SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Universe " 516 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
NASA's newest space telescope launches on a quest to explore the hidden universe
The bus-sized telescope — named after the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer — will take more than three months to reach its destination.
Colorado Sues EarnIn For “Immoral, Unethical, Oppressive and Unscrupulous” Business Practices
Hey all, Jason here. When this hits your inbox, I should be en route to the airport — not to go anywhere myself, just to pick up my better half. I must admit, it’s been strange to be home alone (well, with two dogs) for two weeks! Really lets me “optimize” to spending more time on reading/writing/working, whether that’s healthy or not! Looking forward to getting back into a (somewhat) more balance routine. Subscribe or Support by Upgrading Compare Notes With the People Who Built Modern Fintech Partner content: Remitly CEO Sebastian Gunningham. Increase founder Darragh Buckley. Linda Du, Co-founder & President at Valon. They’ll unpack the decisions behind building and scaling major financial products: what they got right, what broke, what they would do differently, and how AI and new infrastructure are changing the operator playbook. Most events tell you where fintech is going. NerdCon puts the people who built the present in the room and asks them what comes next. Expect an operator-led conversation grounded in real products, real trade-offs and lessons earned the hard way. Fintech Business Weekly readers save 20% on Regular tickets with code FBW20 before standard pricing ends September 11. Meet the Builders Things To Know & Other Good Reads Advent and Stripe Abandon $50 Billion Pursuit of PayPal (Bloomberg) Trump Family’s New Crypto Bank Is Backed by Abu Dhabi Sheikh (Wall Street Journal) The multiplying risks of financing data centres (FT) Let the Bond Market Speak (Wall Street Journal) Did we waste a crisis? Modest proposals to reform deposit insurance. (Fintech Takes Banking) Untangling Guggenheim: How Private Credit Built Its Own Universe (Net Interest) The Hater’s Guide To Circular Financing — Part One (Ed Zitron) Fiat Ventures Rebrands to FGV Capital, Announces $35M Oversubscribed Fund II (BusinessWire) Socure Announces Strategic Growth Investment at $5.2B Valuation and Acquires Agentic Operations Platform Fravity (Socure) Listen: When Consumer Protection Disclosures Work Too Well (Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast) Colorado Sues EarnIn For “Immoral, Unethical, Oppressive and Unscrupulous” Business Practices When Andreessen Horowitz led EarnIn’s $39 million Series B in 2017, Alex Rampell, a partner at the storied venture capital firm, described EarnIn’s small-dollar advance product as “free,” relying on “entirely on voluntary contributions instead of fees.” Rampell favorably compared EarnIn’s approach to typical payday loans, writing, “Payday loans historically have had the potential to be a slippery slope for consumers into financial distress: opaque systems and steep fees that are hard to repay and set individuals back further than where they started. For many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, that kind of slide into debt can be extremely difficult to recover from.” But EarnIn’s product — which, the company says, isn’t a “loan,” legally speaking — ends up being anything but free for most users. While it is technically possible to take a no-fee advance from the company, most users incur “Lightning Speed” (instant funding) fees and/or ostensibly optional tips that combined can equate to annualized percent rates that can reach over 1,000%. With an average term of 9.77 days, even fees and tips that are small on an absolute dollar basis are equivalent to high APRs on an annualized basis. A lawsuit filed last week by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser against EarnIn describes the company and its product and business practices quite differently than Andreessen’s Rampell; “EarnIn’s business practices are unfair because they are immoral, unethical, oppressive and unscrupulous,” the complaint, filed in District Court in Denver, Colorado, says. EarnIn’s marquee product, Cash Out, isn’t a loan, the company says, as Cash Out is not “[f]orward [l]ooking” because “[t]he money is transferred based on earnings to date,” does not carry a mandatory fee to access funds, and is “non-recourse,” meaning EarnIn cannot pursue recovery from users who don’t repay advanced funds. EarnIn is sometimes referred to as an “Earned Wage Advance” service. Though, unlike some others in the broader category, EarnIn does not integrate with employers’ payroll or time and attendance systems. Rather, EarnIn attempts to verify a user’s income and employment, by examining direct deposit transaction data in their linked external bank account, by using GPS location and Bluetooth data to estimate a user’s time spent at work, if they work in a fixed location, and/or by having a user provided a work email address. While repayment is theoretically optional, as EarnIn would have no recourse, such as reporting non-payment to the credit bureaus or a collections agency, this is anything but clear to users of the EarnIn app, Colorado’s complaint argues. During the process of taking a Cash Out, users must agree to a preauthorized debit of the amount advanced, plus any expedited funding fee and/or tips. Though users technically can revoke this ACH authorization, the fact that they have this right isn’t presented to users during the Cash Out process, but rather is included in linked terms and conditions few users are likely to actually read. And users who do wish to revoke their ACH authorization must do so three or more days before the scheduled transaction date by emailing EarnIn’s customer support. Similarly, EarnIn’s marketing claims that it carries “no interest” and “no mandatory fees” is technically true, but is not the reality for many of the app’s users, the Colorado complaint argues. Further, EarnIn has extensively marketed to users the ability to “access your pay today,” to get “instant” funds, and to get funds “the same day you work” — when, in reality, this speed of access was only possible by paying the additional, undisclosed Lightning Speed fee. The Colorado complaint highlights this contradiction specifically, noting: EarnIn tells consumers that they can ‘Make any day payday with EarnIn’ and that there no ‘hidden’ or ‘mandatory fees.’ For a consumer to access their pay on the same day requested, they would have to pay the Lightning Speed fee. In the fine print of the advertisement EarnIn discloses that ‘[f]ees apply to use Lightning Speed,’ a direct contradiction to the larger text of the advertisement, and a fact that would not be immediately understood by a consumer as ‘Lightning Speed’ is not defined nor explained. Like other small-dollar lending services, rather than explicitly charge interest, EarnIn collects a markup on the optional Lighting Speed fee, which, given the nature of the transactions, many users opt for, as well as offering users the option to leave “tips.” EarnIn leverages either Real-Time Payments (RTP) rails or push-to-card via debit rails if a user opts for the optional Lightning Speed. But while these capabilities cost EarnIn, on average, $0.075 or $0.20 per transaction, respectively, EarnIn charges users significantly more. Initially, EarnIn charged as little as $1.99 for Cash Outs up to $24. But EarnIn has hiked these fees multiple times, and now charges $4.99 for Cash Outs up to $75 and $6.99 for those over $75. According to the Colorado complaint, EarnIn leverages “dark patterns” to manipulate users and to make it more difficult to avoid tipping. Examples of these “road blocks” highlighted in the complaint include: As of 2023, in the EarnIn app, a consumer attempting to get a loan under the default settings had to make at least eighteen separate taps to complete the transaction and reduce the tip to $0. There is an alternative method to leave a $0 tip, via the “Custom tip” feature, but EarnIn made this option difficult to access by visually deemphasizing it and positioning it near devices’ “home” button. Using language and imagery such as “Tip to pay it forward,” “Your generosity supports the service + helps,” “Your tips make a difference,” and “[t]he APR for this cash out is 0%. Your tips help support us.” While Lightning Speed and tipping are, in theory, both optional, in practice, users nearly always ended up paying something. According to the Colorado suit, users were charged either a tip or an expedite fee for more than 92% of transactions, with an average APR of nearly 388%. And, although the advances are “non-recourse,” EarnIn successfully collects on nearly all transactions — 99.18%, according to the complaint, which, Colorado argues, “demonstrat[es] that EarnIn’s advances function as high cost loans, not voluntary payments.” The share of EarnIn users incurring fees — despite the product being marketed as 0% APR — is hard to reconcile with Andreessen investor Rampell’s favorable description of EarnIn vs. “opaque systems and steep fees” associated with payday loans, which, Rampell says, can be “extremely difficult” for borrowers to extricate themselves from. According to Colorado’s suit, EarnIn’s Cash Out product “trapped many consumers in extreme cycles of high-cost reborrowing.” The suit gives an example of one consumer in the state, who took out a whopping 1,151 loans, paying a total of $4,038.50 in Lightning Speed expedited funding fees on loans that averaged the equivalent of 1,421% APR. Another Colorado user, the suit says, took out 1,033 loans, paying $8,561.22 in tips and fees at an average APR of 1,539% . These types of usage patterns demonstrate “the severe and repeated financial harm caused by EarnIn’s illegal lending model,” the Colorado complaint argues. In aggregate, from January 2023 through July 2025, EarnIn extended 3.1 million loans to 56,778 users in Colorado — an average of nearly 55 transactions per person during the time period. EarnIn lent more than $300 million and collected more than $16 million from Colorado users in Lightning Speed fees and in tips. Ultimately, the Colorado complaint argues that “EarnIn’s Cash Outs are loans under Colorado law, and EarnIn’s contention that its product is not a loan based on its disclaimer of any legal repayment obligation lacks any real-world significance given how the Cash Out transactions actually operate in practice.” Colorado further argues that “EarnIn was not working with companies here in providing consumers with funds but acted as a third-party lender and charged illegally high rates, used deceptive design strategies to extract some charges, and trapped consumers in repeat borrowing. Colorado will continue to stand up for consumers and hold companies accountable when they violate our credit laws or attempt to evade them through misleading practices.” Colorado’s suit alleges EarnIn assesses finance charge in excess of that permitted by Colorado law, that EarnIn failed to make legally required disclosures to Colorado borrowers, that EarnIn made supervised loans to consumers without obtaining the requisite license, that EarnIn violated the state’s Deferred Deposit Loan Act, that EarnIn engage in unfair and deceptive trade practices, and that EarnIn made false or misleading statements concerning price. The suit seeks a court order enjoining EarnIn from violating relevant Colorado laws, for EarnIn to refund amounts charged in excess of state law, fees, costs, and penalties, and other relief the court deems to be just. Fintech Business Weekly is made possible by the generous support of paying subscribers — bringing you independent analysis of banking, fintech, and crypto without fear or favor. You can support my work by becoming a paying subscriber if you aren’t already. Paying subscribers enjoy: access to the entire archive of nearly six years of newsletters extended versions of the weekly newsletter, with additional content and analysis and (for founding member tier) quarterly personal 1:1 fintech Q&A / strategy calls with me, tapping into my unparalleled knowledge of the intersection of banking and fintech and experience working in the sector, including helping to launch Goldman Sachs’ retail bank Marcus Support Fintech Business Weekly You can also support Fintech Business Weekly by sponsoring a newsletter or podcast, putting you in front of 93,000+ of the most influential decision makers in banking, fintech, and crypto. Learn more about sponsor opportunities or request a media kit by dropping me an email. Q2 Quarterly Banking Profile: Five Quick Takeaways The FDIC released its quarterly banking profile, which is always worth a read, for the second quarter. The profile provides an aggregate snapshot about the overall health of the 4,238 institutions whose deposits are insured by the FDIC, who, collectively, hold more than $26 trillion in assets and saw a total net income of more than $90 billion in the second quarter. Net income was up 12% vs. Q1 2026, with lower provisions and realized