The James Webb Telescope's Greatest Discoveries: What We…

• Scientists have discovered that the long-standing climatic link between the Indian and Pacific oceans is breaking down due to human-caused global warming. • Ancient climate records indicate that while volcanic eruptions disrupted this relationship in the past, the current shift is exceptional and driven by rising temperatures.

• The United States launched a V-2 rocket carrying a monkey named Albert III on September 16, 1949. • The rocket exploded during the flight, resulting in the death of the animal passenger.

• NASA is hosting the Third Early Career Workshop from September 22-24, 2026, to support scientists in the Physics of the Cosmos Program. • The event features a post-launch presentation on the Roman Space Telescope and a tutorial on the NASA Astrophysics Data System Science Explorer.

• A 2026 United Nations report indicates that global warming is on track to soon exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius limit. • This threshold was originally established as a critical target by the Paris Agreement to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

• NASA extended the planned operational lifespan of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to over 20 years following a super-precise engine burn. • The telescope was originally scheduled for a primary five-year mission followed by a five-year extension.

• Researchers dredging off the coast of Iceland in 2006 collected and froze an ocean quahog clam that had lived for over 500 years. • A count of 507 annual shell rings determined the clam, nicknamed Ming, was born around 1499.

• Astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope to discover that the ring system of the small solar system body Chariklo is changing. • Researchers noted that the ability to detect these changes provides a new window for understanding how these systems evolve.

• The Hubble and James Webb space telescopes identified 27 new small objects orbiting the sun in the distant region beyond Neptune. • These observations required the telescopes to operate at the absolute limit of their technical capabilities to detect the tiny objects.

• A new study identifies a blind spot in how science measures breakthroughs, specifically regarding "multiples" where two teams make the same discovery simultaneously. • The research highlights historical examples of shared breakthroughs, such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace both discovering evolution.

• Scientists believe they may be closer to detecting dark matter, a mysterious substance that has puzzled physicists for decades. • This substance is estimated to make up 85% of all matter in the universe but cannot be seen directly.

• A study published in the journal Science estimates that rivers delivered approximately 263,000 tons of microplastics to the world's oceans in 2022. • Researchers found that extreme rainfall events accelerate the movement of plastic into rivers, especially in developing nations with high plastic use and weak waste management.