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The Southern Ocean is getting wetter as climate change intensifies, with scientists saying storms are now delivering heavier rainfall, a shift that could have global climate impacts. A new study focusing on remote Macquarie Island located between Tasmania and Antarctica — shows a clear rise in rainfall over recent decades. The island, known for its dense wildlife including elephant seals, king penguins and albatrosses, is also showing visible environmental changes, with boggy terrain expanding and native plant species declining. Researchers say the island’s long-term weather records, among the few in the Southern Ocean region, reveal that annual rainfall has increased by about 28% since 1979, equal to roughly 260 millimetres of extra rain each year. The study, published in ‘Weather and Climate Dynamics’, is based on 45 years of daily observations compared with climate data from the ERA5 system. Scientists found that most of the increase is not due to more storms, but because existing storms are becoming more intense in terms of rainfall. Weather patterns linked to low-pressure systems and warm, moisture-laden air were found to be delivering heavier downpours, while overall storm frequency remained relatively stable. Scientists say the Southern Ocean storm track has gradually shifted closer to Antarctica, influencing rainfall patterns around Macquarie Island. However, they stress that the main driver is stronger moisture content in storms rather than increased storm numbers. The findings also show a gap between observed data and climate models, with ERA5 reanalysis detecting only about an 8% rise in rainfall compared to the 28% recorded on the island. Researchers warn that if similar changes are occurring across the wider Southern Ocean, the consequences could be significant for the global climate system. More rainfall means more freshwater entering the ocean’s surface, which can reduce mixing between water layers and affect ocean currents. The study estimates that by 2023, extra rainfall may have added about 2,300 gigatonnes of freshwater annually across the high-latitude Southern Ocean — far more than recent meltwater from Antarctica. Changes in ocean salinity could also disrupt the movement of carbon and nutrients, potentially affecting one of the world’s largest natural carbon sinks. The study further suggests that increased evaporation is needed to drive the heavier rainfall, meaning the Southern Ocean is losing more heat to the atmosphere — similar to how sweat cools the human body. Researchers estimate the ocean’s heat loss through evaporation has increased by around 10–15% since 1979. They describe the Southern Ocean as effectively “sweating” more as the planet warms. Scientists say Macquarie Island’s data offers a rare and important warning sign, and further research is needed to understand how widespread these changes are across the Southern Ocean and what they could mean for global climate patterns in the future. Source: Science Daily

Scientists have identified unexpectedly high levels of a little-known silicone-based pollutant in the atmosphere, found across cities, rural areas and forests, raising concerns about its possible impact on human health and the climate. The compounds, known as methylsiloxanes, are widely used in cosmetics, industrial products, transport systems and household items. Researchers say they are now being detected almost everywhere in the air, from densely populated cities to remote natural areas. The study was conducted by researchers from Utrecht University and University of Groningen and published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Scientists say this form of pollution has received far less attention compared to better-known contaminants such as PFAS and microplastics, even though it may be more widespread in the atmosphere. Researchers previously believed these chemicals mainly entered the air through evaporation from personal care products and industrial materials. However, the new findings show that larger forms of methylsiloxanes are also released from vehicle and ship engines through lubricating oils. The study found that these larger particles are not limited to traffic-heavy zones. They were detected in urban centres, coastal regions, rural areas and even forests, suggesting they are globally distributed. Lead researcher Rupert Holzinger of Utrecht University said the findings show atmospheric levels are higher than expected. According to the study, methylsiloxanes make up between 2 percent and 4.3 percent of total organic aerosols in the air, making them one of the most common synthetic substances found in airborne particles. By comparison, PFAS levels in the atmosphere are more than a thousand times lower. Researchers explained that engine lubricants containing methylsiloxanes can enter combustion chambers during vehicle operation. Because the compounds are highly heat-resistant, they do not fully break down and are released into the air through exhaust emissions. The highest levels were recorded in urban areas, including São Paulo in Brazil, while the lowest were found in forest locations in Lithuania. Samples from rural areas in the Netherlands showed moderate levels. Scientists collected air samples from multiple regions, including Europe, South America and rural locations, to understand how the pollutant spreads across different environments. Researchers warn that people are likely inhaling these compounds continuously, but the long-term health effects remain unknown. Holzinger said estimated daily exposure may already exceed that of other synthetic pollutants such as PFAS and microplastics, calling for urgent research into possible health risks. The study also raises concerns about climate impacts. Methylsiloxanes may affect how aerosols behave in the atmosphere, potentially influencing cloud formation and ice processes. Scientists also found that more than half of the pollution likely comes from vehicle emissions. The chemicals appear to travel long distances in the atmosphere due to their stability, making them more persistent than some related hydrocarbons. Researchers say further studies are needed to understand how far the compounds spread globally and what risks they may pose over time.