gains on securities helping to drive the improvement, somewhat offset by increases in non-interest expense and applicable income taxes. Overall net interest margin was basically flat quarter over quarter (up 1 basis point vs. Q1 2026), though community banks saw NIM grow by 10 basis points, to 3.81%. Unsurprisingly, given that interest rates haven’t changed, unrealized losses on securities changed little, edging up slightly to $326.7 billion vs. $325.1 billion in Q1 2026. Aggregate credit quality has remained benign, with asset quality actually improving slightly in Q2. Overall, institutions reported a 9 basis point decline in their past-due and non-accrual rate, to 1.44%. Net charge off rate also declined by 2 basis points, to 0.57%. And finally, the FDIC’s deposit insurance fund stands at $161.1 billion, making the DIF reserve ratio 1.48% — above the statutory minimum of 1.35%, but still below the designated target reserve ratio of 2%. [Paid Subscriber Exclusive] Nissan Withdraws ILC App, State Associations Plan BankChain Alliance, FDIC Defines “Unsafe or Unsound Practice” For First Time Automaker Nissan withdrew its application to charter a Utah industrial loan company and its corresponding application to the FDIC for deposit insurance last week, on August 19th. Nissan’s application had been outstanding for more than a year, as it originally applied in June 2025. Recent applications to the OCC to form national banks have been decisioned, one way or the other, substantially more quickly than has historically been the case.
Roman Telescope Begins Quest to Reveal Evolving Universe
A new era of space exploration began today with the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
Scientists Create the Littlest Big Bang to Study the Universe's Origins
The discovery redefines how large atoms need to be to produce the extreme state of matter found in the early universe.
NASA’s new ‘discovery machine’ is launching to unravel the invisible universe
NASA’s new observatory, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, is ready to lift off and solve the universe’s enduring mysteries.
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is about to change how we see the universe
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is set to give scientists an unprecedented wide view of the universe, helping investigate dark energy and dark matter, chart the evolution of galaxies and aid in the discovery of planets beyond our solar system.
NASA is launching the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here are just a few of the wonders it will reveal
If all goes to plan, at 7:26 a.m. Sunday morning, a new space telescope will blast off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on top of a Falcon Heavy rocket, ready to reveal new wonders about our universe. Here are some things scientists hope to unravel with this new telescope.
The universe is still speeding up, but nobody knows why
A major new analysis challenges recent claims that the universe's expansion is slowing, finding that the evidence for cosmic acceleration remains strong. The findings preserve the leading role of dark energy, while leaving scientists with the enduring mystery of what this strange cosmic force actually is.
NASA is preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Here's what to know
NASA plans to soon launch a new space telescope that will survey a billion galaxies to trace how the universe evolved over time, all courtesy of America’s spy program and decades of research into detector technology. Once in position, it will take data that astronomers hope will help answer some of the field’s most puzzling questions.
The new Miss USA is Miss Virginia Justus Kelley
Miss Virginia Justus Kelley was crowned the new Miss USA in Miami on Thursday. She will represent the US at the Miss Universe pageant in November.
How a Former Spy Satellite Could Help Solve the Universe’s Greatest Mysteries
NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on August 30 to investigate questions about the composition of the universe and its ultimate end.
On Happiness, Politics, Language and the Universe: The Week 10 Winners of Our Summer Reading Contest
As our contest comes to a close, we honor a video and three essays, and hear reflections on this year’s submissions from our judges.
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is ready to hunt thousands of alien worlds
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is now enclosed inside its Falcon Heavy fairing and nearly ready for launch. Its mission could uncover thousands of exoplanets while helping scientists investigate dark matter, dark energy, and the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Tactics announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC
Ubisoft has announced Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Tactics, a turn-based tactical game set in the Rainbow Six universe. It will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store…
Gamma-ray signal could be long awaited evidence for WIMPs
Dark matter is known to make up roughly 85% of all mass in the universe, as evidenced by the way galaxies spin and how galaxy clusters are held together under gravity. Yet despite decades of searching, ...
Whale Song Appears To Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Sound Without Breaking Einstein's Theory Of Special Relativity
A phenomenon observed in whale song makes soundwaves appear faster than they should be. It's possible in light, too, but despite whales being very smart, they haven't found a way to break the speed limit of the universe… yet.
Warhammer 40k: Space Marines Codex Moves 16 Units To Legendary Status!
Some universe-shaking changes are coming for Space Marines this fall. Just an hour after the reveal of the new Outrider Captain, a full preview of the new Codex: Space Marines is here! The studio kicked things off with a brief video overview of what to expect, so take a few minutes to watch and let’s […]
Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group Partners with Horror Inc.
The companies work together to bring the world of Jason Voorhees, a Halloween icon, to life through an immersive walkthrough.
NASA is about to launch a powerful new eye on the universe
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has been cleared for final launch preparations ahead of a targeted August 30 liftoff aboard SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The powerful new observatory will probe cosmic expansion, the history of the universe, and distant exoplanets.
