“Virtually unlimited fusion energy appears to be, if not right around the corner, at least within hailing distance. Last December, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility finally succeeded in forcing the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium to undergo a self-sustained fusion reaction. It was an encouraging advancement, though not exactly a breakthrough. NIF’s small net energy gain didn’t factor in the energy it took to fire up the 192 ultraviolet lasers that initiated the reaction, which lasted “for the briefest blink of a moment.” While there are lessons to be learned from NIF’s successes and failures, laser-based inertial confinement fusion doesn’t yet provide a practical path to commercial-scale power generation.” (IEEE Spectrum)

“To ponder the question and practice decoding an extraterrestrial epistle, an artist-led team has created a mock message from the stars to test us Earthlings. On May 24 the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter beamed the note from Mars toward Earth. Three observatories detected the transmission 16 minutes later: the Medicina Radio Observatory in Bologna, Italy; the Allen Telescope Array in northern California; and the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia. The message, though written for humans by humans, was as nonanthropocentric as one could hope for, perhaps the most alien missive the world had ever received.” (Scientific American)

“Recently, Sukbae Lee et al. reported inspiring experimental findings on the atmospheric superconductivity of a modified lead apatite crystal (LK-99) at room temperature. They claimed that the synthesized LK-99 materials exhibit the Meissner levitation phenomenon of superconductors and have a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) higher than 400 K. Here, for the first time, we successfully verify and synthesize the LK-99 crystals which can be magnetically levitated with larger levitated angle than Sukbae Lee's sample at room temperature. It is expected to realize the true potential of room temperature, non-contact superconducting magnetic levitation in near future.” (arXiv)