Cloud–cloud collision sparks active star formation in Milky Way

Cloud-cloud collisions reshape molecular clouds and trigger star formation
The distribution of the two colliding molecular clouds (with blue and red indicating the blue-shifted and red-shifted clouds, respectively) and the star formation activity. Credit: Astronomy & Astrophysics (2025). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202453285

A recent study led by Dilda Berdikhan, a Ph.D. student from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has uncovered compelling evidence that a cloud–cloud collision has triggered active star formation in the molecular cloud G013.313+0.193 (hereafter G013.313) in the Milky Way. The findings are published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Using observational data from the NanShan 26-m Radio Telescope and the Delingha 13...

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Discovery of a new analgesic promises pain relief with fewer downsides

Opioids like morphine are widely used in medical practice due to their powerful pain-relieving effects, yet they carry the risk of serious adverse effects such as respiratory depression and drug dependence. For this reason, Japan has strict regulations in place to ensure that these medications are prescribed only by authorized physicians.

In the United States, the opioid OxyContin was once frequently prescribed, triggering a surge in the misuse of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. As a result, the number of deaths caused by opioid overdose surpassed 80,000 in 2023, escalating into a national public health crisis now referred to as the “opioid crisis.”

Opioids may soon have a rival, however...

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Einstein was wrong: MIT just settled a 100 year quantum debate

Figure shows a beam of red light with two atom icons in it, going through a hole. A screen depicts bending red light.
Caption:Schematic of the MIT experiment: Two single atoms floating in a vacuum chamber are illuminated by a laser beam and act as the two slits. The interference of the scattered light is recorded with a highly sensitive camera depicted as a screen. Incoherent light appears as background and implies that the photon has acted as a particle passing only through one slit.
Credits:Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

MIT physicists confirm that, like Superman, light has two identities that are impossible to see at once. Physicists at MIT recreated the double-slit experiment using individual photons and atoms held in laser light, uncovering the true limits of light’s wave–particle duality. Their results proved Einstein’s proposal wrong and confirmed a core prediction of quantum mechanics...

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Scientists just recreated the Universe’s first molecule and solved a 13-billion-year-old puzzle

Researchers have discovered new insights into the reaction pathways of the first molecule in space. Long before stars lit up the sky, the universe was a hot, dense place where simple chemistry quietly set the stage for everything to come. Scientists have now recreated the first molecule ever to form, helium hydride, and discovered it played a much bigger role in the birth of stars than we thought. Using a special ultra-cold lab setup, they mimicked conditions from over 13 billion years ago and found that this ancient molecule helped cool the universe just enough for stars to ignite. Their findings could rewrite part of the story about how the cosmos evolved from darkness to light.

Immediately after the Big Bang, which occurred around 13...

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