Fanta Brings Halloween to Life with an All-New Entertainment Universe
, , , , • This Halloween, Fanta is unleashing Fanta’s Haunted Universe - a new world of four original characters inspired by classic horror legends, bringing fans a season packed with spooky surprises. , , , , , , , , , , • Launching today with an introductory cinematic trailer, Fanta’s Haunted Universe has been developed with entertainment studio GRAiL, bringing together leading creative talent and new technology to build an original world for a new generation of Halloween and Horror fans. , , , , , ...
Grand Theft Auto VI exists in its own universe
Rockstar’s latest epic is almost here, and it seems nothing can stop it.
Physicists create a tiny “Big Bang” with surprisingly small atomic nuclei
Researchers at CERN have created microscopic versions of the early Universe by colliding surprisingly small atomic nuclei at nearly the speed of light. The collisions produced quark-gluon plasma, the ultra-hot matter believed to have filled the cosmos shortly after the Big Bang. Even more intriguingly, the particles left behind reveal the shape of the nuclei that created them, offering a new way to probe both nuclear physics and the Universe’s earliest moments.
JWST finds early galaxies may be 4 times more massive than thought
Astronomers using JWST have discovered that massive early galaxies contain far more small, faint stars than expected. That hidden population could make some of these galaxies three to four times more massive than previous estimates. The finding makes it even harder to explain how enormous, mature galaxies formed so soon after the Big Bang. It could also suggest that planets around low-mass stars were more common in the early universe than scientists realized.
Spacetime May Be Just One Layer of the Universe—Embedded in a Deeper Reality We Don’t Understand, Physicist Suggests
This means there could be much more to the universe than we ever expected.
Why scientists are stoked about mysterious black hole stars
You've heard of black holes. You've heard of stars. But have you heard of the newly discovered black hole stars that may explain multiple mysteries of the universe? We just did and we're honestly freaking out about it. Learn everything you need to know about it in this episode. Plus, hear some other cool stories fresh off the presses: Which exercise can help reduce your risk of dementia and how shrews shrink — and then regrow — parts of their body throughout the year.Interested in hearing more reporting on space, scientific mysteries or other emerging science? We want to know! Email us what you'd like us to talk about at shortwave@npr.org!Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
Scientists smash atoms together to create 'little' big bangs
Recreating the universe’s earliest moments could help us learn more about the elusive quark-gluon plasma.
THIRTEENTH FLOOR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP PARTNERS WITH HORROR, INC. TO BRING JASON UNIVERSE TO LIFE THIS HALLOWEEN
/PRNewswire/ -- This Halloween season, fans of one of horror's most iconic slashers will have the chance to step directly into the world of Jason Voorhees as...
Black hole star? Solar-system-size 'dot' from the early universe is our best evidence yet of a brand-new type of cosmic object
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified the most promising candidate yet for a black hole star, lurking 660 million years after the Big Bang. The hypothetical entity, which shines 100 billion times brighter than a typical star, could shed light on the origins of the mysterious "little red dots."
Bullpen Shines as Astros Take Down Angels 3-2
For a few innings anyway, Ethan Pecko was the center of the Astros universe on Wednesday Night. Fortunately for Pecko, his bullpen mates were hovering in the same cosmos. Astros 3 Angels 2. Making his major league debut, Pecko would flirt with danger, but went largely unscathed during the opening three […]
Homeschool Program: Earth's Place in the Universe Mon, Sep 21 @ 10:30 a.m. • United States Air Force Academy
Episode I: the Phantom Menace restarted the saga which has inspired and entertained fans around the world since 1977.
Pluto Planetary Science is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
Something's wetting the surface of dwarf planet Pluto along the northern edge of Sputnik Planitia, and planetary scientists have found a good explanation for it. A recent study of new Horizons images taken during the 2015 flyby revealed evidence that liquid nitrogen is rising up through cracks in Sputnik Planitia. That's the giant heart-shaped glacial basin we see in all the Pluto images taken by the spacecraft.
Sorry, 'Yellowstone' Fans: This Spinoff Is Officially Never Happening
Taylor Sheridan just delivered some unexpected news about the future of the 'Yellowstone' universe. Here’s why one highly anticipated project is officially off the table.
Taylor Sheridan says 'Yellowstone' ranch spinoff '6666' won't happen
Taylor Sheridan has drastically pulled back on the reins on the "Yellowstone" spinoff "6666." The creator of the Sheridan TV Universe kicked up dust with the Aug.
Microscopic contaminants found on Ryugu asteroid samples - Futura-Sciences
The high stakes of asteroid analysis Finding genuine traces of life or organic compounds on an asteroid would transform our understanding of how life began in the universe. But before claiming a discovery of that scale, researchers must be entirely certain they are not looking at Earthly hitchhikers. Mistaking a...
Noah Centineo explains why his He-Man film fell through, praises Nicholas Galitzine
Noah Centineo discussed losing the role of He-Man in ‘Masters of the Universe,’ which ultimately went to Nicholas Galitzine.
Our Milky Way galaxy gobbled up a smaller galaxy about 11.8 billion years ago, scientists find
Scientists observing clusters of stars congregated near the Milky Way's centre have discovered evidence that our galaxy swallowed a smaller galaxy roughly 11.8 billion years ago, when the universe was less than 15 per cent of its current age.
Earth's Organisms Developed Via Evolution. Some Theorists Wonder: What if the Entire Cosmos Did, Too?
