This week in stories we’re tracking at The Debrief… Commercial space company Rocket Lab just unveiled GHOST, a game-changing new launch capability that could enable payloads to be carried to orbit from virtually anywhere on Earth. Meanwhile, in a stunning event that unfolded in Greenland, European satellites managed to capture the dramatic moment an “ice island” the size of Manhattan was formed. Elsewhere, archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious inscription that could link recent excavations to a “lost city” known only from ancient Egyptian texts. Finally, in a Debrief exclusive, an Afghan woman provides personal on-the-ground commentary about life in Afghanistan in a poignant reflection written on the day of her country’s independence.
Meanwhile, here’s a look at other stories we’re covering right now at The Debrief:
- Scientists Just Found a New Way to Investigate How Extinct Giants Ended Up in Australia’s Underwater Caves
- Immune Cells Revealed to Have a Unique Sense of Touch in New Research That Could Rewrite How We Understand Autoimmune Problems
- Scientists Grew Human Brain Organoids for Years and Discovered They Keep Track of Time
- British Security Coordination and the Limits of Allied Persuasion: How Foreign Partners Can Shape Strategy Through Clandestine Action
- MIT Team Reverse-Engineers a Curious 2000-Year-Old Roman Technology to Create Modern Material That Heals Its Own Cracks
- Lost for 1800 Years, a Mysterious Altar Linked to an Ancient Roman Cult Resurfaces as Drought Drains Europe’s Rivers
- A New Discovery at Göbekli Tepe Could Reshape Our Understanding of One of the Ancient World’s Most Perplexing Sites
- The Massive Asteroid Apophis Will Pass Closer to Earth Than Some Satellites in 2029—Planetary Defense Researchers are Getting Ready
- Scientists Used Lasers and Citizen Scientists to Find a “Lost World” of Giant Trees
- Bumblebees Are Turning Up Dead on Sidewalks This Summer, and Heat Isn’t the Only Culprit
- Your Brain Has an Air Traffic Controller—Here’s How It Keeps Information Moving
- James Webb Space Telescope Discovery Reveals Hidden Stars Massively Expanding Early Galaxies
- Experiments Show Color-Enriched White Light Can Affect Whether a Room Feels Hot or Cold