Scientists say they have identified a hidden chemical pattern that could help detect life beyond Earth. The new study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests that scientists may not need to focus only on finding specific molecules on distant planets and moons. Instead, they can look at how those molecules are organized. “We’re showing that life does not only produce molecules,” said Fabian Klenner, an assistant professor of planetary sciences at University of California, Riverside and co-author of the study. “Life also produces an organizational principle that we can see by applying statistics.” Looking beyond individual molecules For years, scientists have searched for signs of life by looking for compounds such as amino acids and fatty acids. But these molecules can also form naturally without any biological activity. They have been found in meteorites and created in laboratories that mimic conditions in space. As a result, simply detecting these chemicals is not enough to confirm the presence of life. The researchers found that amino acids in living organisms are usually more diverse and more evenly distributed than those produced through non-biological processes. Fatty acids showed the opposite pattern. In this case, non-living chemical reactions tended to produce more evenly distributed mixtures than living systems. Statistical clues to life The team said this is the first study to show that signs of life can be identified using statistical analysis alone, without relying on a specific instrument. That means the method could potentially be applied to data already being collected by missions exploring Mars, Europa and Enceladus. “Astrobiology is fundamentally a forensic science,” said Gideon Yoffe, a postdoctoral researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science and lead author of the study. “We’re trying to infer processes from incomplete clues, often with very limited data collected by missions that are extraordinarily expensive and infrequent,” he said. Borrowing from ecology To develop the method, the researchers adapted a statistical approach commonly used in ecology to measure biodiversity. Ecologists use two key concepts: richness, which counts how many different species are present, and evenness, which measures how evenly they are distributed. The scientists applied the same ideas to chemical data from around 100 existing datasets, including samples from microbes, soils, fossils, meteorites, asteroids and laboratory-made materials. In study after study, biological samples showed clear organizational patterns that distinguished them from non-living chemistry. Ancient fossils still carried the signal The method was also able to detect different levels of preservation in biological materials. “That was genuinely surprising,” Klenner said. “The method captured not only the distinction between life and nonlife, but also degrees of preservation and alteration.” Even heavily degraded samples retained signs of their biological origin. Fossilized dinosaur eggshells included in the study still showed detectable statistical patterns linked to ancient life. A useful tool for future missions The researchers stressed that no single method will be enough to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Klenner said any future claim would need multiple independent lines of evidence, interpreted within the geological and chemical context of the environment being studied. Still, the team believes the new statistical approach could become an important tool for future space missions. “Our approach is one more way to assess whether life may have been there,” Klenner said. “And if different techniques all point in the same direction, then that becomes very powerful.” Source: Science Daily

China on Monday morning successfully launched the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-10 from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site to deliver supplies to its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The Long March-7 carrier rocket, carrying Tianzhou-10, lifted off at 8:14 a.m. (Beijing Time) from Wenchang in south China’s Hainan Province, the agency said. Around 10 minutes after liftoff, the Tianzhou-10 separated from the rocket and entered its planned orbit, after which its solar panels were deployed. The agency confirmed that the launch was a complete success. Stronger solar activity is speeding up the fall of space junk toward Earth, study finds

The brilliant core of a spiral galaxy has been captured in a striking new image released by the NASA’s Webb Space Telescope, showing its intense glow outshining all surrounding features. The newly released picture depicts the Messier 77 galaxy, located about 45 million light-years away in the Cetus (whale) constellation. A light-year is roughly 6 trillion miles. At the centre of the galaxy lies an active nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole estimated to be eight million times more massive than the sun. Surrounding gas is drawn into a tight orbit around the black hole, heating up to extreme temperatures and emitting intense radiation. The telescope’s mid-infrared instrument captured the detailed structure and brightness of the region. Study suggests Universe may be finely tuned for life, scientists say The James Webb Space Telescope, the world’s largest and most powerful space observatory, has been documenting deep space phenomena since its launch in 2021.

