Monday, July 6, 2026

Japan's Hayabusa2 spacecraft performed a close flyby of asteroid Torifune at approximately 800 meters distance, testing technology that could help protect Earth from potentially dangerous space rocks while gathering scientific data on the near-Earth asteroid.^[1]

UC Berkeley researchers identified the brain circuitry linking deep sleep with growth hormone release, discovering a feedback loop that explains how poor sleep interferes with growth, muscle repair, fat metabolism, and brain function, potentially leading to new therapies for sleep disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.^[2]

Australia won the ICC Women's T20 World Cup by defeating England by seven wickets in the final at Lord's Cricket Ground, with Beth Mooney scoring 64 runs to lead the chase in a record-setting pursuit of 151 runs, giving Australia their seventh T20 World Cup title.^[3]

Erling Haaland scored twice in the final 11 minutes to give Norway a stunning 2-1 victory over Brazil in the World Cup Round of 16, knocking out the five-time champions in their earliest exit since 1990 and sending Norway to their first-ever World Cup quarter-final.^[4]

NASA is recruiting volunteers for a yearlong simulated Moon and Mars mission beginning no earlier than August 2027, where research participants will live and work in interplanetary environments at Johnson Space Center under isolated conditions expected during crewed missions.^[5]

FIFA suspended U.S. striker Folarin Balogun's one-game ban for a probationary period of one year, allowing him to play in Monday's Round of 16 match against Belgium after sources told AFP that President Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino to request a review of the punishment.^[6]

A new study published in Science reveals that giant tropical trees exceeding 70 meters in height have developed internal adaptations allowing them to transport water to their tops as efficiently as smaller trees, showing no greater vulnerability during severe droughts despite their immense size.^[7]

Tens of thousands of mourners gathered at Tehran's Grand Mosalla Mosque as week-long funeral ceremonies began for Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks in February, with representatives from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen's Houthis in attendance.^[8]