Christopher Plain, Author at The Debrief

darkest black, ultra-black, carbon nanotubes

Darkest Black Ever? New “Ultra-Black” Automotive Coating with Carbon Nanotubes Absorbs over 99% of Visible Light

Christopher Plain·June 18, 2026

To create the darkest black, scientists invented an ultra-black carbon nanotube automotive coating that absorbs over 99% of visible light.

Archaeologists Discover Stonehenge ‘Prototype’ Constructed 500 Years Before Britain’s Most Famous Megalithic Site

Christopher Plain·June 18, 2026

Archaeologists have discovered a Stonehenge 'prototype' structure aligned with the solstices that is 500 years older than the famous site.

Scientists Say We Need to Prepare Astronauts for What They May Encounter Inside the Moon’s Oldest and Largest Crater

Christopher Plain·June 17, 2026

Scientists examining the Moon's oldest and largest crater have provided a "roadmap" for what future Artemis astronauts may encounter.

Ancient Microbes Preserved in Rapidly Thawing Arctic Middens Are Waking Up—Could They Pose a Threat to Us Today?

Christopher Plain·June 17, 2026

An analysis of ancient microbes frozen in rapidly thawing ancient middens spanning Greenland estimates the potential for modern-day spread.

Quest for Fire: New Technique Pushes First Intentional Use of Fire to Over One Million Years Ago

Christopher Plain·June 16, 2026

Scientists studying the site of the oldest-known intentional use of fire have found evidence pushing that date past one million years ago.

Black Holes Aren’t Real? Astronomers Propose Elusive Formation Mechanism for “Gravastar” Alternative That is “Easier to Accept”

Christopher Plain·June 15, 2026

After 25 years of debate, scientists have proposed a mathematical model for an alternative to black holes called a gravastar.

Transformers on the Moon? Japan Reveals Details of Tiny Shape-Shifting Rover’s Historic Lunar Exploration

Christopher Plain·June 13, 2026

Japan's space agency has revealed details from their historic SLIM mission, including an autonomous shape-shifting rover's lunar exploration.

Art Fraudsters Beware: Science Has Found a Way to Tell a Fake Van Gogh from a Real One

Christopher Plain·June 12, 2026

A new forgery identification method using surface "texture" analysis has identified authentic artworks by van Gogh and at least one fake.

A Remarkable 400,000-Year-Old “Time Capsule” Unsealed in Israel Could Reshape Our Understanding of Early Human Evolution

Christopher Plain·June 12, 2026

Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered a remarkable site "protected from the ravages of time," revealing an early human presence that may extend to 400,000 years ago.

“When We Build the ARC Fusion Power Plant, It Will Work”: Company Claims Nuclear Fusion Reactor Design Will Produce More Energy Than It Consumes

Christopher Plain·June 11, 2026

Commonwealth Fusion Systems has published a series of papers they claim will lead to the successful construction of their ARC fusion reactor.

New Analysis Confirms the Universe is Still Expanding, Refuting Controversial 2025 Claims and Prompting Immediate Response

Christopher Plain·June 11, 2026

A new paper suggests a 2025 study claiming the universe is not expanding, which refuted a previous Nobel Prize-winning discovery, is wrong.

electric propulsion, electrospray thrusters

MIT Engineers Testing Exotic ‘Electrospray’ Propulsion for Faster, More Maneuverable Spacecraft

Christopher Plain·June 10, 2026

MIT engineers are testing "electrospray" propulsion thrusters that could make satellites and small spacecraft more powerful and maneuverable.

Decades of NASA Satellite Data Reveals the Elusive, Enigmatic ‘Urban Pulse” of Six Major Cities

Christopher Plain·June 9, 2026

Decades of satellite data have revealed the Urban Pulse of six cities worldwide, including the "health" of each city and its neighborhoods.

“SpiderCam, SpiderCam, Does Whatever a Spider Can?” 3D Camera Inspired by Jumping Spider is First to Operate Below One Watt

Christopher Plain·June 8, 2026

Northwestern engineers have unveiled an energy-efficient camera called SpiderCam that estimates depth in the same way that jumping spiders do.

Ancient Europeans Ate Some Pretty Gross Things, but The Ickiest One Was Probably by Accident

Christopher Plain·June 8, 2026

Analysis of dental tartar reveals that Ancient Europeans ate insects less often than humans near the tropics, and probably not on purpose.

After Swiss Scientists Injected ‘Repair’ Microrobots into the Injured Spinal Cords of Fish and Mice, Something Incredible Happened

Christopher Plain·June 7, 2026

After magnetically driven microrobots loaded with stem cells were injected into the injured spinal cord of a mouse, something happened.

“A Game Changing Warfighting Capability”: DIU-Funded Hermeus Says Autonomous, High-Mach Payload Release Test Flights to Begin

Christopher Plain·June 5, 2026

Aviation defense company, Hermeus, has announced new test flights to expedite carrying and releasing payloads at high-Mach speeds.

