NSF Announces Winners of U.S. Critical Minerals Challenge for Domestic Supply Chain Security

• Many household smoke alarms use americium, a radioactive element created in nuclear reactors, to detect smoke. • These devices typically contain about 0.3 micrograms of the element and can be purchased for around ten dollars.

• Researchers developed the first 3D map of an ovary to study how and when oocytes, which are immature eggs, are activated. • The study findings were published in the journal Nature Aging.

• Russia's Progress 96 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on September 19. • The freighter delivered 3 tons of cargo and supplies to the orbiting laboratory at 9:44 a.m. ET.

• In 1922, Howard Carter discovered the entrance to Tutankhamun's tomb, a significant discovery in Egyptian archaeology. • The tomb's discovery has led to a renewed search for Queen Nefertiti, with some believing she may be buried in secret chambers within King Tut's tomb.

• Researchers discovered a 9-million-year-old capybara tooth in Chile's Atacama Desert. • The presence of this semi-aquatic rodent suggests the region had unexpectedly wet conditions during that era.

• Astronomer Stephen Kane created computer models to simulate the possibility of Venus having a moon that it pulled back towards itself, tore apart, and consumed. • Kane's models included different masses of hypothetical moons and varied spin speeds of Venus to predict various outcomes, according to his research.

• Scientists discovered 27 mysterious frozen objects orbiting in the far reaches of the solar system beyond Neptune. • These tiny worlds are located in the distant outer regions of the solar system.

• Scientists determined that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely formed in a region of its original solar system where its home star's light could not reach. • Researchers used the object's composition to conclude it originated far from its parent star.

• ICO Optics is exploring cutting-edge scientific developments and breaking down complex breakthroughs into digestible insights. • Recent studies in fields like quantum physics and deep-space astronomy are redefining our understanding of the natural world, with new findings emerging regularly.

• Archaeologists discovered 55 Ice Age artifacts buried beneath volcanic ash in Oregon caves. • The findings date back more than 15,000 years, making them four times older than the Great Pyramid of Egypt.

• Space scientists discovered 84 "hypersoft X-ray sources," which are mysterious objects unlike anything previously observed. • Researchers are investigating whether these objects are the stars that eventually turn into Type Ia supernovae, the explosions used to prove the universe's expansion is accelerating.

• The biggest mysteries in science may remain forever unsolved, leaving some questions without answers. • Scientists and journalists are working to tell true and important science stories, with editors and reporters often being experts in their fields.