The questions science may never answer

• Researchers have developed a new blood test that could detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages, potentially improving treatment outcomes for the disease. • The test aims to identify the disease before it becomes deadly, with medical professionals noting that early detection significantly increases the chances of successful intervention.

• Researchers published a study in Nature Communications finding that the January 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption destroyed methane on an unprecedented scale. • Satellite instruments tracked the chemical destruction continuously for more than ten days following the volcanic event.

• A new study warns that natural climate feedback loops, where warming triggers more emissions from the earth, could increase global warming by 30%. • These loops involve the release of methane and carbon dioxide from natural sources like thawing permafrost and warming oceans.

• French farmers tested a system of tilting solar panels flat over nectarine trees during forecast frost events in 2022 and 2023. • The method warmed flower buds by up to 1.7 degrees Celsius and reduced flower injury from 35 percent to under 10 percent.

• Paleontologists discovered 150-million-year-old tail bones in Spain, marking the first confirmed Diplodocus fossils found outside of North America. • Researchers used a synchrotron, a high-energy X-ray source, to create 3D images of the fossils and confirm their identity.

• 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.

• 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 James Webb Space Telescope captured light from the first galaxies formed 13.5 billion years ago to study the early universe. • These findings challenge existing cosmological models, which are the mathematical frameworks used to explain the origin and evolution of the universe.

• 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.

• 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.