First Look: Enigmatic ‘Aurora’ Suborbital Spaceplane Spotted Carrying a Special John Hopkins Payload in Previously Unseen Video

Christopher Plain·June 5, 2026

Dawn Aerospace has released raw footage of its Aurora Spaceplane ferrying a Johns Hopkins Advanced Propulsion Lab payload to suborbital space.

Discovery Hidden Inside 520-Million-Year-Old Rocks Solves a Longstanding ‘Evolutionary Enigma’

Christopher Plain·June 4, 2026

A discovery hidden inside 520-million-year-old rocks has solved an evolutionary enigma and could even rewrite the entire tree of life.

EPFL Researchers Have Just Unleashed a Powerful Ultrafast Laser on a Chip They Call a “Holy Grail of Integrated Photonics”

Christopher Plain·June 3, 2026

Researchers have announced the first ultrafast laser delivering 1.05 nanojoules of energy in pulses as short as 147 femtoseconds integrated onto a photonic chip.

Scientists Discover an Astronomical ‘Rosetta Stone’ for Decoding Mysterious Cosmic Signals

Christopher Plain·June 3, 2026

Scientists claim to have discovered an astronomical 'Rosetta Stone' for mysterious cosmic signals that have perplexed astronomers for decades.

“Explore a Scene from Any Vantage Point You Want”: 3D Volumetric Video Breakthrough Means Streaming in 3D May Soon Be a Reality

Christopher Plain·June 2, 2026

A 3D volumetric video breakthrough overcoming previous technological limitations could finally enable true 3D streaming on everyday devices.

“How in the World Can These Things Happen?”: After a Series of ‘Mystery’ Quakes Shook Utah, Scientists Finally Think They Know Why

Christopher Plain·June 1, 2026

Nearly five decades after the first in a series of mystery quakes rocked the Utah-Wyoming region, scientists think they've figured it out.

Virtual astronauts in a Moon base Lunar base

Scientists Locked ‘Virtual’ Astronauts in a Moon Base with Equipment Failures, Moonquakes and Extreme Radiation. Here’s What Happened.

Christopher Plain·May 29, 2026

Scientists locked virtual astronauts in a simulated Lunar Base with system failures and natural disasters and watched how they'd respond.

Superhero Strength from Futuristic Clothing? Scientists Invent ‘Wearable Robot’ Fabric Muscle Clothing That Increases the Wearer’s Strength by 40%

Christopher Plain·May 26, 2026

Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials engineers reveal a fabric 'muscle' that makes the wearer stronger and increases range of motion.

“They Would Be Able to ‘See,’ ‘Hear,’ and ‘Think’”: Laser-Powered Ceramic Engines Could Drive Futuristic Intelligent 6G Networks

Christopher Plain·May 26, 2026

Chinese scientists claim they've tested a visible-light, laser-based ceramic engine that could enable AI-based intelligent 6G networks.

Over 1,100 Newly Identified Marine Species Include Ghost Shark Chimera and a Worm in a “Living Glass” House

Christopher Plain·May 25, 2026

Scientists have announced the discovery of over 1,100 new marine species, including the Ghost Shark Chimera and 'Glass House' worm.

5,000 Years Ago, Two Ancient Megalithic Societies Shared an Unknown Connection—Now Genetic Science Reveals Their Long-Hidden Secrets

Christopher Plain·May 22, 2026

Tests reveal that megalithic communities responsible for these massive stone monuments in ancient Europe were actually genetically related.

“Different Flows of Time All Exist at the Same Moment”: Scientists Claim Trapped-Ion Atomic Clocks Can Observe “Quantum Superposition of Time”

Christopher Plain·May 19, 2026

Scientists claim they can improve the sensitivity of atomic clocks to measure the quantum superposition of time and possibly explain gravity.

Scientists Looked Inside an ‘Impossible’ Crystal Formed in the Heart of a Nuclear Blast—And Found Something No One Had Ever Seen

Christopher Plain·May 15, 2026

Scientists have revealed something within a trinitite crystal formed during a 1945 nuclear blast that has never been seen before.

“This Compound Can Selectively Dampen Escalated Social Conflict”: Fish ‘High’ on Key Ingredient in Magic Mushrooms Become Lazy and Less Aggressive

Christopher Plain·May 13, 2026

A species of innately aggressive fish dosed with psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms, became lazy and less aggressive.

Free Energy from the Vacuum? Warp Drive Pioneer Unveils Battery-Free ‘MicroSparc’ That Allegedly Draws Power from the Quantum Vacuum

Christopher Plain·May 12, 2026

Casimir, founded by NASA & DARPA warp drive scientist Sonny White, has unveiled a chip that allegedly draws energy from the quantum vacuum.

“This is not a Routine Launch Update”: EarthDaily Analytics Launches Six Satellites Capable of Detecting Complex Planetary-Wide Changes ‘At Scale’

Christopher Plain·May 6, 2026

EarthDaily Analytics has announced the successful launch of six satellites capable of unprecedented daily monitoring of the Earth's surface.

