The Nucleus

09/08/2026

🌌 Here’s something you probably didn’t know about the universe: AI is helping astronomers uncover rare cosmic phenomena hidden among hundreds of thousands of distant quasars. 🤖🔭

Astronomers recently used artificial intelligence to search through roughly 800,000 quasars and identified seven rare quasar lens candidates.

So, what makes these objects so interesting?

✨ Quasars are incredibly bright objects powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies. Their light can travel across billions of light-years before reaching Earth.
But sometimes, that light encounters another massive galaxy along the way.

🌀 The immense gravity of that galaxy can bend and magnify the quasar's light, creating a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing.
Think of it as a natural magnifying glass made by the universe itself. 🔍🌌

These lensed quasars are extremely rare, making them difficult to find among enormous astronomical datasets. Instead of astronomers having to inspect everything manually, researchers trained AI to recognize patterns that could reveal these unusual systems.

🤖 From approximately 800,000 quasars, the AI helped narrow the search to around 200 promising candidates. After further examination, researchers identified seven particularly interesting candidates.

They still need follow-up observations to confirm whether they are truly gravitationally lensed
quasars.

If confirmed, these discoveries could help astronomers learn more about dark matter, distant galaxies, supermassive black holes, and the structure of our universe.

🌠 It’s a fascinating reminder that sometimes, the biggest discoveries are hiding inside data we already have—and AI can help us notice them.

Sources:
https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrKHH3YqHdqZAIAH3khdiU5;_ylu=Y29sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1787436504/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fphys.org%2fnews%2f2026-07-quasar-lenses-emerge-ai-scan.html/RK=2/RS=99cmlLrCiH8LlQnM35j8ZsSR4NE-

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrKHH3YqHdqZAIAInkhdiU5;_ylu=Y29sbwNzZzMEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny/RV=2/RE=1787436504/RO=10/RU=https%3a%2f%2fwww.yahoo.com%2fnews%2fscience%2farticles%2fastronomers-ai-discover-seven-rare-140700684.html%3ffr%3dsycsrp_catchall/RK=2/RS=yF1SR84kOd5rbYi8BmqHpZqZrMc-

05/08/2026

Did you know?

When a “day” happens on Mercury, it doesn’t work like on Earth.

A single sunrise to sunrise on Mercury lasts a shocking 176 Earth days—that’s longer than its entire year.

That’s because Mercury rotates very slowly while orbiting the Sun quickly. As a result, the Sun can appear to pause, move backward, then continue forward in the sky.

It’s one of the strangest time cycles in our solar system—where a day is twice as long as a year.

Source:
NASA Space Place – All About Mercury⁠
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-mercury/en/⁠

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02/08/2026

✨ 🌠 Think You Knew?

When two galaxies pass close to each other, gravity can stretch, twist, and reshape them—without the galaxies actually colliding star by star.

That's because the distance between stars is so enormous that most stars simply pass by one another, while gravity distorts the galaxies spiral arms and can even trigger the birth of new stars. ✨

The galaxy pair ESO 550-2 is an example of this cosmic dance, where gravitational forces have already warped one galaxy and sparked star formation in its spiral arm and around its core. 🌠

Link: NASA / ESA – Hubble Space Telescope

27/07/2026

🌊 Ocean Trivia! 🐠

Did you know? Scientists have discovered 1,121 new marine species in just one year through the Ocean Census! From mysterious deep-sea ghost sharks to worms living inside glass sponges, these incredible finds reveal how much of our ocean remains unexplored. In fact, scientists estimate that around 90% of marine life is still unknown. 🌎💙

The ocean is full of surprises—and we've only just begun to uncover its secrets! 🌊✨

Sources:
https://oceancensus.org/press-release-scientists-discover-over-1100-new-marine-species-in-landmark-ocean-census/
https://oceancensus.org/

21/07/2026

‎🌠 🤔 Did you know?

‎Most “shooting stars” are not actually stars. They are meteors—bright streaks of light created when tiny pieces of rock or dust from space, called meteoroids, enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed and heat up, causing them to glow. ☄️

‎The next time you spot a “shooting star,” you’ll know you’re actually watching a meteor light up the night sky! 🔬

‎Source:
‎NASA – Meteors and Meteorites
‎https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/⁠�

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21/07/2026

Some things can't be explained by science—like how fast another birthday comes around.

Happy Birthday to one of our fellow Science Club member! May your day be filled with laughter, unforgettable moments, and everything that makes you happy.

Thank you for being part of our club. Wishing you a year full of new experiences, achievements, and memories worth keeping. Have an amazing birthday!

Stay curious, keep exploring, and remember: in the words of Sheldon Cooper... Bazinga!

20/07/2026

🧬DID YOU KNOW...

A new artificial intelligence (AI) model developed by researchers from Harvard Medical School that could help on faster diagnosis of rare diseases?

Called popEVE, an AI that analyzes a person's DNA and ranks genetic variants based on how likely they are to cause disease. In testing, it was able to successfully identify over 100 previously unknown disease-causing genetic changes, giving hope to patients who waits a long time for diagnosis.

While it is helpful, it is not a replacement for doctors. This breakthrough could simply make diagnosing rare diseases faster, more accurately, and could even help scientists on finding new treatments in the future.

🤖AI isn't just changing our technology—it's helping change lives through better health care. 💚








Learn more on:

PopEVE can identify genetic variants most likely to cause severe disease, death

17/07/2026

🌍 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗙 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗔𝗟𝗢𝗡𝗘?

Scientists have confirmed an atmosphere around 𝗟𝗛𝗦 𝟭𝟭𝟰𝟬 𝗯, a rocky planet located 𝟰𝟵 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵. It's the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿'𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲 where an atmosphere has been directly detected—a huge milestone in the search for life beyond our Solar System.

An atmosphere is important because it can help protect a planet, regulate its temperature, and make 𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 possible. While 𝗻𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱, 𝗟𝗛𝗦 𝟭𝟭𝟰𝟬 𝗯 is now considered one of the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘀 for future discoveries.

"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." — 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻

🔗 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲: science.nasa.gov/exoplanet-catalog/lhs-1140-b

16/07/2026

DID YOU KNOW? 💡✨
​There is a tiny ocean creature that hunts using temperatures hotter than lava and nearly as hot as the surface of the sun! 🦐☀️

​The Pistol Shrimp doesn't bite its prey. Instead, it snaps its specialized claw shut so fast that it shoots a high-speed jet of water. This extreme speed creates a low-pressure cavitation bubble. 🫧🌊

​When that bubble violently collapses, it releases:
​Extreme Heat: The air inside briefly spikes to 4,700°C (8,500°F)! 🔥 (For comparison, lava is only 1,200°C, and the sun's surface is 5,500°C).

​A Sonic Shockwave: A 218-decibel blast (louder than a jet engine!) that instantly stuns prey. 🔊💥
​A Flash of Light: A microscopic spark called shrimpoluminescence. ⚡️✨

​Sources: 📚
​The Discovery: Lohse, D., et al. (2001). Snapping shrimp make flashing bubbles. Nature, 413, 477-478. 🧪
​The Physics: Versluis, M., et al. (2000). How snapping shrimp snap: Through cavitating bubbles. Science, 289, 2114-2117. 🔬
​

16/07/2026