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NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who embarked on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June 2024, will now extend their stay on the International Space Station (ISS) until March 2025. The return, initially set for February, has been postponed due to a delay in SpaceX’s Crew-10 mission, NASA confirmed on December 17. The decision was attributed to ongoing work on a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, as per official statements.

Crew-10’s Revised Timeline

Crew-10, which will carry NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, along with JAXA’s Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, is now scheduled for a late-March launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This adjustment pushes back Crew-9’s return, leaving Wilmore and Williams aboard the ISS for approximately nine months instead of the originally planned 10-day mission.

The delay arose as SpaceX completes its latest Crew Dragon capsule, which is expected to arrive at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in January 2025 for final processing and testing. Steve Stich, Manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, stated in the official release that fabricating and integrating a new spacecraft requires meticulous attention to detail.

Unexpected Mission Extension

Wilmore and Williams were integrated into the Crew-9 mission after their Starliner capsule, slated for an initial 10-day journey, encountered technical challenges. NASA’s Nick Hague and cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who launched aboard the Crew Dragon Freedom in September 2024, were joined by Wilmore and Williams during their prolonged mission.

This is not unprecedented; astronauts have previously faced extended ISS missions. Notable examples include Scott Kelly’s year-long twin study in 2015-2016 and Frank Rubio’s 365-day stay following complications with a Soyuz spacecraft.

SpaceX’s expanding Crew Dragon fleet is expected to enhance mission flexibility, allowing NASA greater adaptability in managing ISS operations and addressing unforeseen delays.

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New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Retains 80 Percent Capacity After 25,000 Cycles

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January 22, 2025

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New Lithium-Sulfur Battery Retains 80 Percent Capacity After 25,000 Cycles

Engineers and materials scientists have achieved a major advancement in battery technology, developing a lithium-sulfur battery that retains 80 percent of its charge capacity after 25,000 charging cycles. The new design, which uses a specially formulated electrode, represents a significant improvement over conventional lithium-ion batteries. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting energy storage solutions, addressing critical demands in electronics and electric vehicles.

Key Innovations in the Study

According to a study published in Nature, sulfur was utilised as a core component for the battery’s solid electrode. Despite being abundant and cost-effective, sulfur has historically posed challenges due to issues such as ion loss and expansion during reactions with lithium. These problems were tackled by incorporating a glass-like mixture composed of sulfur, boron, lithium, phosphorus, and iodine. The iodine element was found to enhance electron movement during redox reactions, allowing for faster charging and improved performance.

As reported by Techxplore, the research demonstrated that the porous atomic structure of the electrode facilitated ion diffusion, eliminating the need for intermediary movements. This structural stability, combined with the chemical properties of the glass-phase electrolyte, contributed to the battery’s durability across an unprecedented number of cycles.

Performance and Potential Applications

The experimental lithium-sulfur battery maintained its capacity even under high temperatures, a notable advantage in demanding environments. Standard lithium-ion batteries typically degrade after approximately 1,000 cycles, making this new battery’s longevity a striking development. Despite its promise, the study’s authors acknowledged the need for further research to improve energy density and explore alternative materials that could reduce the battery’s overall weight.

Efforts are being directed at refining this technology to support the growing demand for energy storage in applications ranging from consumer electronics to renewable energy systems.

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Break the Standard Model, New Research Shows

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Small Carnivores Were Crucial for Early Levant Diets, Says New Study

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January 22, 2025

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Small Carnivores Were Crucial for Early Levant Diets, Says New Study

The nutritional reliance on small carnivores by early hunter-gatherer societies in the Levant has been highlighted through recent archaeological discoveries. A series of excavations at the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB) site of Aḥihud, located in present-day Israel, has revealed the widespread use of red foxes, wildcats, and other small carnivores for meat and fur. This period, dated between approximately 10,500 and 10,100 years ago, coincided with a transformative phase as communities transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming-based lifestyles.

Findings at the Aḥihud Site

According to the study published in Environmental Archaeology, various archaeological materials, including animal bone fragments, were recovered during salvage excavations in 2012 and 2013. These materials included 1,244 animal remains, with a significant proportion belonging to small carnivores such as red foxes, beech martens, Egyptian mongooses, and European badgers. Dr. Shirad Galmor, the lead researcher, explained to Phys.org that the high quantity of small carnivore bones, coupled with observable cut marks, sparked deeper investigation into their utilisation.

Evidence of Skinning and Consumption

Through taphonomic analysis, it was found that more than 12 percent of red fox remains and 19 percent of wildcat remains exhibited distinct cut marks, compared to lower percentages in larger game like gazelles and cape hares. These marks suggested both skinning for fur and butchering for meat. Burn marks on some of the bones further supported their use as food.

Implications for Neolithic Societies

The findings underscore the previously overlooked significance of small carnivores in the dietary and economic practices of early Neolithic communities. While earlier studies primarily attributed the presence of such remains to fur trade, these results open new avenues for understanding their role as a dietary staple during this period of societal evolution.

Researchers emphasise the need for additional studies to explore the contributions of small carnivores at other archaeological sites across the southern Levant.

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Break the Standard Model, New Research Shows



New Study Uncovers Discrepancies in Universe’s Expansion Rate, Challenges Cosmology Models

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Disrupt Universe’s Fundamental Laws

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January 22, 2025

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Heavy Dark Matter Could Disrupt Universe’s Fundamental Laws

The concept of heavy dark matter has raised concerns about its implications for the universe’s fundamental structure. While dark matter has been theorised as a key component explaining several astrophysical phenomena, new research indicates that particles exceeding a certain mass could disrupt the Standard Model of particle physics. The ongoing quest to identify dark matter, which forms the bulk of the universe’s mass yet eludes direct detection, continues to challenge prevailing theories.

Constraints on Dark Matter Mass

According to a study published on the preprint server arXiv, the mass of potential dark matter particles has significant implications. Experiments have largely focused on a mass range between 10 to 1,000 giga-electron volts (GeV), comparable to the heaviest known particles like the top quark and the W boson. However, researchers have now explored higher mass ranges, uncovering potential inconsistencies.

The study highlights that dark matter particles interacting with the Higgs boson, which plays a crucial role in providing mass to particles, could have profound effects. If dark matter particles were to exceed several thousand GeV, their influence on the Higgs boson’s mass would disrupt the balance observed in particle interactions. Such alterations could theoretically undermine the stability of the universe’s particle framework.

Potential Implications and Alternative Theories

As reported by space,.com, these findings suggest that dark matter models involving heavy particles may not align with observed physical laws. Alternate scenarios propose that dark matter could interact through mechanisms unrelated to the Higgs boson or that its properties are entirely different from current predictions. Axions, ultralight particles supported by some theoretical models, have been proposed as a lighter candidate, prompting renewed interest and investigation.

The study’s insights also point towards refining experimental approaches. Should the hypothesis about heavy dark matter hold, future experiments may need to prioritise the search for lower-mass particles. This pivot could reshape the strategies employed in detecting the elusive component that holds the universe’s secrets.

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