Wednesday, April 22, 2026

SpaceX achieved its 600th successful rocket landing during a Starlink mission on April 19, with the first stage booster touching down on a droneship in the Pacific Ocean after launching 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base.^[1]

Scientists at the University of Kent have discovered that madecassic acid, derived from the herb Centella asiatica and widely used in Korean skincare products, can stop antibiotic-resistant bacteria including dangerous strains of E. coli by targeting a bacterial protein humans don't have.^[2]

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir photographed the Lyrid meteor shower from the International Space Station cupola, capturing a meteor streaking through Earth's atmosphere from above during the annual shower's peak on April 21-22.^[3]

Research on Tinshemet Cave has revealed that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens 110,000 years ago not only coexisted but actively interacted, sharing technology, lifestyles, and burial customs, suggesting human connections were key drivers of cultural advancement.^[4]

A 550-million-year-old sea sponge fossil discovered by Virginia Tech researchers is helping solve a 160-million-year gap in the fossil record, supporting the theory that the earliest sponges were soft-bodied and rarely preserved.^[5]

A fossil site in southwest China has revealed diverse and advanced organisms from over 540 million years ago during the late Ediacaran period, showing that many major animal groups including early relatives of starfish and ancestors of vertebrates existed before the Cambrian explosion.^[6]

The Asian Development Bank raised its growth outlook for South Korea's economy in 2026 to 1.9 percent, citing strong semiconductor exports amid a global industry upcycle and expectations that fiscal policy and interest rate cuts could support domestic demand.^[7]