GREENBELT, Md.—On Tuesday, NASA invited the press to look at the fully assembled Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is now ready to join the ranks of the great observatories in orbit, ahead of its September launch. The Roman Space Telescope (NGRST), named after a key figure in the planning of the Hubble Space Telescope, is notably distinct from hardware like the Hubble and Webb, as it's designed around a wide-field view and massive imaging system that will allow it to send back 1.4 terabytes of data to Earth every day.

It also has an unusual history that began when NASA's planning intersected with surplus spy hardware.

In from the cold

Many of the gases in our atmosphere absorb infrared wavelengths, contributing to the greenhouse effect that has helped keep the planet habitable for us. But that effect also makes infrared astronomy from Earth extremely difficult. That's unfortunate, as a number of important phenomena, from the earliest galaxies to the features of exoplanet atmospheres, are only detectable at infrared wavelengths. There have been a number of infrared-specific telescopes put into space, notably the Spitzer , one of the original suite of Great Observatories.

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Physicists have spent the last 20 years pondering an apparent discrepancy between experimental results and theoretical predictions for the magnetic properties of the muon, the electron's heavier cousin—a mismatch that hinted at a possible fifth force. But according to a new paper published in the journal Nature, the discrepancy is due to a calculation fluke, not exciting new physics, so the Standard Model of particle physics is still holding strong.

“There were many calculations in the last 60 years or so, and as they got more and more precise, they all pointed toward a discrepancy and a new interaction that would upend known laws of physics,” said co-author Zoltan Fodor , a physicist at Penn State. “We applied a new method to calculate this discrepancy quantity, and we showed that it’s not there. This new interaction we hoped for simply is not there. The old interactions can explain the value completely.”

As previously reported , the muon (a member of the lepton classification) is the heavier second-generation cousin of the electron—the tau is the third-generation cousin—and that makes muons particularly sensitive to virtual particles popping into and out of existence in the quantum vacuum, since they can briefly interact with those virtual particles. Muons are special to physicists because they are light enough to be plentiful yet heavy enough to be used experimentally to probe the accuracy of the Standard Model of particle physics.

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On Tuesday, the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking the US government from applying a range of restrictions on renewable power development, at least for the parties in the suit. The ruling expands on another that was issued late last year , applying similar logic to a broader set of federal restrictions and an expanded group of renewable energy developers.

While the ruling is good news for companies looking to develop non-polluting energy sources, it leaves intact one of the only attempts the government has made to rationalize its animosity toward renewable power.

Arbitrary and capricious again

In December, a different judge in the same court ruled that the federal government's decision to withdraw all areas of the continental shelf from potential offshore wind development violated the Administrative Procedures Act. The problem, the court determined, was that the rules were arbitrary and capricious; the only justification the government offered was that they implemented a Trump executive order.

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Macaques have learned to eat soil to avert gut irritation caused by salty and sugary snacks, researchers believe

Troops of monkeys living on the Rock of Gibraltar have learned to eat soil in what scientists believe is an effort to settle their stomachs after all the junk food they receive – and sometimes steal – from crowds of tourists.

Researchers spotted the intentional mud eating, known as geophagy, while observing groups of Barbary macaques in the territory. Monkeys that had the most contact with tourists ate the most soil and consumption peaked in the holiday season, they found.

Scientists think they are looking at chemical building blocks of life preserved for 3.5bn years

Nasa’s Curiosity rover has detected organic molecules on Mars, including chemicals widely considered building blocks for the origin of life of Earth.

Five of the seven molecules identified in a dried lakebed near the equator had never previously been observed on the red planet. The analysis, performed by the robotic rover, cannot establish whether the organic compounds are linked to potential ancient life on Mars or were delivered by meteorites or formed through geological processes. However, they imply that if microbial life once thrived on Mars, chemical fingerprints should remain there today.

Time Hoppers: The Silk Road is a time-travel adventure whose child heroes must save the legacy of Islamic scholars who shaped modern science. Its makers reveal their inspiration, and reflect on their success

‘Some people said it doesn’t exist – that it’s a fantasy.” So says Flordeliza Dayrit of the silk road, the vast network of trade routes that once connected Asia, Africa and Europe – and the starting location for Time Hoppers: The Silk Road, the animated feature she co-created with her husband, Michael Milo.

Speaking from their home in Edmonton, Canada, the couple describe a project that started with personal intrigue and grew into something far more ambitious. With its theatrical release in UK cinemas, Time Hoppers turns this sense of curiosity into a fast-moving children’s adventure: a story in which four young protagonists travel back in time to the medieval Islamic world, meeting the scientists and scholars whose discoveries shape our current everyday lives.

From balloon arches at parties to mass balloon releases at funerals, these bits of floating rubber and plastic can have disastrous effects on wildlife. As some retailers are refusing to sell them, here are some alternatives

I remember, as a child, hanging on to one specific party balloon for what seemed like years. I don’t remember how or where I acquired it, but it had initially floated high, bobbing against the ceiling, and, over time, lost its buoyancy, coming to rest on the carpet. Yet, when a family friend asked if they should pop the now sad-looking balloon, I assumed they were joking – like when an adult asks, teasingly, if they should eat your last slice of birthday cake – and was distraught when they followed through. I didn’t care that it had become grubby and partly deflated – I’d had that balloon for what felt like for ever.

This, it turns out, is the problem with many balloons. Not that clingy young children might become over-attached to them, but that they are often a single-use plastic – and even biodegradable alternatives such as latex balloons do not decompose quickly , meaning they can pose a significant risk to wildlife and the environment. In 2019, scientists found that balloons eaten by seabirds are more likely to kill them than other kinds of plastic – yet they do not seem to have been earmarked in the same way as, for example, plastic straws. If anything, balloon-based decor has become more popular in recent years , with balloon arches or tunnels deployed not just at birthdays but at events ranging from baby showers to shop openings. Balloon drops are used at New Year’s Eve celebrations and graduation parties, and balloon releases have also endured – particularly at funerals, where the unleashing of helium-filled balloons signifies the letting-go of a loved one.

The US health secretary says he is a big fan of peptides. Many are promising drugs, but the only way to know their utility is proper clinical trials

Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, is a chaotic person, but his Make America Healthy Again (Maha) agenda tends to follow a predictable logic. Large-scale, mandatory public health interventions – such as childhood vaccine requirements – are generally treated with suspicion and undermined. Personal choice – to drink unpasteurised milk, for example – is to be unleashed, and unburdened by regulation. In theory, Maha promises freedom and autonomy; in practice it tends to replace the precautionary principle with exhortations for individuals to “do your own research”, and sidelines scientific expertise in favour of “wellness” hucksters and profiteers.

This is particularly obvious in Mr Kennedy’s recent claims that he will open up the sale of “about 14” injectable peptide drugs to the public. Peptides are molecules often used by our bodies for sending signals – so there are many kinds of peptides, and the safety and efficacy of each is a separate question. The widely used “weight-loss jab” drugs are peptides but so are the toxic compounds in snake venom that dissolve living cells. Mr Kennedy is likely to be referring to a subset of 17 peptides restricted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023 due to “potential significant safety risks”. None have been proved to be safe or effective for human use, so there is no clear argument for reversing the decision.

Anatomy of one of least studied human organs could improve outcomes for women who have pelvic surgery

Almost 30 years after the intricate web of nerves inside the penis was plotted out, the same mapping has finally been completed for one of the least-studied organs in the human body – the clitoris.

As well as revealing the extent of the nerves that are crucial to orgasms, the work shows that some of what medics are learning about the anatomy of the clitoris is wrong, and could help prevent women who have pelvic operations from ending up with poorer sexual function.