NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope observed the exoplanet WASP-80 b as it passed in front of and behind its host star, revealing spectra indicative of an atmosphere containing methane gas and water vapor. While water vapor has been detected in over a dozen planets to date, until recently methane – a molecule found in abundance in the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune within our solar system – has remained elusive in the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets when studied with space-based spectroscopy. Taylor Bell from the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (BAERI), working at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and Luis Welbanks from Arizona State University tell us more about the significance of discovering methane in exoplanet atmospheres and discuss how Webb observations facilitated the identification of this long-sought-after molecule. These findings were recently published in the scientific journal Nature.

"It’s too hot, it’s too cold.” We have all heard those famous words from family, friends, coworkers or feedback from instrumentation. Whether it is to control temperature in a confined environment, rotating equipment, or bioprocessing, cryogens are utilized throughout industries. 

A monumental program centered on ovarian tissue cryopreservation is offering hope to women and girls across Canada. Dr. James Benson, a world-renowned cryobiology expert, leads this transformative initiative. This medical procedure safeguards healthy ovarian tissue before cancer treatments can harm it, ultimately enabling female patients to have biological children in the future. Dr. Benson's innovative approach involves extracting and preserving unaffected ovarian tissue, preventing its damage from the harsh effects of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Remarkably, Dr. Benson is one of the few pioneering research in reproductive cryobiology in Canada. He holds the position of associate professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Arts and Science, playing a pivotal role in the concerted effort to establish an outstanding cryobiology research program at USask. 

Ampo Poyam Valves (AMPO), with a history spanning nearly six decades, has established itself as a significant player in the realm of highly engineered valves and fluid handling solutions tailored for demanding applications and services. Drawing from its extensive experience, the company has earned a reputation for handling international projects with precise technical specifications, providing dependable solutions with minimal maintenance costs. Core principles at AMPO encompass effective supply chain management, including an integrated foundry and robust field support through its service division. 

Efforts to build a useful quantum computer are underway, with startup companies competing alongside the big leaders in information technology. Other quantum technologies are already part of our everyday lives, from MRI scanners in hospitals to atomic clocks, which are used to keep precise track of time on GPS satellites and inform Coordinated Universal Time. The word “quantum” itself has become almost synonymous with cutting-edge technological advancement. 

As the wheels of innovation propel society forward, some elements of our technological landscape remain entrenched in the past, seemingly impervious to the tides of change. The heating oil tank, a relic from a different era, stands as a testament to this phenomenon. In a time when the urgency of sustainable energy solutions has never been greater, the persistence of this inefficient and high carbon intensity component raises concerns and challenges us to rethink the status quo. 

Scientists have been studying fusion for decades with the understanding that if we could replicate the process here on Earth, we could create a virtually limitless clean power resource for the world. Fusion is the same process that happens in the stars, when two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus. At extremely high temperatures and pressures, hydrogen nuclei fuse together to form helium, creating enormous amounts of energy in the process. The challenge on Earth is achieving an energy output that exceeds the energy input, often referred to as Q>1. Achieving self-sustaining fusion energy requires that three conditions are achieved, referred to as the “fusion triple product,” which is the product of (1) plasma density (the number of fuel ions in a given volume), (2) confinement time (how long the hot fuel ions are kept together), and (3) plasma temperature (which provides the energy required for the fuel ions to overcome their mutual electrostatic repulsion and come close enough to fuse). 

Taking the temperature of a sample can be tricky—especially in the regimes of the very small and the very cold. The smaller the sample, the greater the influence the thermometer itself may exert on the measurement. And in the ultracold regime, even tiny amounts of heat can significantly alter the temperature reading.

Aerospace Fabrication & Materials, LLC (AFM) is pleased to announce a rebrand for its SpaceWrap™ product line, which will now be known as AstraWrap™. The Astra™ brand name promotes a series of space products dedicated to the protection of spacecraft in orbit around the Earth and beyond. This line of subassembly products strengthens AFM’s material brand recognition as the company embarks on projects that create specialized passive thermal control solutions using cutting-edge thin films and engineered fabrics.

Researchers have been exploring the use of injectable nanoparticles that can quickly home in on a microscopic tumor. It’s a novel technique that could pave the way for the early detection of small tumors that may not show up on traditional imaging technologies. In a study published in the October issue of the IEEE Internet of Things Journal, one team has found a way to guide cancer-detecting nanoparticles to a tumor faster, while using fewer resources.

A quantum cousin of the Hall effect could open the door to energy-efficient electronics, better sensors, and more-powerful quantum computers. Researchers have now broken a key barrier to its practical application by controlling the phenomenon electrically, rather than magnetically, for the first time.

Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an end-to-end space transportation company, today announced it signed a multi-launch agreement with L3Harris Technologies for three dedicated launches on Firefly’s Alpha vehicle in 2026. With the capability to launch more than 1,000 kg to low Earth orbit, Firefly’s Alpha vehicle provides affordable, responsive, and reliable launch services for small satellites and spacecraft. Firefly is ramping up Alpha production at its rocket manufacturing and test site in Briggs, Texas, to support multiple government and commercial launches, while also doubling the size of its facilities to support the ongoing development of its medium launch vehicle that will first launch in 2025. The agreement further positions Firefly as the leader in small-lift launch services as the company ramps up production of its Alpha vehicle to support the growing needs of both government and commercial customers.

Someone waking up inside of WEST, the French tokamak located barely one kilometer away from ITER, would think they had been transported into an alien spaceship—and more specifically, into the stranded star-faring vessel in the movie Alien (1979), with its strange ribcage-like walls and dull metal vertebrae. Last week, a (perfectly awake) Newsline reporter was privileged to spend a few hours inside the machine's plasma chamber, where some of the longest plasma shots in fusion history were produced.

The world’s wildlife are facing a barrage of threats caused by climate change, from the loss of suitable habitat to dwindling food supplies. As a result, endangered species across the US are edging closer to extinction at alarming rates—and if they disappear, critical genetic information could vanish with them. In a new initiative announced on October 3, the US Fish & Wildlife Service is working with the nonprofit Revive & Restore and other partners to create a “genetic library” of the country’s endangered species—before it’s too late. 

Aston University research has shown the way forward for making renewable hydrogen and propane fuel gases from glycerol. An organic compound, glycerol is produced mainly from fats and oils and is often used in health and beauty products. With crude glycerol from biodiesel production plants cheap and abundant the researchers have explored its potential for making hydrogen gas and biopropane - pioneering work that could benefit the environment and reduce reliance on fuel imports.

Structure-based designs are integral to advancing drug discovery, and in this regard, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as a pivotal tool for achieving high-resolution structures of proteins and protein complexes. Particularly noteworthy is its utility in elucidating the structures of protein classes that have historically resisted crystallization.

UK-based Tokamak Energy’s superconducting magnet system, which is being built to replicate fusion energy power plant forces, has passed significant milestone cryogenic tests. Creating fusion energy requires strong magnetic fields to confine and control the extremely hot hydrogen fuel, which becomes a plasma several times hotter than the center of the sun.