James Webb Space Telescope exoplanet surface features

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Just Revealed Surprising Surface Details on a Nearby ‘Super-Earth’

Christopher Plain·May 5, 2026

In a historic first, scientists have successfully characterized several surface features and the likely mineral composition of an exoplanet

Archaeologists Just Discovered a Fragment of Homer’s Iliad Inside an Ancient Egyptian Mummy

Christopher Plain·May 2, 2026

In a historic first, archeologists excavating an ancient Egyptian tomb have found a fragment of Homer's poem The Iliad embalmed with the mummy

“The Foundations for a New Generation of Light‑Based Technologies”: Scientists Uncover ‘Hidden’ Property of Light That Allows it to Spin and Twist

Christopher Plain·May 1, 2026

Scientists have discovered a 'hidden property' of light that could lead to a new generation of light-based and quantum technologies.

NASA Tests Prototype ‘Magnetoplasmadynamic’ Electric Propulsion Thruster Designed to Power Future Trips to Mars

Christopher Plain·April 30, 2026

NASA announced a successful test of a sci-fi-sounding lithium metal vapor electric thruster propulsion system that could power trips to Mars.

Occam’s Robot? Harvard Researchers Build a Swarm of Simple Robots Called ‘RAnts’ That Can Collectively Build and Destroy Complex Structures

Christopher Plain·April 30, 2026

Harvard researchers have developed a swarm of ant-inspired robots called 'RAnts' that use three 'simple' rules to build complex structures.

Chat GPT of Sound? SmartDj Lets Users Customize Their Immersive Sound Environment with Simple Voice Commands in Everyday Language

Christopher Plain·April 28, 2026

Penn scientists announce an AI-powered sound engineering audio language model, SmartDj, that turns simply worded commands into complex audio.

Scientists Explore Paranormal Experiences and the Effects of Inaudible “Infrasound”

Christopher Plain·April 28, 2026

Experiments with infrasound have revealed a potential connection to paranormal experiences such as haunted houses and buildings

Plants and plant seeds hear the sound of rain

MIT Experiments Show Plant Seeds Can “Hear” the Sound of Rain—And They Don’t Find It Calming

Christopher Plain·April 24, 2026

MIT engineers reveal plant seeds can "hear" the sound of rain, which awakens them from a dormant state and prompts them to begin growing.

extreme light intensities powerful lasers

Scientists Discover Path to ‘Extreme Light Intensities’ That Could Enable Ultra-Powerful Laser Weapons and Advanced Tech

Christopher Plain·April 23, 2026

Experiments reveal a new path to extreme light intensities used in combat lasers, nuclear fusion, and studies probing the laws of physics.

Scientists Use Modern Technology to Unravel the Origin of the ‘Baptism of Christ’

Christopher Plain·April 23, 2026

Modern machine learning tools have determined that the Spanish Renaissance painting, the Baptism of Christ, was the sole work of El Greco.

“Icarus is Building the Robotic Labor Force for Space”: Voyager Technologies is Sending a Next-Generation Zero Gravity Robot on a ‘Joyride’ to Space

Christopher Plain·April 22, 2026

Space launch company Voyager Technologies has agreed to test the Icarus Robotics zero-gravity robot 'Joy' on the International Space Station.

Max Planck Institute of Extraterrestrial Physics Makes an ‘Illuminating’ Discovery About the Solar System’s X-Ray ‘Glow’

Christopher Plain·April 21, 2026

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics have successfully isolated the Solar System's ubiquitous X-ray glow.

robots that learn by watching other robots

Robots Are Learning Complex Tasks by Watching Humans and Other Robots

Christopher Plain·April 16, 2026

A new kinetic intelligence framework allows robots to rapidly learn complex tasks by watching other robots without any human intervention

Scientists Create Light Inside the Human Body Using Waves of Ultrasound

Christopher Plain·April 15, 2026

Stanford scientists have used nanoparticles and an ultrasound 'hat' to generate non-invasive, therapeutic light inside the human body

“Learning Gives Our Metamaterials the Ability to Evolve”: Scientists Invent Intelligent Materials That Learn, Change Shape, and Move on Their Own

Christopher Plain·April 14, 2026

Scientists have invented intelligent metamaterials that can learn, remember, change shapes, and move on their own without external control

“The Animal Cannot be Confidently Assigned to Any Known Phylum”: Scientists Exploring Deep Ocean Trenches Discover ‘Baffling’ Mystery Organism

Christopher Plain·April 10, 2026

A deep-ocean trench expedition discovered a unique, floating mystery organism that has left taxonomy experts 'baffled.'

Massive ‘Tycho’ Space Station 10X Larger Than the ISS Wins Inaugural Aurelia Prize

Christopher Plain·April 10, 2026

Massive Tycho space station habitat that is 10x larger than the ISS wins the inaugural Aurelia Prize in Design for Space Urbanism.