U.S. Space Force’s Enigmatic X37-B Space Plane to Test Next Generation Lasers and Quantum Inertial Sensors
The U.S. Space Force is preparing to launch the enigmatic X37-B spaceplane to study next-generation lasers and quantum inertial sensors.
Christopher Plain
Christopher Plain is Lead Science Writer at The Debrief. A science fiction and fantasy novelist of many years, you can follow and connect with him on X @plain_fiction, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.
Einstein Was Wrong? ‘Idealized’ Double-Slit Experiment Ends Nearly 100-Year-Old Debate
MIT scientist built an idealized, atomic-scale version of the famous double slit experiment which showed Albert Einstein was wrong.
Experiments Show Mental “Time Travel” Trick Can Improve Recall and Restore Lost Memories
Experiments show mental "time travel" recreating the circumstances of the original memory can improve recall and restore lost memories
Scientists Decode “Perplexing Mystery” of How X-rays, Electric Fields, and Electron Avalanches Create Powerful Lightning Strikes
Penn State University scientists have demonstrated the complex series of events occurring inside thunderclouds that create lightning strikes.
‘Extreme’ Chip Will Help LHC Scientists Explore Fundamental Questions About the Universe
Columbia University engineers invent an extreme chip capable of surviving the harsh radiation emitted during high-energy LHC experiments.
Martian Gravity Surprise Offers NASA Clues to Why Its Robotic Rovers Are Getting Stuck
Scientists show a misunderstanding of gravity explains why successful Earth-based simulations that free trapped rovers fail on other planets
A ‘Neurobiotic’ Sixth Sense? Scientists Find Microscopic Organisms Can Directly Communicate with the Human Brain
Scientists have revealed a potential 'neurobiotic' sixth sense derived from direct communication between microorganisms and the human brain.
Scientists May Have Finally Solved the Origin Mystery of the Moon’s Exosphere
A new analysis of lunar exosphere origin theories has cast doubt on how much the high-energy solar wind really impacts its formation.
Extreme Plasmons Breakthrough Makes Gamma-Ray Lasers and Future Multiverse Probes “Very Probable”
Engineers invent a material with extreme plasmons that could aid sci fi technologies like gamma ray lasers and tools to probe the multiverse
James Webb Space Telescope Made a ‘Puzzling’ Discovery on Jupiter’s Moon Europa—These Scientists May Have an Answer
SWRI experiments could explain puzzling levels of equatorial hydrogen peroxide on Saturn's moon Europa detected by the JWST.
Scientists Reveal Most Detailed Map of Antarctica’s Seafloor Canyons Ever Made
Scientists have just published the most detailed map of Antartica's seafloor revealing ultra-deep canyons reaching up to 4,000 meters.
Seismologists Identify Rare Supershear Event During Devastating Myanmar Quake
Seismologists reveal that the March 28, 2025, Myanmar earthquake likely moved at 'supershear' velocity, which is analogous to supersonic.
Mysterious Object Spotted by ESO Telescope Could Reveal a Hidden “Companion” Lurking Near a Remote Star
Scientists studying data from the VLT's ERIS instrument have spotted a mysterious object in the vicinity of star V960 Mon they can't explain
ESO’s Very Large Telescope Spots Newfound Protoplanet Sculpting Patterns in a Distant Star’s Disc
Scientist studying a star over 440 light-years away have spotted a planet creating intricate patterns in the star's protoplanetary disc.
DARPA-Funded Tech Unleashes Robots That Feed on Robots to Heal, Grow, and Evolve
DARPA-funded scientists have demonstrated a concept that sounds like a science fiction horror movie, which they call "robot metabolism."
James Webb and ALMA Telescopes Spy First-Ever “Dawn” of Planets Forming Around a Sun
Astronomers using ALMA and the James Webb Space Telescope witnessed the dawn of a solar system, including the first stages of planets forming
Scientists Achieve the “Impossible” by Detecting Invisible Forces in Ordinary Metal
Scientists hunting invisible forces in non-magnetic metals with the optical Hall effect report the first-ever successful detection.
