Wednesday, March 18, 2026

NASA astronauts will conduct a pair of spacewalks beginning Wednesday outside the International Space Station to prepare for the installation of two roll-out solar arrays, as the agency targets an April 1 launch for the Artemis II crewed lunar mission.^[1]

Scientists at the Wyss Institute at Harvard have developed DoriVac, a DNA origami vaccine platform that could overcome key limitations of mRNA vaccines, showing strong immune responses in early tests while being more stable and easier to produce for diseases including COVID-19, HIV, and Ebola.^[2]

Researchers at VIB and KU Leuven have discovered how the Alzheimer's drug lecanemab works, finding that a specific part of the antibody called the Fc fragment activates microglia—the brain's immune cells—to clear harmful amyloid plaques.^[3]

A geomagnetic storm watch has been issued for March 19, with NOAA forecasting moderate to strong conditions that could make the northern lights visible in up to 20 U.S. states as far south as Illinois and Oregon, coinciding with the spring equinox that historically doubles aurora chances.^[4]

Researchers have identified a surprising brain pattern that may explain ADHD attention difficulties: even while awake, people with ADHD experience brief episodes of sleep-like slow-wave activity in their brains during demanding tasks.^[5]

A study from the University of Oxford has identified a new type of exoplanet—one that stores large amounts of sulfur deep within a permanent ocean of magma—expanding understanding of planetary diversity beyond our solar system.^[6]

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have uncovered an enormous hidden archive of plant DNA regulatory sequences that have endured for more than 400 million years, revealing ancient genetic 'switches' that control plant development.^[7]

University of Tennessee researchers have solved a 20-year nuclear physics mystery about how gold and other heavy elements form in the universe, discovering that tin nuclei retain a 'memory' of their formation process rather than behaving like 'amnesiac' particles.^[8]

New research shows that microscopic plankton began evolving into new species within just a few thousand years—and possibly in under 2,000 years—after the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, demonstrating life's rapid recovery following mass extinction.^[9]

NATO countries are convening in Brussels to discuss the escalating Middle East conflict, as the U.S. seeks allied support to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran that have now entered their 18th day.^[10]