The idea that universes evolve like organisms sat on the fringes of theoretical physics for decades. Then, a Substack post and a 2022 find by the James Webb Space Telescope boosted the concept
Did life-friendly planets really form just after the Big Bang? Science stirs debate - Futura-Sciences
Standard models of galactic evolution indicated that the universe needed several billion years after the Big Bang to produce enough heavy elements for rocky planets. Vorobyov and co-author Daniel Whalen at the University of Portsmouth tested the accuracy of the time scale using computational models. Their team found evidence that...
iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Get Exclusive Camera Upgrade
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models may be differentiated by a new camera feature that could be exclusive to the larger Pro Max model, if a Chinese leaker is to be believed. Since 2024, we've been hearing rumors about Apple's plans to introduce a variable aperture camera on the iPhone 18 Pro models – a first for any iPhone – but it was understood until now that the feature would come to both devices. Leaker Ice Universe claims that's not the case.
Einstein’s biggest “mistake” came back
Einstein’s abandoned cosmological constant made a spectacular comeback when astronomers discovered that the universe’s expansion is accelerating. It now sits at the heart of our best cosmological model—a model that works extraordinarily well, yet may still be wrong.
Webb’s mysterious little red dots may be hiding entire galaxies
Astronomers may finally have a clue to what happens to the mysterious “little red dots” that crowded the early universe. By studying a spiral galaxy nicknamed the “Saguaro,” researchers found a compact, bright red center that closely resembles these distant objects—but with something Webb usually can’t see around them: a full galaxy. When the team simulated what the Saguaro would look like much farther away, its spiral structure essentially vanished, leaving only the bright red core.
Early-universe plasma may have stopped dark photons from heating cosmos
A new paper published in Physical Review Letters reveals that a leading dark matter candidate—the hypothetical "dark photon"—would not have heated the early universe as previously thought. The finding ...
Adam Driver will play Mister Sinister and Inde Navarette will go Rogue in Marvel’s ‘X-Men’ reboot
Adam Driver will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Mister Sinister in Disney and Marvel's “X-Men” reboot.
'X-Men' lures Adam Driver as archvillain, 'Obsession' star Inde Navarrette
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The X-Men are finally assembling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with a surprising archvillain.
'X-Men' movie recruits Adam Driver as Marvel's archvillain Mr. Sinister
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The X-Men are finally assembling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel's 'X-Men' movie recruits Adam Driver as archvillain Mr. Sinister
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The X-Men are finally assembling in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Scientists hope to shed light on young universe by using dark side of the moon
UK team seeking to put suitcase-sized satellite in orbit around moon in search for 21cm line radio frequency signal
Hubble vs Roman
NASA's Hubble and Roman space telescopes will work together to broaden our perspective of the universe.
'iPhone Ultra' Screen Protectors Reveal Asymmetric Corners
The leaker known as "Ice Universe" today shared images and a hands on video of screen protectors for Apple's rumored "iPhone Ultra," and the leak appears to confirm two of the most discussed details about the foldable's front design. The leaked accessory has square corners on the side that would sit next to the hinge, and rounded corners on the opposite edge.
Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in Britain’s wackiest election
Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special election against Trump ally Nigel Farage, among others.
Astronomers created the largest-ever 2D map of the universe, charting 4 billion objects in the night sky
A new celestial map not only catalogs a variety of cosmic objects but also serves as a pointer for other telescopes on Earth and in space.
Star cluster discovery could change how scientists measure the universe
University of Missouri researchers have uncovered evidence that challenges one of astronomy's most trusted assumptions, a breakthrough that could reshape how scientists measure galaxies and reconstruct ...
Mizzou discovery could change how scientists measure the universe
Study challenges a decades-old assumption used by astronomers to estimate the mass and evolution of distant galaxies.
50 Cent's Newest Series Comes From a Popular Video Game Franchise
Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to crime dramas. The Power universe has become an iconic series that will go down in history for its genre-redefining concepts an...
