A significant milestone was achieved in space exploration yesterday when a private spacecraft, Blue Ghost lander built by Firefly Aerospace, successfully landed on the Moon. This achievement marks a win for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme.
The landing is a crucial step towards conducting science experiments and is aimed at spending two weeks on the lunar surface. This program contracts aerospace companies to fly scientific instruments to the Moon. Previous attempts have been unsuccessful due to various reasons, including being lost in space or crashing during landing.
Meanwhile, US agency head Russell Vought has ordered layoffs across federal agencies, affecting institutions like the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency. These layoffs could potentially impact entire scientific programmes and divisions.
In a related development, the European Union is scaling up its presence in Ukraine’s struggling research sector, providing crucial funding to Ukrainian research through Horizon Europe. This initiative aims to drive reforms in Ukraine’s research-funding system and boost innovation.
Additionally, AI has found new applications in education, with students using generative-AI chatbots like ChatGPT for simulations, podcasts, and work-life balance management. Researchers have also discovered that volcanic ash can transform an animal brain into glass under extreme conditions, preserving nerve cell imprints.
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Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00687-y