Trump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities - The New York Times

• NASA has joined the Genesis Mission, a national initiative designed to accelerate scientific and engineering breakthroughs through the integration of artificial intelligence. • The agency will contribute its extensive mission data and technical expertise to help develop powerful AI tools capable of solving complex global challenges.

• NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has documented significant wear and tear on its wheels after nearly 14 years of operation on the Red Planet. • New images reveal cracks and structural damage resulting from the rover's extensive mileage across the harsh Martian terrain.

• NASA astronaut Chris Williams and his crewmates returned to Earth on Sunday after completing an eight-month science mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). • The crew participated in a long-duration expedition focused on conducting research and scientific breakthroughs that are impossible to achieve in Earth's gravity.

• A White House report authored by Kratsios proposes reducing research funding for universities in favor of allocating grants directly to individual scientists. • The shift aims to support high-risk breakthroughs that often fail traditional peer review, though critics warn it could increase political influence over grant awards.

• The National Academy of Sciences released a report detailing the evolution of attribution science, which links specific extreme weather events to human-induced climate change. • The report emphasizes that the field has matured significantly over the last decade, providing stronger scientific evidence to counter political climate denialism.

• Scientists have discovered the presence of a specific sugar, commonly found in raspberries and self-tanner, within outer space. • This discovery is significant because it provides critical insights into the chemical building blocks that may have contributed to the origins of life on Earth.

• A joint US-Russian space crew successfully landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday. • The crew returned to Earth following an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

• NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth on Sunday, July 26, after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station. • The crew departed the station via the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, which undocked at 3:03 a.m. ET.

• SpaceX successfully completed the 13th overall test flight of its newest Starship design, achieving a precise landing. • This milestone marks a critical technical victory for the company's iterative development of the massive spacecraft.

• On April 24, 2026, scientists announced a major breakthrough enabling robots to independently figure out and execute complex tasks. • This advancement shifts robotic learning from human-programmed instructions to autonomous problem-solving capabilities.

• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has discontinued dozens of active research awards after previously slowing the issuance of new grants last year. • Affected researchers, such as physician-scientist Nora Becker from the University of Michigan, have seen funding cut for critical studies, including research on the financial burdens faced by Covid-19 patients.