Scientists have proposed a new theory suggesting that the basic laws of the Universe may be closely linked to the existence of life itself. Researchers from Queen Mary University of London say the Universe’s fundamental physical constants appear to fall within a very narrow range that allows liquids such as water and blood to flow properly, making life possible. The study, published in the journal Science Advances in 2023, argues that even a small change in these constants could make liquids either too thick or too thin for living organisms to survive. Scientists explained that life depends heavily on the movement of liquids at microscopic levels. Nutrients must travel through cells, proteins need to fold correctly and molecules constantly move through watery environments inside the body. All of these processes depend on viscosity, the property that determines how easily a liquid flows. According to the researchers, if the fundamental constants of physics changed by only a few percent, water and other biological fluids could behave very differently, possibly preventing complex life from developing. Physicist Kostya Trachenko said the findings show a surprising connection between everyday liquid flow and some of the deepest questions in physics. He noted that if water became as thick as tar, life in its current form might not exist at all. The same would apply to blood and cellular fluids that living organisms rely on. The researchers said even slight changes in constants such as the Planck constant or electron charge could make blood too thick or too thin for the human body to function properly. Scientists have long debated why the Universe’s physical constants appear to be “fine-tuned” for life. Earlier theories mainly focused on stars, galaxies and the formation of heavy elements needed for planets. However, this research shifts attention to biology, suggesting that life may also depend on liquids maintaining very precise flow conditions inside cells. The study adds a new dimension to the long-running scientific debate about why the Universe appears suitable for life. Researchers say the idea remains theoretical, and there is still no widely accepted explanation for why nature’s constants have their current values.Still, scientists believe the findings could help reshape discussions about the connection between physics, biology and the origins of life in the Universe. Source: Science Daily

Increasing solar activity, marked by rising sunspot numbers, is causing space debris in low Earth orbit to lose altitude and fall back toward Earth more quickly, according to new research. The study, published on May 6 in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, found that satellites and debris in low Earth orbit are more rapidly pulled downward when the Sun reaches its active phase in its roughly 11-year cycle. Researchers say the finding could help improve space mission planning at a time when growing amounts of orbital debris are increasing the risk of collisions with operational satellites and spacecraft. The research team, led by astrophysicist Ayisha Ashruf from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, tracked 17 pieces of space debris over more than 30 years to study how solar activity affects their movement. They identified a clear threshold: when sunspot numbers reached about 70 percent of their peak, orbital decay began to increase significantly. Scientists have long suspected a link between solar activity and space debris movement, but this study is the first to clearly demonstrate the relationship over multiple solar cycles. The Sun’s activity rises and falls in an approximately 11-year cycle. At its peak, sunspots become more numerous and solar radiation intensifies. This heats and expands Earth’s upper atmosphere, known as the thermosphere, increasing atmospheric drag on objects in low orbit. Objects in low Earth orbit, located roughly 160 to 2,000 kilometres above Earth, are forced to move through this denser atmosphere, slowing them down and gradually lowering their altitude. The study found that during three consecutive solar cycles between 1986 and 2024, the tracked debris — orbiting at altitudes of around 600 to 800 kilometres — consistently dropped a few kilometres whenever solar activity crossed the identified threshold. Researchers also noted that the extent of orbital decay varied depending on the intensity of each solar cycle. The findings could help space agencies better predict orbital conditions and plan satellite launches to reduce collision risks, especially as space debris continues to accumulate around Earth. #From Sciencenews.org

Shiveluch, one of the most active volcanoes on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula and the northernmost active volcano in the region, continues to show near-daily volcanic activity, according to satellite observations. The volcano’s horseshoe-shaped caldera regularly exhibits signs of unrest, including thermal anomalies, hot avalanches, debris flows and ash deposits that frequently darken the surrounding snow-covered landscape. A Landsat 9 satellite image captured on April 23, 2026, showed fresh volcanic activity altering the late-spring snow cover. Scientists said a growing lava dome—formed by slow-moving, viscous lava—has been developing inside the caldera in recent months, based on reports from the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT). Lava domes typically build up gradually in rounded or spine-like formations, similar to toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. On Shiveluch, these domes undergo repeated cycles of growth and collapse, often triggering explosive ash emissions and fast-moving pyroclastic flows of hot ash and debris. Experts said these collapses generate so-called “block-and-ash flows”, which carry large rock fragments mixed with volcanic ash and soil. These flows can create thick deposits that retain heat for long periods, sometimes for months or even years, often melting surrounding snow during winter. Satellite data has also detected ongoing thermal activity within the caldera and along flow channels leading away from it. KVERT reported that an “explosive-extrusive eruption” was ongoing on the day of the satellite capture, accompanied by “powerful gas-steam activity”. The volcano’s recent behaviour follows a major eruption and flank collapse in April 2023, which sent pyroclastic flows dozens of kilometres down the slopes, destroying large forest areas and leaving extensive deposits still visible today. Experts say some of those deposits may still retain residual heat. Geologist Janine Krippner noted that similar deposits from past events remained warm years later, based on her fieldwork in the area. Shiveluch has repeatedly undergone cycles of collapse and rebuilding, making it one of the most dynamic volcanoes in the world, scientists said. #By NASA