Scientists Release Biggest 2D Map of the Universe
Key Takeaways The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys combined more than 263,000 telescope exposures to make the largest 2D map of the universe in visible and near-infrared light. Astronomers can pair the Legacy Surveys map with their own observations to explore our universe and search for rare phenomena. The 2D map serves as the foundation for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument survey to measure the universe in 3D and investigate dark energy. Hold on to your telescopes: the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys team has released the largest-ever 2D color map of the universe. The 5.6-trillion-pixel map contains nearly 4 billion celestial objects, primarily stars and galaxies. The data is available for all to use and publicly viewable through the Legacy Survey Sky Viewer. Astronomers and citizen scientists can explore the map or combine it with their own observations to better understand our universe. Researchers can search for rare phenomena like gravitational lenses, observe fleeting events like supernovae, and investigate two of physics’ biggest mysteries: dark matter, the invisible substance that accounts for most of the mass in our universe, and dark energy, the force driving our universe’s accelerating expansion. The new map builds on earlier versions from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys that have already proved invaluable. To date, more than 1,800 science papers that reference the Legacy Surveys data have been published. “It’s part of the fabric of astronomy research now,” said David Schlegel, a co-lead of the Legacy Surveys and scientist at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). “When you’re working with astronomical objects today, you often start by pulling up the Legacy Imaging Viewer to see what you’re looking at.” Covering roughly 75% of the sky in visible and near-infrared light, the updated map provides a deep view of the extragalactic universe not blocked by the dust and stars of our own Milky Way. Researchers expect it will remain the most comprehensive 2D map of our universe for years to come. More than 160 scientists contributed to data collection for the project, and a team of 20 produced the final dataset released today. It was built by combining 263,407 telescope exposures from three ground-based sky surveys: the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS) at NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, the Mayall z-band Legacy Survey (MzLS) at NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory, and the Beijing-Arizona Sky Survey (BASS) at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory. That was supplemented by years of data from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite mission and additional public data. “For our team, these data are fundamental to our investigation of the expansion history of the universe and the formation of our galaxy,” said Arjun Dey, co-lead of the Legacy Surveys and an astronomer at NSF NOIRLab. “But the skies belong to everyone, and this survey gives everyone the chance to explore the sky and marvel at its wonders.” Here be galaxies The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys were originally conducted to prepare for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) survey. The Legacy Surveys’ 2D map is essentially a deep photograph of the sky; it records where galaxies and stars appear and how bright they appear. This crucial step enables DESI to select objects and measure their light in different wavelengths to determine their distances, building the largest high-resolution 3D map ever made. Scientists study the way galaxies have clustered at different ages of the universe to track dark energy over time. In April 2026, DESI completed its original five-year survey ahead of schedule and with vastly more objects than expected. The early results have shown surprising hints that dark energy’s impact may be weakening over time — a paradigm shift that could potentially shape the predicted fate of our universe. DESI expects to publish improved results using their first five years of data in 2027 and is continuing observations into 2028. DESI was so efficient at observing galaxies, the Legacy Surveys map needed to expand. Early on, “it became clear we might run out of galaxies to look at and run out of sky, and we better start doing something about that,” said Schlegel, who also works on DESI. The new Legacy Surveys map has been used to select DESI targets since June 2026 and will guide the telescope’s operations over the coming years. Computing the cosmos Merging hundreds of thousands of images taken on 2,285 nights, each with unique atmospheric and telescope conditions, was a massive computational effort. It took about a year to develop the computer code and eight weeks to process all the images at the Perlmutter supercomputer at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) at Berkeley Lab. Beyond supporting DESI, the Legacy Surveys will be a foundational reference for the next generation of telescopes. As new observatories like the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (jointly funded by NSF and DOE’s Office of Science) and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope come online, researchers can compare their observations with one of the deepest and most comprehensive views of the sky ever assembled. The Legacy Surveys data will also help scientists train artificial intelligence tools to analyze petabytes of astronomical data and accelerate new discoveries. It will be among the datasets used in an astrophysics pilot project within the American Science Cloud, part of the DOE’s Genesis Mission. The DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys are supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of High Energy Physics; the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility; the U.S. National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical Sciences; and the partner institutions. DESI is supported by the DOE Office of Science and NERSC. Additional support for DESI is provided by the NSF; the Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom; the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA); the Secretariat of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI) of Mexico; the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain; and by the DESI member institutions. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Scientists Release Biggest 2D Map of the Universe - The new DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys map serves as the foundation for the largest-ever 3D map of the Universe, used to investigate dark energy
The newest DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys map, 13 years in the making, covers three-quarters of the sky and catalogs nearly four billion objects. This treasure trove is available to all and contains stars, galaxies, supernovae, gravitational lenses, and much more. Two NSF NOIRLab facilities contributed data to the map: the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Mayall telescope and the NSF Blanco telescope, equipped with the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricated DECam.
Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in Britain's wackiest election
Count Binface, an intergalactic comedic candidate with a garbage can on his head, is at the center of the U.K.’s political universe
Count Binface brings comedy to British politics in special election
Count Binface, an intergalactic comedic candidate with a garbage can on his head, is at the center of the U.K.'s political universe.
Count Binface seeks Parliament seat in Britain's wackiest election
Count Binface, an intergalactic comedic candidate with a garbage can on his head, is at the center of the U.K.'s political universe
Quotes Of The Week: Ted Lasso, Lucky, The Shards, Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, And More
This week's best lines come from Big Brother, Ted Lasso, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and more!
Pokémon Pokopia's new DLC finally reveals which universe the game is set in
A shared universe between spin-off games
Happy 30th anniversary to WSU’s resident science cat
WSU’s resident science cat, Dr. Universe, celebrates 30 years of answering children’s questions and connecting young people with science.
Scientists reveal the hidden force driving the universe’s hottest fluid
When atomic nuclei smash together at nearly the speed of light, they create the hottest fluid in the universe, but scientists may have overlooked one of its most important forces. New simulations reveal that extreme acceleration builds up along the edges of quark-gluon plasma, helping drive its explosive expansion. This acceleration may do far more than move the fluid, potentially changing its temperature-like behavior, influencing particle spins, and even reshaping how matter transitions between fundamental states.
Dark matter’s secret force does the opposite of what scientists expected
Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected. An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands. That weakens its gravitational impact and usually slows the growth of cosmic structure rather than accelerating it.
Netflix and AMC Global Media Announce Global Streaming Licensing Agreement for All Series in AMC’s The Walking Dead Universe
Netflix and AMC Global Media announced a multi-year global licensing agreement for The Walking Dead series and all six spin-off series that make up The Walking Dead Universe.
Movies that made $2 billion at the box office
James Cameron and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are the two consistent factors when it comes to earning billions at the box office.
