In 2023, a subatomic particle called a neutrino crashed into Earth with such a high amount of energy that it should have been impossible. In fact, there are no known sources anywhere in the universe capable of producing such energy—100,000 times more than the highest-energy particle ever produced by the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. However, a team of physicists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently hypothesized that something like this could happen when a special kind of black hole, called a “quasi-extremal primordial black hole,” explodes.

Being able to make real-time predictions of sea ice extent has become crucial for monitoring sea ice health, and in Chaos, researchers report accurate, real-time predictions of SIE in Arctic regions. The researchers’ approach treats sea ice evolution as a set of atmospheric and oceanic factors that oscillate at different rates while still interacting with one another. They used the National Snow and Ice Data Center’s average daily SIE measurements from 1978 onward to find the relationships between these factors that affect sea ice.

In JASA, researchers evaluate the hearing sensitivity of a group of Kemp’s ridley turtles to understand their vulnerability to human-caused noise. To evaluate their hearing range, the researchers placed noninvasive sensors on the turtles’ heads and measured the electrical signals transmitted along their auditory nerves. They played sounds ranging 50-1,600 hertz and found that the turtles could hear best at around 300 hertz. Their hearing started to decline at higher frequencies.

The Heineman Foundation, AIP, and AAS are pleased to announce Alice Shapley as the winner of the 2026 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics. Shapley was selected for her “landmark observational campaigns and creative techniques that redefined the forefront of the field of galaxy formation and evolution.” The award will be presented at the 249th AAS Meeting, Jan. 10-14, 2027, and Shapley will receive a certificate and a $10,000 award.

Florida’s Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is increasingly stressed by nutrient pollution, harmful algal blooms, and rising atmospheric CO₂, which acidifies lagoon waters and reduces aragonite—the calcium carbonate shell-building organisms need. By mapping aragonite saturation across the IRL, researchers found nutrient-rich areas have lower aragonite levels, putting shellfish and other marine life at risk. This study provides the first comprehensive lagoon-wide assessment of aragonite saturation, filling a key knowledge gap on coastal acidification in shallow estuaries.

For decades, mysterious magnetic signals in superconductors were attributed to exotic forms of superconductivity. New work from TU Wien suggests a different explanation: the magnetism was already present in the form of altermagnetism, and superconductivity merely makes it observable.

Thermoelectric devices are promising for capturing and converting waste heat it into useful electricity. Conventional devices mainly rely on longitudinal thermopower generation. However, these devices consist of stacked layers of semiconductors, whose contact interfaces increase electrical resistance, reducing efficiency. In a new study, researchers discovered a new candidate material, MoSi₂, for transverse thermoelectric devices that are significantly more efficient.