Scientists have found new evidence that coffee may do more than boost energy, suggesting it can also influence gut bacteria and affect mood, stress levels and brain function. The research, carried out by APC Microbiome Ireland at University College Cork, is among the first to closely examine how coffee interacts with the “gut-brain axis”, the communication system linking the digestive system and the brain. The study was published in *Nature Communications* and supported by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee. Researchers say both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee may help shape the gut microbiome and bring changes in emotional wellbeing.  Study looks at coffee, gut bacteria and mental health The study compared 31 regular coffee drinkers with 31 people who do not drink coffee. Participants underwent psychological tests, recorded diet and caffeine intake, and provided stool and urine samples so scientists could study changes in gut bacteria and mental state. Regular coffee drinkers were defined as people consuming around 3 to 5 cups a day, a level considered moderate and safe by European food safety guidelines. At the beginning of the experiment, coffee drinkers stopped consuming coffee for two weeks. During this period, researchers observed noticeable changes in gut microbial activity and related compounds, separating them from non-coffee drinkers. Mood improvements seen in both decaf and regular coffee After the break, coffee was gradually reintroduced without participants knowing whether they were drinking caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. Both groups reported improved mood, including lower stress, reduced depression symptoms and less impulsive behaviour. Researchers say this suggests coffee may improve mood even without caffeine. Gut bacteria linked with coffee intake The study also found that certain gut bacteria were more common among coffee drinkers, including ‘Eggertella’ species and ‘Cryptobacterium curtum’. These bacteria are believed to play roles in digestion and protecting against harmful microbes. Higher levels of another group of bacteria, ‘Firmicutes’, were also observed, which earlier research has linked with positive emotional effects in women. Different effects of caffeine and decaf Interestingly, improvements in learning and memory were seen only in those who drank decaffeinated coffee. Researchers suggest that plant compounds like polyphenols, rather than caffeine, may be responsible for these cognitive benefits. Caffeinated coffee, however, showed different advantages. It was linked with reduced anxiety, better focus and increased alertness. It was also associated with lower signs of inflammation. Researchers say coffee interacts with gut and brain Lead researcher Professor John Cryan said growing interest in gut health is helping scientists better understand the connection between digestion and mental wellbeing, though the exact role of coffee had remained unclear until now. He said the findings show that coffee can influence gut microbes and the substances they produce, which may have wider health effects. “Coffee is more than just caffeine. It interacts with our gut microbes, metabolism and even emotional wellbeing,” he said, adding that both regular and decaf coffee may offer different but complementary benefits. Researchers say the findings could help guide future understanding of how diet, especially coffee, may support both digestive and mental health. Source: Science Daily

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, created from debris of Halley’s Comet, is set to light up the night sky this week, but a bright moon is expected to make viewing more difficult. The meteor shower will reach its peak from Tuesday night into early Wednesday. While viewers in the Southern Hemisphere can usually see up to 50 meteors per hour at peak time, this year’s bright moon may reduce that number by about half. In the Northern Hemisphere, observers are likely to see fewer than 10 meteors per hour. Teri Gee, manager of the Barlow Planetarium in Wisconsin, said the display will be less impressive for those in the north, adding that people farther south will have a better chance of seeing more meteors. Meteor showers occur when Earth passes through trails of dust and debris left behind by comets or asteroids. As these particles enter the atmosphere at high speeds, they burn up and create bright streaks of light, commonly known as shooting stars. Although a few meteors can be seen on any clear night, meteor showers provide a more noticeable and predictable display each year. The Eta Aquarids are linked to Halley’s Comet, which orbits the sun and passes near Earth roughly every 76 years. It is expected to return again in 2061. Experts suggest heading outdoors just before dawn for the best chance to see the meteors. Choosing a dark location away from city lights and tall buildings can improve visibility. Finding a spot that blocks the bright waning gibbous moon, which will be about 84% full, may also help. Viewers are advised to bring blankets or chairs, avoid looking at phones and allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Looking toward the eastern sky near the Aquarius constellation can increase the chances of spotting meteors. Astrophysicist Nico Adams said the meteors often appear as quick flashes of light in the corner of the eye. Despite the reduced visibility this year, experts say watching a meteor shower in person remains a unique experience.