Sunday, May 10, 2026

Ireland became the 66th country to sign the Artemis Accords at a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington on May 4, committing to principles for peaceful space exploration and joining all other European Space Agency member states as signatories.^[1]

NASA successfully tested a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reaching 120 kilowatts of power—over 25 times the power of NASA's Psyche spacecraft thrusters—in a milestone toward developing propulsion systems for crewed Mars missions.^[2]

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a massive galaxy that shows no signs of rotation despite forming less than 2 billion years after the Big Bang, challenging current theories about how early galaxies evolved.^[3]

Researchers discovered that compounds called galloylquinic acids extracted from a tree in Brazil's Atlantic Forest can attack SARS-CoV-2 on multiple fronts—blocking viral entry, disrupting replication, and reducing inflammation—potentially making it harder for resistance to develop.^[4]

Scientists found evidence that a 75-million-year-old tyrannosaur fed on the remains of a much larger relative, revealing that these apex predators were also opportunistic scavengers when food was available.^[5]

Scientists in China discovered that ancient humans were crafting surprisingly advanced stone tools during a harsh ice age 146,000 years ago, expanding understanding of early human technological capabilities.^[6]

Russia held its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years on May 9, featuring no tanks or heavy military hardware on Red Square due to security concerns, while President Putin pledged continued pursuit of victory in Ukraine.^[7]

Researchers studying axolotls, zebrafish, and mice have identified a shared set of genes that may one day help scientists understand how to enable humans to regrow lost limbs.^[8]

Blue Origin's MK1 moon lander passed thermal vacuum chamber testing at NASA, advancing preparations to carry science experiments to the lunar south pole as early as late 2026.^[9]

A hot Jupiter and a smaller mini-Neptune have been found orbiting together 190 light-years from Earth—a planetary pairing once thought nearly impossible that challenges existing theories about how solar systems form.^[10]