## NASA Launches Artemis II: A New Chapter in Human Space Exploration

Cheers filled the control room at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday evening as NASA's Artemis II mission roared into the sky, marking one of the most significant moments in space exploration in decades. The massive Space Launch System rocket lifted off at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, carrying four astronauts on a bold journey to circle the moon and return safely to Earth.

## Meet the Crew Making History

Seated inside the Orion capsule atop the 322-foot orange-and-white rocket were NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Together, they represent several historic firsts — the first woman, the first person of color, and the first non-American citizen to travel to the vicinity of the moon.

Shortly after launch, mission commander Reid Wiseman radioed back to the control room with an enthusiastic update: "We have a beautiful moonrise — we're headed right at it."

## What Artemis II Will Actually Do

The mission will not attempt a lunar landing. Instead, the crew will begin by orbiting Earth to run thorough checks on critical spacecraft systems, including life support, navigation, and communications. Once those systems are confirmed operational, the astronauts will ignite their propulsion system to propel the Orion capsule on a sweeping figure-eight trajectory around the moon before heading back toward Earth.

The round trip to the moon covers approximately 230,000 miles, and the full mission is expected to wrap up in roughly ten days, concluding with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

## A Stepping Stone Toward Permanent Lunar Presence

Although Artemis II is not touching down on the lunar surface, it serves as a critical milestone in NASA's broader ambition to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon. The last time humans traveled to the moon was during the Apollo 17 mission back in 1972 — more than half a century ago.

### What Comes Next in the Artemis Program

The roadmap following Artemis II includes several additional missions designed to steadily build toward a full lunar landing:

- **Artemis III** will remain in Earth's orbit and conduct practice rendezvous operations with the program's lunar landing system.
- **Artemis IV and V** are planned to deliver astronauts directly to the moon's surface, utilizing lunar landers developed by commercial aerospace companies SpaceX and Blue Origin.

With international partners involved and commercial industry playing a key role, NASA's vision extends beyond a single moon landing — the agency aims to build a permanent lunar base that could one day serve as a gateway for deeper space exploration.

NASA's Artemis II mission launched Wednesday with four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon, the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years.

NASA Artemis II Launch: Astronauts Head to the Moon

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NASA's Artemis II Crew Blasts Off on Landmark Journey Around the Moon

## A Historic First at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium

Tucked inside the vibrant Wild Reef exhibit at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium is a small but significant tank. It houses two warty frogfish — a species native to the Indo-Pacific ocean — each roughly the size of a tennis ball, dressed in yellow and red, and covered in bumpy, wart-like textures that give the species its memorable name.

Jenny Richards, a senior aquarist at Shedd who oversees the care of numerous fish species, has a fondness for them that's hard to miss.

"I definitely think they look cute," she says with a smile, describing them as "comically round."

Cute they may be — but these creatures are also remarkably fierce. The warty frogfish is an ambush predator, equipped with a modified dorsal fin that doubles as a lure, mimicking the appearance of a small shrimp to draw unsuspecting prey within striking range.

## From Thousands of Eggs to One Survivor

Last year, the female frogfish in the exhibit began showing signs of bloating. Then, in September, she released a massive, tightly coiled mass of tens of thousands of translucent eggs, which were subsequently fertilized by the male.

Aquarists on the Wild Reef team spotted the egg raft floating in the habitat and wasted no time. They carefully retrieved it and moved it behind the scenes, where a dedicated effort to raise the offspring began.

Out of those tens of thousands of eggs, just one warty frogfish survived to become a juvenile. That survivor is now named Domino — and according to Richards, no aquarium or research institution had ever successfully reared a warty frogfish from egg to juvenile before.

"It was definitely a little nerve-wracking trying to make sure that we made the most of this rare opportunity," she admits.

## Why This Achievement Matters

While warty frogfish are not currently listed as endangered, they face mounting pressure from climate change, habitat degradation, and collection for the aquarium trade. Richards believes that Domino's story offers a valuable blueprint for the future of marine conservation.

"This could help us with raising other species in the future," she explains. "With changing oceans and climate change, being able to raise these species in captivity is becoming increasingly important."

The broader scientific community agrees. As ocean ecosystems face unprecedented stress, the ability to successfully breed and raise marine animals in controlled environments becomes a critical conservation tool.

