Friday, August 28, 2026

The FDA has approved daraxonrasib (brand name Rasonque), a first-in-class targeted therapy for metastatic pancreatic cancer that nearly doubled patient survival times in clinical trials by blocking a mutated protein that fuels tumor growth in over 90% of cases.^[1]

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have captured the clearest image yet of Betelgeuse B, a companion star orbiting the famous red supergiant, potentially concluding a century-long search to confirm that Betelgeuse is a binary system.^[2]

NASA's Starling mission has demonstrated a GPS-free navigation system called FALCON that allows satellites to determine their position by tracking other spacecraft and debris as reference points, a technology that could support future lunar and deep-space missions.^[3]

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces officially dissolved on August 25 after completing their integration into the Syrian military, ending more than a decade of de facto autonomy in northeastern Syria under a deal that recognizes Kurdish language rights in education.^[4]

A glacier collapse high in the Himalayas triggered catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, killing more than 360 people and leaving over 1,300 missing after a wall of water, mud, and rock swept through mountain valleys.^[5]

Washington State University researchers used AI to identify six viable configurations for 3D-printing NASA's GRCop-42 rocket alloy at lower power settings, including a record-low 500 watts, after searching through more than 100 million possible settings in just 40 experiments.^[6]

Scientists at the University of Technology Sydney, Harvard, and Henan universities have developed smart nanoparticles that can illuminate hidden glioblastoma cells during brain cancer surgery and then destroy microscopic cancer remnants, achieving 100% survival at 60 days in mice.^[7]

NASA technicians at Kennedy Space Center have begun installing four RS-25 engines into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket that will launch the Artemis III crew to the Moon next year.^[8]

President Trump will award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew—astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—on August 28 after they became the first humans in more than 50 years to travel beyond the Moon during their 10-day mission.^[9]

A 96% partial lunar eclipse was visible across much of North and South America, Europe, and Africa on the night of August 27-28, marking the best lunar eclipse opportunity anywhere on Earth until December 2028.^[10]