Kyoto, Japan -- As space programs evolve and we continue to mistreat our own planet, human dreams of space tourism and planetary colonization seem increasingly common. However, features of spaceflight such as gravitational changes and circadian rhythm disruption -- not to mention radiation -- take a toll on the body, including muscle wasting and decreased bone density. These may even affect our ability to produce healthy offspring.

Studying the impact of spaceflight on germ cells -- egg and sperm precursor cells -- is particularly important because they directly influence the next generation, and any irreversible damage done to these will likely be transmitted to offspring. Previous examinations of embryonic stem cells that have undergone spaceflight have revealed abnormalities, but the exact cause of the damage has remained unknown.

This inspired a team of researchers at Kyoto University to test the potential damage to spermatogonial stem cells during spaceflight and the resulting offspring. The team utilized stem cells from mice, which have a much shorter reproductive life span than humans.

We theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that a cylinder with arbitrary cross section, composed of a homogeneous electromagnetic medium featuring nontrivial second Chern numbers c₂ in a synthetic five-dimensional space, host topologically protected intrinsic Higher-order topological insulators (HOTI) type hinge states. Our work introduces the concept of boundary gauge fields and establishes the link between synthetic-space c₂ and real-space HOTI states.

Physicists from the University of Copenhagen have begun using the gigantic magnetic fields of galaxy clusters to observe distant black holes in their search for an elusive particle that has stumped scientists for decades.

On May 12, 2008, the magnitude 7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake shook central China, its destructive tremors spreading from the flank of the Longmen Shan, or Dragon's Gate Mountains, along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau.

Over 69,000 people died in the disaster, nearly a third are thought to be from geohazards like the more than 60,000 landslides that rushed down the slopes of the Longmen Shan.

After more than a decade and a half of work, scientists finally have an account of the fate of the landslide debris. Surveys of a reservoir downstream of the epicenter revealed how and how quickly the region’s major river moved this sediment, as well as the effect it had on the river channel itself. The results, published in Nature, suggest that the hazards caused by megaquakes may last long after the ground has settled. What’s more, they offer insights into a fundamental question of Earth science: How do earthquakes build mountains?

Harvard SEAS and University of Chicago researchers have tested and validated lightweight nanofabricated structures that can passively float in the mesophere, which is about 45 miles above Earth’s surface. The devices levitate via photophoresis, or sunlight-driven propulsion, which occurs in the low-pressure conditions of the upper atmosphere.