Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander concluded its historic mission with an emotional farewell message from the Moon. After successfully landing on March 2, 2025, in the Mare Crisium region, Blue Ghost transmitted its final communication, stating, “Mission mode change detected, now in Monument Mode. Goodnight friends.” This marks a significant milestone as Blue Ghost is the first commercial spacecraft to achieve a fully successful soft landing on the lunar surface, a feat accomplished with precision navigation that placed it within 100 meters of its target. The lander will now silently observe the Moon’s surface for eons.
According to a recently published study, ancient humans survived on the Tibetan Plateau- the highest plateau on Earth-during the coldest period of the past 2.5 million years, showcasing their remarkable resilience and adaptability. The last glacial maximum, which lasted from 26,500 to 19,000 years ago, was the most severe phase of the Late Pleistocene ice age. During this period, massive ice sheets and polar ice caps covered large portions of the Earth, while global temperatures remained approximately 4 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius lower than today's average, the study revealed. The researchers unearthed 427 artefacts, including stone tools and the first ochre pieces- the red-coloured rock used in ancient art- ever discovered in Tibet.
In a breakthrough, Italian scientists have successfully "frozen" light, demonstrating that it can behave as a supersolid - a rare state of matter that exhibits both solid-like structure and frictionless flow. A supersolid is an exotic phase of matter that simultaneously possesses the rigidity of a solid and the ability to flow like a superfluid. Until now, supersolidity had only been observed in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter formed when a group of bosons is cooled to near absolute zero, causing them to occupy the same quantum state. Instead of traditional freezing - lowering temperature to turn a liquid into a solid - the researchers used quantum techniques to create a supersolid state in light.
Northwestern chemists developed a non-toxic, solvent-free method to break apart PET plastic using an affordable catalyst + moisture from the air. No harsh chemicals, just sustainable #recycling!
— Northwestern Chemistry (@NUChemistry) March 12, 2025
🔬 Learn more: https://t.co/f3h2j25oPx pic.twitter.com/z9gj6kccIH
(Credit: X/@NUChemistry)
In a groundbreaking development that could help address the global plastic crisis, scientists have unveiled a new method to break down plastic waste using moisture from the air. The process involves an inexpensive catalyst that effectively breaks down polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the most commonly used plastic in the polyester family. Once the PET bonds are broken, the material is exposed to ambient air, which converts it into monomers-basic building blocks of plastics. These monomers can then be recycled or upcycled into more valuable materials, offering a cleaner and more sustainable solution than existing recycling methods. The innovative technique promises to be safer, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, presenting a hopeful approach to creating a circular economy for plastics.