'Tormented Souls': ZQ, Prime Universe & Longevity Acquire Film Rights
'Tormented Souls': ZQ Entertainment, Prime Universe & Longevity Pictures Acquire Film & TV Rights To Horror Video Game
'Not alike any we've ever seen before': Three of the 12 galaxies in this cosmic string are missing a crucial component of the universe
Astronomers have discovered a third galaxy without dark matter in a strange string of a dozen dwarf galaxies. A violent collision is likely to blame.
Spider Man: Brand New Day First Reactions Praise Tom Holland's Return
Tom Holland is earning rave first reactions for his fourth "Spider-Man" movie, which opens the door to his next era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Alliance Entertainment Unveils Masters of the Universe SteelBook® Artwork and Announces Surprise Limited Project Hail Mary Restock at San Diego Comic-Con 2026
PLANTATION, Fla., July 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: AENT), a premier distributor and omnicha...
Robert Downey Jr. reacts to Ryan Gosling joining the MCU (exclusive)
Robert Downey Jr. is thrilled that Ryan Gosling is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and he has an inspired idea for a Ghost Rider team-up.
EXCLUSIVE: A New Ambitious FAR CRY Game Enters Development at Ubisoft
A new game in the FAR CRY universe has passed its conception stage at Ubisoft and has entered development at Vantage Studios.
Ryan Gosling joins Marvel universe as Ghost Rider
Ryan Gosling is joining the Marvel cinematic universe as Ghost Rider, re-teaming with his “Star Wars: Starfighter” director Shawn Levy on a film set for release in 2028. Gosling greeted
“Graphic Talk About Science: Adventures in Science Engagement”
Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO), Southern California’s esteemed home to several of the most groundbreaking astronomical discoveries in history, welcomes the public to the third Saturday Evening Talks & Telescopes of the season on Saturday, July 25, 2026. MWO is honored to present “Graphic Talk About Science: Adventures in Science Engagement,” a lecture by Clifford V. Johnson, from UCSB. This lecture explores how graphic storytelling can make cutting-edge physics more accessible, as Johnson discusses the science and creative process behind his illustrated book, “The Dialogues: Conversations About the Nature of the Universe.” Tickets are available here: www.mtwilson.edu/events/lecture072526 During the six-month season, each Talks & Telescopes event runs from 5:30pm to 11:30pm with the “talk” portion of the evening beginning in the Observatory’s Auditorium. The 60+ minute presentation is followed by picnic dining—bring your own, or purchase from a food truck or caterer—and then, after the sun goes down, stargazing through Mount Wilson’s immense telescopes, the largest in the world made available to the public. Additional stargazing around the grounds will be available thanks to members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society. Both the 60-inch telescope and the 100-inch—the latter famously used by Edwin Hubble to discover the expanding universe—will be available for viewing the night sky. Priced at $50, this event series offers the most economical stargazing event option on the mountain. Tickets and more information are available on Mount Wilson Observatory’s website here: www.mtwilson.edu/lectures. Advance purchases are highly recommended. UPCOMING SATURDAY EVENING TALKS & TELESCOPES OF THE 2026 SEASON August 22: “Towards a Functional Cosmology” www.mtwilson.edu/events/lecture082226 Join artist Lita Albuquerque for a lecture on her multidisciplinary practice at the intersection of art, science, and cosmology. Drawing on decades of work across painting, land art, performance, and installation, she reflects on projects created in remote, astronomy-linked environments and how they shape her exploration of time, space, and human perception. September 19: “The Brightness of Stars: Henrietta Leavitt and the Transformative Nature of Attention in Art and Science” www.mtwilson.edu/events/lecture091926 Visual artist and author Anna Von Mertens explores the life and legacy of Henrietta Leavitt, whose study of variable stars enabled the first reliable measurements of cosmic distances. Working among the Harvard Computers, Leavitt laid the foundation for breakthroughs at Mount Wilson, including Harlow Shapley’s mapping of the Milky Way and Edwin Hubble’s discovery of an expanding universe. Drawing from her book “Attention Is Discovery: The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt,” Von Mertens shares archival materials alongside her own artwork inspired by Leavitt’s life, to celebrate how careful attention leads to both scientific discovery and a meaningful life. October 17: “The Duality of Genius and Struggle: G.E. Hale” www.mtwilson.edu/events/lecture101726 This talk, presented by Sam Hale, explores the extraordinary life and legacy of his grandfather, George Ellery Hale—the visionary behind some of the world’s most important astronomical institutions. Drawing on both history and personal connection, Sam Hale offers insight into a legacy that continues to shape science and culture today. VISITING MWO The gate to Mount Wilson’s campus opens at 10:00am daily and closes at 5:00pm from early April through November. Entrance to the grounds is free. Visitors can hike, gaze at the telescope domes and towers that dot the landscape, and take a look at historic Mount Wilson photos and letters in the Museum. The Cosmic Cafe (www.mtwilson.edu/cosmic-cafe), located above the main parking lot at the Observatory entrance, is open on weekends in the spring, summer, and fall. In addition to traditional menu items such as hot dogs, drinks, and snacks, the Cafe offers wraps, salads, and sweet treats from Little Flower. PARKING A U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass is required to park at the Observatory. A $5 day pass or a $30 dollar annual pass may be purchased at the Cosmic Cafe on weekends between 10:00am and 5:00pm. During the week, passes are available at locations around Los Angeles. The most convenient location before heading up is at the Shell station in La Canada Flintridge at the bottom of the Angeles Crest Highway (https://find.shell.com/us/fuel/10007957-4530-angeles-crest-hwy/en_US). Visit the U.S. Forest Service website for more information about Passes and other locations to buy them: www.fs.usda.gov/r05/passes/adventure-pass For more information about Visiting Mount Wilson Observatory, please visit: www.mtwilson.edu/visiting NOT ADA-COMPLIANT Please be advised that access to the 100-inch dome is via an open-air, 53-step staircase inside the building. There is no ADA-compliant access.