Forget OLEDS, QLEDS and PHOLEDS. New Ultra-Bright QRLEDS Are Finally Here
A team of scientists trying to improve upon OLEDs and QLEDs used in modern smartphone displays have created ultra-bright QRLEDs.
“The Secret Might Be Here on Our Own Planet”: This NASA Scientist Is on a Mission to Find Out What Aliens Look Like
NASA has tasked a University of Massachusetts Amherst microbiologist who studies extremophiles with figuring out what aliens probably look like.
‘Interstellar Contamination’ Could Change Which Exoplanets Scientists Search for Extraterrestrial Life
A new analysis of exoplanets has shown interstellar contamination from nearby stars could change where to search for extraterrestrial life.
Scientists Discover Mysterious 80-Million-Year-Old Landscape Hidden Beneath Antarctica
An international team of scientists have discovered a mysterious, ancient landscape hidden beneath the ice sheet of Eastern Antarctica.
Into The Abyss: Scientists Capture First-Ever Images of Ultra-Deep Waters Near the Mariana Trench
Scientists used an autonomous underwater vehicle to image previously unexplored, ultra-deep waters near the abyss of the Mariana Trench.
Cosmic Mystery Solved? Earth May Reside Within a Huge ‘Void’ in Space
Scientists have proposed Earth is in the middle of a huge void in space, potentially resolving the cosmic mystery known as the Hubble Tension.
‘Space Ice’ Experiments Pour Cold Water on Panspermia Origin of Life Theories
Scientists studying space ice say the amorphous, low-density material's structure decreases the odds of a panspermia origin of life theories.
Scientists Say Deep Sleep Likely Increases Odds of “Eureka” Moments
Scientists trying to unlock the brain mechanisms behind so-called "eureka" moments of clarity gave found a possible connection to deep sleep.
Scientists Use Magnetic Levitation to Search for Ultralight Dark Matter
Rice University scientists have built a magnetic levitation sensor to spot quantum-level oscillations caused by ultralight dark matter.
Scientists Discover Ancient Temple From ‘Lost Civilization’ That Mysteriously Disappeared Over 1,000 Years Ago
Scientists have discovered the temple of a mysterious lost civilization in the Bolivian Andes that suddenly disappeared over 1,000 years ago.
How The Giant Magellan Telescope Could Confirm Potential Signs of Life Spotted by the James Webb Space Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope team explains how the observatory will help solve the mysteries of the cosmos including the search for life.
Scientists Are Trying to Explain a Mysterious ‘Cold Spot’ South of Greenland in the Atlantic Ocean
Scientists studying a mysterious cold spot south of Greenland in the Atlantic ocean have made a startling discovery.
Theory Proposing Three-Dimensional Time as the “Primary Fabric of Everything” Could Unify Quantum Physics and Gravity
A new, testable theory proposing three-dimensional time as the "primary fabric of everything" could help unify quantum physics and gravity.
Artifacts Discovered in 20,000-Year-Old Ice Age ‘Ice Cave’ Could Rewrite Human History
Artifacts found in a 20,000-year-old ice age 'ice cave' in Australia's remote Blue Mountains named Dargan Shelter could rewrite human history
Astronomers Have Made an “Exceptional” Discovery, Only the Third of Its Kind “In the Entire History of Observations”
An international team of scientists used expertise, patience, microlensing, and a little bit of luck to make an exceptionally rare discovery.
Study Confirms Controversial 23,000-Year-Old Human Footprints, Challenging Past Views on Peopling of the Americas
New radiocarbon dating of ancient mud samples confirm the controversial dating of 23,000-year-old footprints in White Sands, New Mexico.
