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) has captured new images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. This image of the...

These Webb images show PMR 1, a planetary nebula some 5,000 light-years away in the constellation of Vela. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / Joseph DePasquale, STScI.

Webb’s Infrared Vision Reveals Planetary Nebula that Looks Strikingly Like Celestial Brain

Feb 27, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

The unmatched sensitivity of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope in both near- and mid-infrared light sheds new light on PMR 1, a little-studied...

Fossil ant colony preserved in a piece of Baltic amber from Lithuania. Image credit: José de la Fuente & Agustín Estrada-Peña, doi: 10.3389/fevo.2026.1724595.

Fossil Amber Preserves Ecological Interactions between Ancient Ants and Other Organisms

Feb 27, 2026 by News Staff

Fossils trapped in amber aren’t just beautiful, they may preserve real ecological interactions, including possible parasitism or commensal relationships...

The arrival of Homo erectus in Southeast Asia 1.8 million years ago triggered the evolution of major human malaria vectors.

Arrival of Homo erectus in Southeast Asia Changed Mosquito Menu, New Study Suggests

Feb 26, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

The ancestors of today’s malaria-spreading mosquitoes in the Anopheles leucosphyrus (Leucosphyrus) group may have shifted to feeding on humans around...

Coronae glow on the tips of spruce needles, induced by charged metal plates in a laboratory. Image credit: William Brune.

Scientists Observe Electrical Discharges on Trees under Thunderstorms

Feb 26, 2026 by Sergio Prostak

Most people know about lightning and the havoc it wreaks on forests. They do not know about the weak electrical glow, called a corona, that is thought...

Alnashetri cerropoliciensis. Image credit: Gabriel Díaz Yantén, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro.

90-Million-Year-Old Patagonian Fossil Reveals Missing Chapter in Evolution of Alvarezsauroid Dinosaurs

Feb 25, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

A remarkably complete skeleton of the alvarezsauroid dinosaur species Alnashetri cerropoliciensis from Patagonia, Argentina, as well as two alvarezsauroid...

This image shows the complex distribution of molecular gas in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) of the Milky Way. Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / Longmore et al. / Minniti et al.

ALMA Produces Largest and Most Detailed Image Ever Taken of Milky Way’s Center

Feb 25, 2026 by News Staff

With the record-setting image from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have mapped the molecular heart of our Milky Way...

Plaquette with hybrid creature (so-called ‘Adorant’), ivory, from the Swabian Aurignacian. Image credit: Christian Bentz & Ewa Dutkiewicz, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2520385123.

Early Humans May Have Invented System of Symbols Long Before Writing

Feb 25, 2026 by Sergio Prostak

Early humans living in Europe some 40,000 years ago developed a conventional system of geometric signs — deliberate, repeatable markings that went...

Schematic of the expansion of the Universe from the Big Bang to the present day. Image credit: NASA / EFBrazil.

Astrophysicists Propose New Method to Measure Hubble Constant

Feb 25, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astrophysicists from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago have developed an innovative method to measure the Hubble constant —...

In adults with prediabetes, daily inclusion of avocado and mango increases fruit consumption, diversifies nutrient composition, and improves vascular function associated with cardiovascular health. Image credit: Tomek Walecki.

Avocado and Mango Daily Might Boost Vascular Health in Adults with Prediabetes

Feb 25, 2026 by Natali Anderson

Adding one avocado and a cup of mango each day improves vascular health indices and reduces key cardiometabolic risk factors in people with elevated blood...

The ancient marine amphibians Erythrobatrachus (foreground) and Aphaneramma (background) swimming along the coast of what is now far norther Western Australia 250 million years ago. Image credit: Pollyanna von Knorring, Swedish Museum of Natural History.

Early Triassic Fossils from Australia Uncover Diverse Marine Amphibian Community

Feb 24, 2026 by News Staff

Several 250-million-year-old specimens from museum collections in Australia and the United States have revealed a surprising diversity of trematosaurid...

This Webb image shows NGC 5134, a spiral galaxy some 65 million light-years away in the constellation of Virgo. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / A. Leroy.

Webb Focuses on Spiraling Star Factory: NGC 5134

Feb 24, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have produced a spectacular infrared image of the spiral galaxy NGC 5134. This Webb image...

Extra-virgin olive oil, a major component of the Mediterranean diet, protects against cognitive decline. Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Virgin Olive Oil Tied to Slower Cognitive Decline through Gut Microbiome Changes

Feb 24, 2026 by Natali Anderson

A large prospective cohort study finds that older adults who eat more virgin olive oil — a key component of the Mediterranean diet — have slower...

An artist’s impression of Dasosaurus tocantinensis. Image credit: TotalDino / CC BY 4.0.

New Sauropod Dinosaur Species Identified in Brazil

Feb 23, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists in Brazil have identified a previously unknown species of somphospondylan sauropod dinosaur with European affinities, hinting at ancient...

The main image at left shows a combined Webb and Hubble view of the spiral galaxy NGC 1637, with the region of interest in the top right; the remaining three panels show a detailed view of a red supergiant star before and after it exploded; the star is not visible in the Hubble image before the SN 2025pht explosion, but appears in the Webb image; the July 2025 view from Hubble shows the glowing aftermath of the explosion. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / C. Kilpatrick, Northwestern / A. Suresh, Northwestern / J. DePasquale, STScI.

Webb Identifies Supernova Progenitor Star in NGC 1637

Feb 23, 2026 by News Staff

Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have for the first time identified the progenitor of a nearby supernova — a red supergiant...

This is an artist's reconstruction of Homo erectus. Image credit: Yale University.

Early Homo Reached Jordan Valley by at Least 1.9 Million Years Ago

Feb 23, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research recalibrates the age of the Jordan Valley’s Ubeidiya Formation to nearly two million years, putting it on par with the famous site of Dmanisi...

Tomassini et al. characterized the physical and morphological properties of the binary system AFGL 4106, which is composed of two evolved massive stars. Image credit: ESO / Tomassini et al.

VLT Reveals Secrets of Old Stellar Couple

Feb 23, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

A stunning new image from the SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) reveals the...

An artist’s reconstruction of a myllokunmingiid with four eyes that helped it see and navigate its ancient world. Image credit: Xiangtong Lei & Sihang Zhang.

Earliest Known Vertebrates Had Four Camera-Type Eyes

Feb 23, 2026 by News Staff

Two species of myllokunmingiid fishes that lived in what is now China around 518 million years ago (Cambrian period) possessed two large lateral eyes...

Tiranti et al. mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’ upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Webb / STScI / P. Tiranti / H. Melin / M. Zamani, ESA & Webb.

Webb Reveals Hidden Layers of Uranus’ Upper Atmosphere

Feb 21, 2026 by News Staff

For the first time, astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus’ ionosphere, uncovering unexpected temperature peaks, weakened ion densities,...

Spinosaurus mirabilis is one of the last-surviving spinosaurid species. Image credit: Dani Navarro.

New Spinosaurus Species Discovered in Niger

Feb 19, 2026 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have identified the first unequivocal new species of the fish-eating dinosaur Spinosaurus in more than a century. Spinosaurus mirabilis...

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