China has achieved a significant milestone in space science with the recent completion and national acceptance of the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP) Phase II on March 21. This project represents the world’s first comprehensive ground-based monitoring network spanning the entire Sun-Earth space environment, extending from the solar atmosphere to near-Earth space.

A modulator developed by researchers from ETH Zurich has broken the terahertz mark. The ultrafast component efficiently transmits large volumes of data into the fibre-optic network in a short space of time.

Two different teams of astronomers have detected oxygen in the most distant known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0. The discovery, reported in two separate studies, was made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner. This record-breaking detection is making astronomers rethink how quickly galaxies formed in the early Universe.

Our skin and mucous membranes are protected by epithelial cells. This “barrier” tissue performs its function thanks to specialized structures called “junctions”. They ensure cell cohesion and regulate exchanges across the space between cells. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Institute of Physical Chemistry (IPC) in Göttingen, have studied the role of a specific protein, gamma-actin, in the organization and mechanics of epithelial cells and their junctions. Their work, published in Nature Communications, reveals a mechanism of interdependence of different forms of the cytoskeletal proteins actin and myosin, and their functions. The team also demonstrates the key role of gamma-actin in the rigidity of cell membranes and the dynamics of junctional proteins, which may provide a mechanism of hearing loss.

Astronauts on NASA’s ninth rotational SpaceX crew mission (Crew-9) splashed down off the Florida coast yesterday evening, ending their months-long science expedition onboard the International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station). Over the course of the mission, the crew supported a variety of investigations sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory®, including research to improve treatments for neurodegenerative conditions, studies to manufacture more effective therapeutics in space, and student-led experiments to prepare the next generation of explorers. Returning crew members include NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration astronauts Nick Hague, Suni Williams, and Butch Wilmore, who are part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.