New Solution to 120-Year-Old ‘Absolute Zero’ Problem Shows Einstein was Wrong
A newly published solution to a 120-year-old absolute zero problem shows that the criticisms of famed scientist Albert Einstein were wrong.
Antarctica Scientists “Don’t Actually Have an Explanation” for Strange Radio Pulses Coming from Below the Ice
Scientists hunting Antarctica for elusive neutrinos report the detection of strange radio pulses coming from beneath the ice.
Out-of-Body Experiences Could Be Coping Mechanisms Instead of Pathology, New Research Suggests
Scientists studying out-of-body experiences suggest they may be symptoms of these past experiences and not a cause of poor mental health.
Scientists “Were in Awe” as They Witnessed Longhorn Crazy Ants Perform Uncanny Feats of ‘Swarm’ Intelligence
Scientists studying Longhorn Crazy Ants witnessed a 'supercolony' perform several seemingly impossible feats of swarm intelligence.
James Webb Space Telescope Spots Source of ‘Extreme’ Redshift 7 Ultraviolet Light Powering Cosmic Reionization
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted extreme galaxy clusters generating enough ultraviolet light to account for cosmic reionization.
Scientists Are ‘Playing with God’s Dice’ by Using Quantum Entanglement for this Game-Changing Random Number Generator
Scientists have built the first ever traceable and certifiable random number generator that uses quantum entanglement.
“People Thought This Couldn’t Be Done”: Ground-Based Telescopes Detect Echoes of “Cosmic Dawn” by Peering 13 Billion Years Back in Time
Astronomers have used Earth-based telescopes to look over 13 billion years back in time to the Cosmic Dawn just after the Big Bang.
A Rabbi, a Minister, a Monk, and a Priest Took Magic Mushrooms. Here’s What Happened
When a team of scientists asked over 30 leaders of the world's four major religions to take magic mushrooms, this is what happened.
Scientists Using LIDAR to ‘See’ Through the Dense Forest Canopy Make a Surprising 1,000-Year-Old Discovery
Dartmouth scientists using LIDAR-equipped drones to peer through Michigan's dense forest canopy have made a shocking 1,000-year-old discovery.
Scientists Successfully Simulate Bizarre Phenomenon Where “Light Appears to be Generated from Darkness”
Physicists have successfully simulated a bizarre phenomenon where three intersecting lasers create a third, resulting in light from darkness.
First-Ever “Metalenses” Turn Invisible Light Visible and Are Dramatically Thinner Than Glass Lenses
Breakthrough ultrathin metalenses not only focus light like traditional lenses but also turn invisible light into visible light.
“A Glimpse of the Future”: Scientists Suggest ‘Supermassive’ Alternative to Next Generation Supercolliders
Scientists say supermassive black holes that smash together particles at near light speeds could potentially replace high-cost supercolliders.
5,000-Year-Old Missing Formula for ‘Egyptian Blue’ Reveals Unusual Optical, Magnetic, and Biological Properties
Scientists recreating the lost formula for 5,000-year-old Egyptian Blue affirm its unusual optical, magnetic, and biological properties.
Satellite Scanning the World’s Oceans Detects Elusive Phenomena Scientists Say Had “Been Hiding in Plain Sight”
Scientists using satellite data to analyze the behavior of the world's oceans have spotted unusual forces operating on and below the surface.
Scientists Reveal New Clues About Ancient Lost World Hidden Beneath the Ice of Antarctica
A chemical analysis of rocks from an ancient lost world hidden beneath the ice sheets of Antarctica has yielded several new insights.
Scientists Invent a 2D Material with Exotic Properties Called ‘Glaphene’ that “Nature Does Not Make on its Own”
Scientists have invented a new two-dimensional (2D) material called 'glaphene' that combines the exotic properties of other materials.
Astronomers Detect Repeating Signals From Space Object That’s “Unlike Anything We Have Seen Before”
Astronomers have reported the discovery of a mysterious object in deep space that emits radio signals and X-rays in a repeating pattern.