Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Scientists at the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys released the largest-ever 2D color map of the universe, a 5.6-trillion-pixel image containing nearly 4 billion celestial objects that is publicly available for exploration by astronomers and citizen scientists alike.^[1]

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, killing at least 224 people and injuring more than 1,200 others, with the cities of Cali, Pereira, Quibdó, and Manizales experiencing the most severe damage as search and rescue operations continue.^[2]

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong created a new corrosion-resistant stainless steel that could replace costly titanium components in green hydrogen production, potentially reducing structural material costs by approximately 40 times.^[3]

An experimental once-daily GLP-1 pill called aleniglipron helped people with obesity lose up to 12.1% of their body weight in 36 weeks during clinical trials, offering a potential oral alternative to injectable weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic.^[4]

Two NASA astronauts are preparing for another spacewalk outside the International Space Station on August 18 to replace a space-to-ground antenna that maintains high-speed data and communication transmissions between the orbital outpost and mission controllers.^[5]

Blocking a glycine transporter called SLC6A20 restored brain signaling and improved social and communication behaviors in autism-related mouse models, with the treatment also working in human brain organoids and showing lasting effects in adult mice.^[6]

Chemists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed a catalyst that releases electrons directly into solution, breaking a long-standing rule governing electron transfer in chemical reactions and potentially unlocking new molecules previously impossible to create.^[7]