WATCH: Trump says Venezuela is 'not ready yet' for elections after U.S. ouster of Maduro
“They’re not ready yet for the elections, but at some point they will be,” Trump said before mentioning the country’s prowess in the Miss Universe pageants once he owned.
'Much more violent than predicted': A chunk of the universe's missing matter was powerfully hurled out of galaxies
The total amount of ordinary matter in our universe adds up to roughly one-tenth of what's expected. Now, scientists think they may have found some of it between galaxies.
Should Scientists Have Research "Reserves" on the Moon?
The worlds of the Solar System offer up exciting and (so far) mostly pristine places for planetary scientists to study. As space missions continue to travel to Mars, Europa, asteroids, and other worlds, questions keep coming up about keeping them safe for continued exploration and observations.
'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' Multiverse Science Explained
'Stuart Fails to Save the Universe' co-creator Bill Prady explains the science behind the show's multiverse travel.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ review: A bafflingly unfunny spinoff
A spinoff of "The Big Bang Theory," "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" (premiering Thursday on HBO and HBO Max) ultimately plays as one big shrug.
Rich Paul on LeBron James decision: ‘Nobody knows nothing’
If you are waiting for LeBron James to make his free agency decision, you might want to get comfortable. The basketball universe is waiting for James to decide where he will play the final year(s) of his NBA career after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of the 2025-2026 season. There are several…
What to stream: ‘The Dink,’ ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’
Charli xcx's new album and a pickleball movie starring Jake Johnson are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Mysterious 'little red dots' at the beginning time may finally have an explanation, thanks to newfound 'little blue companions'
Astronomers may have found an unexpected origin for the mysterious "little red dots" that appear to be so common in James Webb Space Telescope surveys of the early universe.
An ordinary laptop solved a problem thought to require a quantum computer
A quantum problem once described as impossible for classical computers has now been solved using relatively modest hardware. Researchers used tensor networks to compress the overwhelming wave function created by hundreds of entangled qubits, allowing some calculations to run on a laptop. Their results matched both theoretical predictions and simulations performed with a quantum computer. The method could open new paths for exploring quantum dynamics and materials.
A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life
Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes. The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared signals similar to real material found in space. By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.
James Webb telescope uses trippy Einstein prediction to probe the farthest reaches of the universe — Space photo of the week
The James Webb telescope peers through a warped bubble of space-time to study galaxies from the first billion years after the Big Bang.
Earth's largest particle accelerator opens new window into the early universe just after the Big Bang: 'A culmination of a decades-long quest'
According to one researcher, this observation "promises new insights into the evolution of the early universe."
4 upcoming trips to the moon and how CU Boulder scientists are involved
Researchers will explore everything from volcanoes on the moon’s surface to signals washing through our galaxy from the dawn of the universe.
All hail the World Cup town of East Rutherford, a deserving center of the universe
The small borough in northern New Jersey is about to host the biggest sporting event in the world.
Halo: Campaign Evolved’s New Missions Have Me Obsessing Over the Series’ Ambitious, Troubled Expanded Universe All Over Again
Halo: Campaign Evolved's new Operation METEORITE missions could be a gateway to the series' ambitious expanded universe.
A large amount of the Universe is missing. Scientists think they may have found it | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
A lot of normal matter in the Universe is missing. Astronomers think they might have found it, and it's been hiding in plain sight all along.
Second-Hand Black Holes May Be Hiding Across the Universe. Researchers Now Have a Way to Spot Them
For some black holes, one collision is apparently not enough.
Japanese Astronomical Society ex-president Shigeru Ida joins China’s Westlake
Top planetary scientist will lead young university’s new astronomy department after decades shaping human understanding of the universe.
Astronomers discover unexplained spin pattern in early galaxies - Futura-Sciences
A consistent pattern in the deep universe Lior Shamir, an associate professor of computer science at Kansas State University, analyzed images of 263 early galaxies captured through the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. Shamir used quantitative shape analysis to determine the rotation of each galaxy. The data revealed that roughly...
Science news this week: Time emerges inside a mini-universe, scientists thicken Arctic ice, and one of the oldest graves of a free Black person in the US found
July 11, 2026: Our weekly roundup of the latest science in the news, as well as a few fascinating articles to keep you entertained over the weekend
Scientists Say Some Black Holes Are Born From Other Black Holes
The universe keeps telling us that black holes exist in an "impossible" mass zone. That's leaving astronomers to find alternative origin stories for black holes.
A landmark cosmic project will reveal new truths about the universe
The Legacy Survey of Space and Time has begun, and a Northeastern physicist is helping search for the universe's dark matter and energy.
Armiger Entertainment Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Tenchi Galaxy Anime Pilot
Tenchi Universe director Hiroshi Negishi returns for spiritual sequel with hopes of full new series
Princeton collaborators celebrate start of observatory's ‘ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe’
Princeton researchers have played a major role in developing software pipelines to process the massive amounts of data the Legacy Survey of Space and Time generates as it scans the cosmos.