Earth keeps getting hotter, and Americans' partisan divide over science grows sharper - Phys.org

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is already exceeding expectations after engineers made incredibly precise adjustments to sharpen its view of the universe. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterNASA’s Roman Space Telescope has achieved nearly 30% better optical performance than required, promising stunningly sharp views of the universe and its greatest mysteries. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is performing even better than scientists anticipated after engineers completed an extensive series of tests and precision adjustments. The work has sharpened the observatory’s focus and brought its primary instrument closer to regular scientific operations. Remarkably, the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument is now delivering optical performance nearly 30% better than predicted. “All of Roman’s sweeping surveys will rely on the Wide Field Instrument,” said Dave Hickey, a Wide Field Instrument systems engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

One of Earth's most powerful supervolcanoes is slowly refilling its enormous underground magma reservoir, thousands of years after producing one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recent geological history. Scientists at Kobe University have discovered evidence that fresh magma is accumulating beneath Japan's Kikai caldera, which unleashed a catastrophic eruption about 7,300 years ago. The discovery offers a rare look at how giant volcanic systems rebuild their magma supplies after massive eruptions. It could also provide important clues about the behavior of other supervolcanoes, including Yellowstone in the United States and Toba in Indonesia, potentially helping scientists improve their ability to recognize warning signs of future eruptions.

For tens of millions of people, dental implants have provided a way to replace missing teeth with a full set of fixed, functional teeth rather than removable dentures. However, an estimated 10% to 20% of implant patients eventually develop peri-implantitis, a serious infection that damages the surrounding jawbone. Antibiotics frequently fail to control this condition, and scientists have struggled to understand why. Now, researchers believe they have uncovered the mechanism responsible.

Despite decades of telescopic observation and orbital reconnaissance, Mars' inner moon Phobos remains one of the least understood bodies in the inner Solar System. A new Phobos sample-return mission represents a significant advance in planetary science.