Science & Space News: 1 November 2026

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere in the next few days after a robotic rescue mission failed to raise its orbit. The telescope, launched in November 2004, had been studying gamma-ray bursts and other cosmic events before its orbit decayed to 171 miles above Earth. Researchers say it will likely burn up enough to avoid ground casualties, though some telescope parts may survive.

ESA shared Hubble and James Webb views of the Cat's Head Nebula in the Carina Nebula, some 7,500 light-years from Earth. Hubble's optical image highlights a dark dust pillar and glowing gas, while Webb's infrared views show different features in the nebula. The images show starlight interacting with gas molecules such as oxygen, hydrogen and sulfur.

The James Webb Space Telescope detected a deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio in the methane of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS that is 13 times higher than that of comet 67P. Published in Nature Astronomy, the findings suggest the comet's frozen ingredients formed in an intensely cold environment around another star, offering a rare glimpse into the early chemistry of a different planetary system.

Researchers at the University of Toulouse placed a real rummy-nose tetra in a bowl with four virtual tetras projected on the interior. The projections reacted to the fish through a camera feedback loop, letting the team test how the real fish responded to different numbers of neighbours. They found clear evidence that the real fish focused on only one most influential neighbour at a time, which may reduce sensory and cognitive demand.

An interdisciplinary team at Marburg University analyzed a 2,700-year-old mummified skull and found traces of plant-derived compounds associated with aloe. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study provides the first molecular evidence linking aloe to ancient Egyptian embalming practices, expanding the known composition of preservation materials.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a molecular motor that spins when electricity passes through a spiral-shaped molecule. The device, which can reverse direction by changing voltage polarity, represents the first demonstration of a molecular motor driven by electrical current and firmly connected to two metal electrodes.

New research from the University of Sydney suggests that crown-of-thorns starfish, typically feared for destroying coral, can benefit reef biodiversity when their populations are controlled. The study found that living coral tissue survived nearly 75 percent of feeding events, indicating that these predators may prevent fast-growing coral species from dominating the ecosystem.

Researchers reported in Nature Communications the realization of an anti-spin ice, a colloidal system that breaks the ice rule followed by conventional spin ices. The study used particles that attract each other instead of repel, changing how geometric frustration emerges in the lattice. Co-author Pietro Tierno of the University of Barcelona said the work examined how reversing the pair interaction could alter the system's behavior.

Dr Rok Nežič, a tours and outreach officer at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium, has had an asteroid named after him. The body, officially called (20560) Nežič, is 10.9 kilometers across and orbits in the asteroid belt. It was discovered in 1999 by an Earth-based asteroid mission, and Nežič said he was nominated by his PhD supervisor and a former astronomer.

Researchers identified Masripithecus moghraensis, a 17 to 18-million-year-old ape fossil from northern Egypt, the first definitive ape found in North Africa. Published in Science, the discovery suggests that the ancestors of modern apes and humans may have evolved in a region farther north than previously believed, challenging long-standing theories about their geographic origins.

NASA's image of the day examines why the Moon can appear in different colors from Earth. It highlights full Moon photos taken over 10 years from locations across Italy by one astrophotographer. The explanation says red or yellow views near the horizon occur when blue light is scattered away, sometimes by dust, while a blue Moon may indicate larger dust particles.

An international team analyzed NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images of 36 craters in Mars' northern polar ice cap region from 2006 to 2025. They found that 32 craters showed changes in bright deposits, broadly indicating ice deposits expanding and shrinking with the seasons, while four showed no brightness changes. The researchers say seasonal frost outside the craters could explain the changes and may help explain Martian climate history.

Researchers from the University of Southampton and the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur propose that a decoupled heavy neutrino, which decays slowly, may have temporarily dominated the early universe's energy density as it cooled. They say this brief period could have helped matter outnumber antimatter after the Big Bang, offering a possible answer to why the universe contains matter. The study was published in Physical Review Letters.