Thursday, July 16, 2026

Researchers at LMU have demonstrated that oxygenic photosynthesis can occur with only a single photosystem, overturning a 50-year-old fundamental principle of biology that two photosystems were required for oxygen-producing photosynthesis.^[1]

A T. rex fossil nicknamed "Gus," one of the largest and most complete specimens ever discovered at about 61% complete by bone count, sold for a record $50.1 million at Sotheby's in New York to an anonymous bidder.^[2]

Søren Wærenskjold won Stage 11 of the Tour de France in the fastest road stage in the race's 113-year history, averaging 50.9 km/h over 161.3 kilometers from Vichy to Nevers, breaking a 27-year-old record.^[3]

Serbia will become the 69th country to sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington on July 16, joining the international framework for peaceful lunar exploration.^[4]

Spain defeated France 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal in Arlington, Texas, with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro, advancing to Sunday's final where they will face the winner of Argentina versus England.^[5]

University of Tokyo researchers confirmed that deep-sea vent limpets swim up to the sunlit ocean surface as larvae before returning to hydrothermal vents 2,000 meters below, answering a long-standing question about how creatures migrate between isolated vent ecosystems.^[6]

Penn State researchers discovered that a microscopic skeleton structure inside neurons acts as a gatekeeper controlling what brain cells absorb, and when weakened, allows harmful Alzheimer's-associated proteins to enter neurons rapidly.^[7]

CATL has begun mass production of sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, with the first passenger EV using the technology expected to be the Changan Nevo A06; the batteries use more abundant materials and are expected to cost about 30% less than lithium-iron-phosphate cells.^[8]

A new dark matter theory proposes that dark matter consists of at least two different kinds of particles that slowly separate over time, with heavier particles sinking toward galaxy centers, potentially explaining multiple cosmic mysteries simultaneously.^[9]