Science News, Discoveries & Research Updates

Researcher in a laboratory working on plastic upcycling experiment at University of Waterloo

Canada’s University of Waterloo turns plastic waste into vinegar using sunlight

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 26, 2026 4:40 pm

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid, the main ingredient in vinegar, using only sunlight. The process breaks down common plastics through a chemical reaction sparked by sunlight, offering a new approach to fighting plastic pollution while creating a useful product. The method works on mixed plastics and could lead to solar-powered recycling systems.

White and black NASA Mars rover with robotic arm parked on reddish rocky terrain under dusty pink sky

NASA Gives Perseverance Rover ‘GPS’ to Navigate Mars Without Waiting for Earth

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 25, 2026 11:58 pm

NASA has given its Perseverance Mars rover a new navigation system that works like GPS, letting it pinpoint its location without waiting for instructions from Earth. The software matches the rover’s panoramic images to orbital terrain maps in about two minutes, ending its reliance on daily check-ins with human controllers millions of miles away. The upgrade allows much longer drives and more science.

Australia’s UNSW Engineers Turn Industrial Emissions into Fertiliser

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 25, 2026 5:56 pm

Engineers at UNSW Sydney have developed a method to create urea fertiliser by combining waste carbon dioxide with nitrogen pollutants using renewable electricity. The process avoids the fossil-fuel-intensive methods currently used to produce fertiliser for more than half the world’s population. If scaled up, the technology could help Australia produce its own clean fertiliser while cutting emissions and cleaning waterways.

A young giant tortoise with a domed shell walks on dry volcanic ground with green bushes in the background

NASA Helps Return Giant Tortoises to Galápagos After 150 Years

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 25, 2026 5:48 pm

NASA satellite technology helped guide the return of 158 giant tortoises to Floreana Island in the Galápagos, where the species vanished 150 years ago. Scientists used data from Landsat and other missions to map ideal release spots for the animals, which once shaped the island’s ecosystem. The rewilding project could serve as a model for future restoration efforts worldwide.

Why China’s Shenlong Mission Is Sparking Space Security Concerns

Sanjukta Praharaj February 25, 2026 5:13 pm

China’s mysterious reusable space plane has returned to orbit, igniting fresh debate over its purpose and long-term ambitions in space.

Chinese scientists put quantum chaos in slow motion for first time

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 24, 2026 5:02 pm

Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers have directly observed and manipulated prethermalisation, a stable phase before quantum systems descend into chaos. Using the 78-qubit Chuang-tzu 2.0 processor, the team led by Fan Heng can lengthen or shorten this information-preserving window. The breakthrough offers new possibilities for quantum error correction and extending the lifetime of quantum states, bringing practical quantum computing closer to reality.

Artemis II Launch Delayed: Is NASA Facing Apollo-Era Déjà Vu?

Sanjukta Praharaj February 23, 2026 5:04 pm

NASA has officially ruled out its March 6 launch window for the much-anticipated Artemis II mission. This decision followed engineers’

Seismic Surprise: Earthquakes That Travel Backward

Sanjukta Praharaj February 23, 2026 4:26 pm

New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that these unusual “boomerang” earthquakes may not be as rare or

White Boeing Starliner capsule against black space background approaching the International Space Station with Earth visible below

US NASA Says Boeing Starliner Astronaut Flight Was ‘Type A Mishap’

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 22, 2026 11:48 pm

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft approaches the International Space Station in June 2024 during a mission that NASA now classifies as its most serious “Type A mishap” due to thruster failures and leadership failures.

Germany’s Max Planck Institute Finds Giant Virus Hijacks Cell Machinery

Modern Mechanics 24 News Desk February 22, 2026 7:08 pm

Scientists from Germany’s Max Planck Institute have discovered that a giant virus called mimivirus hijacks host cells’ protein-making machinery to multiply up to 100,000 times faster. The virus makes a complex of three proteins that takes over ribosomes, forcing cells to produce viral proteins instead of their own. Published in Cell on February 17, this is the first experimental evidence that viruses can co-opt a system typically associated with cellular life.