Science News
Latest science news and updates
Total: 42
China Loses a Pioneer of Accelerator Physics: Wei Baowen Dies at 91
Wei Baowen, an eminent Chinese nuclear and accelerator physicist and academician, died in Lanzhou on 17 January 2026 at age 91. As chief engineer of China’s first heavy‑ion accelerator project and former director of the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Accelerator National Laboratory and the Institute of Modern Physics, Wei played a central role in building China’s accelerator science infrastructure and institutions.
Chinese Academy of Sciences Charts New Path for ‘Smart’ Liquid‑Metal Nanoparticles in Tumour Targeting and Drug Delivery
Scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences have revealed how deformable liquid‑metal nanoparticles self‑assemble in tumours, fuse inside cells and evade lysosomal degradation—mechanisms that could enable more effective, controllable nanomedicines. The work offers both a blueprint for intelligent nanoparticle design and a reminder of translational challenges around safety, reproducibility and scale‑up.
Scientists Map a 'Molecular Brake' That Tunes Cell Growth — New Target for Cancer and Neurological Disease
Monash University researchers used cryo‑EM to determine the near‑atomic structure of the KICSTOR–GATOR1 complex, revealing how it suppresses cell growth in low‑nutrient conditions. The finding clarifies a major node in the mTOR nutrient‑sensing pathway and suggests new, potentially more selective therapeutic avenues for cancers and certain neurological disorders linked to growth‑control failure.
NASA’s Artemis II Moves to Launch Pad, Signalling a Critical Push Toward Returning Humans to the Moon
NASA has moved the Artemis II SLS rocket and Orion crew capsule to Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad, entering the final and most intensive phase of pre‑launch work for the United States’ first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. The mission — the first crewed flight for both SLS and Orion and carrying four astronauts — is scheduled no earlier than February 6 and faces significant technical and schedule risks during upcoming integrated tests.
NASA Moves Artemis II Stack to Launch Pad, Signalling Final Preparations for First Crewed Lunar Flyby in Decades
NASA has transferred the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for Artemis II to the Kennedy Space Center launch pad, entering a critical phase of integrated testing before a crewed lunar flyby not earlier than 6 February. The mission—carrying four astronauts—will be the first crewed flight for both SLS and Orion and is a pivotal step toward future lunar landings and sustained operations.
NASA’s Artemis II Rolls to the Pad, Signalling a New Phase in Crewed Lunar Return
NASA moved the Artemis II rocket and crewed Orion spacecraft to Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad on 17 January, marking a key preparation phase ahead of the first crewed lunar flyby in the Artemis programme. The pad transfer signals hardware readiness but ushers in a period of final integrated testing and schedule risk ahead of launch.