Astronomers find a planet orbiting at a wild angle no one can explain A network of powerful ground-based telescopes captured rare starspot-crossing events on TOI-3884b, revealing cooler patches on the star’s surface and rapid changes tied to its rotation. By combining multicolor transit observations with months of high-cadence brightness monitoring, researchers nailed down the star’s rotation period with impressive precision. These measurements allowed them to map the system’s geometry—and what they found was surprising: the planet's orbit is wildly tilted relative to the star’s spin.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/12/2512

A simple oxygen hack creates 7 new ceramic materials Penn State researchers created seven new high-entropy oxides by removing oxygen during synthesis, enabling metals that normally destabilize to form rock-salt ceramics. Machine learning helped identify promising compositions, and advanced imaging confirmed their stability. The method offers a flexible framework for creating materials once thought impossible to synthesize.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/12/2512

Surprising optics breakthrough could transform our view of the Universe FROSTI is a new adaptive optics system that precisely corrects distortions in LIGO’s mirrors caused by extreme laser power. By using custom thermal patterns, it preserves mirror shape without introducing noise, allowing detectors to operate at higher sensitivities. This leap enables future observatories like Cosmic Explorer to see deeper into the cosmos. The technology lays the groundwork for vastly expanding gravitational-wave astronomy.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/12/2512

Engineered imperfections supercharge graphene’s power Researchers have discovered a new way to grow graphene that deliberately adds structural defects to enhance its usefulness in electronics, sensors, catalysts, and more. Using a specially shaped molecule called azupyrene, scientists can produce graphene films rich in beneficial 5–7 ring defects—imperfections that make the material more interactive, more magnetic, and more electronically versatile.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/12/2512

AI restores James Webb telescope’s crystal-clear vision Two Sydney PhD students have pulled off a remarkable space science feat from Earth—using AI-driven software to correct image blurring in NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Their innovation, called AMIGO, fixed distortions in the telescope’s infrared camera, restoring its ultra-sharp vision without the need for a space mission.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r....eleases/2025/10/2510