Vast, quasi-circular features on Venus’ surface may reveal that the planet has ongoing tectonics, according to new research based on data gathered more than 30 years ago by NASA’s Magellan mission. Published in Science Advances, the new study details newly discovered signs of activity at or beneath the surface shaping many of Venus’ coronae, features that may also provide a unique window into Earth’s past. This work marks the most recent instance of scientists returning to Magellan data to find that Venus exhibits geologic processes that are more Earth-like than originally thought.

A new study achieves unprecedented accuracy in modelling extreme cosmic events like black hole and neutron star collisions by calculating the fifth post-Minkowskian (5PM) order, crucial for interpreting gravitational wave data from current and future observatories.

The research reveals the surprising appearance of Calabi-Yau three-fold periods – complex geometric structures from string theory and algebraic geometry – within calculations of radiated energy and recoil, suggesting a deep connection between abstract mathematics and astrophysical phenomena.

Utilising over 300,000 core hours of high-performance computing, an international team demonstrated the power of advanced computational methods in solving complex equations governing black hole interactions, paving the way for more accurate gravitational wave templates and insights into galaxy formation.

New Haven, Conn. — The 2025 Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize recognizes Ryan Cooke and Max Pettini both for their determination of a key value in the composition of the universe moments after it came into existence and for perfecting the method that allowed them to make that measurement.

Cooke and Pettini will equally share the $500,000 award and each will receive a gold laureate pin at a ceremony that will take place later this year. The citation honors them for “bringing the light element abundances and Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) into the realm of precision cosmology.”