Monday, July 13, 2026

Physicists at CUNY have recreated the physics of extracting energy from a spinning black hole using a stationary device that produces synthetic ultrafast rotation, transforming Roger Penrose's 50-year-old theoretical idea into a practical experiment with potential applications in optics and quantum science.^[1]

A Stanford-led study has explained why modern oceans are dominated by clams and snails rather than brachiopods, finding that Earth's greatest mass extinction 252 million years ago wiped out marine animals that couldn't cope with warming oceans and falling oxygen levels while species with faster metabolisms survived.^[2]

Scientists at the University of Southern Denmark discovered that extreme deep-sea pressure squeezes dissolved carbon and nitrogen out of sinking organic particles called marine snow, providing an unexpected food source for ocean microbes that could reshape understanding of deep-ocean ecosystems and Earth's carbon cycle.^[3]

China successfully recovered the first stage of a Long March 10B rocket during an orbital launch, marking the country's first controlled rocket recovery and the world's first net-based recovery system for an orbital-class rocket, with plans to refly the booster by year's end.^[4]

Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals in Kansas City, with Julián Álvarez scoring a decisive long-range goal in the 112th minute, setting up a semifinal against England on Wednesday in Atlanta.^[5]

England and Argentina will meet in a World Cup semifinal on Wednesday for the first time since 2002, while France will face Spain in the other semifinal, marking the first time the top four FIFA-ranked teams have all reached the last four.^[6]

Former Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani died at age 74; he ruled Qatar from 1995 to 2013 and was credited with transforming the small Gulf nation into a major international player through investments in energy, media, and global events.^[7]

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has been raised to vertical position at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing a key prelaunch milestone as the flagship mission prepares for its August launch nine months ahead of schedule.^[8]