## The Painstaking Science Behind the Process

The Shedd Aquarium team brought considerable experience to this project, having previously raised a range of other marine species. But every fish presents its own unique challenges — and raising larvae in a 15-gallon tank while replicating the open ocean is no small feat.

"Marine fish larvae are incredibly fragile," Richards explains. "They have completely different habits than the adults, and they spend their early lives drifting among zooplankton in the open ocean. We have to get the lighting, water flow, temperature, and diet exactly right."

Within days of the eggs being collected, thousands of tiny larvae hatched — each one resembling a miniature tadpole. The team concentrated their intensive care efforts on 500 of them, monitoring conditions around the clock and adjusting the environment based on behavioral cues.

### Feeding the Future

One of the most critical early challenges was nutrition. Once the larvae exhausted their natural yolk reserves, they needed to feed immediately or they wouldn't survive.

"If we don't have the proper food, none of them are going to make it," Richards says. Fortunately, the larvae readily accepted copepods — microscopic crustaceans — as their primary food source, giving the team a much-needed early win.

### A Dramatic Transformation

Over the following weeks, the larvae underwent a series of extraordinary physical changes. Their vertebrae and fins shifted position, their musculature evolved, and the ranks of surviving larvae steadily dwindled. The team made constant micro-adjustments — dimming the lights when the larvae appeared stressed, reducing water flow when swimming seemed labored.

This natural attrition mirrors what happens in the wild, where only a tiny fraction of larvae manage to avoid predation, secure enough food, and survive the biological demands of development.

By around day 90, just one larva completed the transition into a juvenile. That was Domino — pea-sized, bright yellow, freckled with orange, and already sporting its own tiny lure. Richards describes it as looking like "a little fishy Pokémon."

## Experts Applaud the Breakthrough

The Shedd Aquarium is part of a growing network of institutions working to advance marine aquaculture. Nicole Rhody, program manager for the aquaculture research department at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, says breakthroughs like this one deserve recognition.

"When people are successful, it's something to celebrate because it's really not that easy to take what happens in nature and be able to recreate that," she says.

Rhody speaks from hard-won experience. She spent approximately 15 years working to close the life cycle of the common snook — a popular sport fishing species — before achieving success. By comparison, the speed with which the Shedd team succeeded with the warty frogfish is remarkable.

She emphasizes that this kind of work pays dividends far beyond a single species, supporting conservation initiatives as well as commercial and recreational aquaculture industries.

## Domino's Future

For now, Domino lives in a tank away from public view, tucked inside a purple aquatic plant and growing steadily. Richards visits regularly and admits she has grown attached to the little fish that she watched develop from a speck of life into a fully formed creature.

"We did watch him grow," she says warmly, "so definitely a little attached to the baby."

She looks forward to the day Domino makes its public debut — a living symbol of what patience, scientific dedication, and a little luck can accomplish when it comes to protecting our planet's ocean life.

Chicago's Shedd Aquarium made history by raising Domino, the world's first warty frogfish in captivity. Discover the science behind this marine milestone.

Domino the Warty Frogfish: A Captive Rearing Milestone

Meet Domino: The World's First Warty Frogfish Ever Successfully Raised in Captivity

## The Ancient Survivors Hiding in Plain Sight

Squid and cuttlefish are among the ocean's most captivating creatures—capable of shifting colors in milliseconds, propelling themselves with jet-like precision, and demonstrating intelligence that continues to astonish researchers. Yet for all their visibility in today's oceans, their evolutionary past has remained stubbornly obscure. Now, a landmark study has finally shed light on how these remarkable animals came to be—and how they managed to survive one of Earth's most devastating catastrophes.

Published in *Nature Ecology & Evolution*, the research from scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) combines three newly sequenced squid genomes with extensive global datasets to construct the most comprehensive evolutionary timeline of decapodiform cephalopods—the ten-limbed group that includes squid and cuttlefish—ever assembled.

## Cracking a Decades-Old Evolutionary Mystery

Scientists have long struggled to trace the ancestry of squid and cuttlefish. Their fossil record is frustratingly sparse, and their genomes are notoriously complex—often reaching twice the size of the human genome—making sequencing and analysis a formidable technical challenge.

"Squid and cuttlefish are remarkable creatures, yet their evolution has been notoriously difficult to study," said Dr. Gustavo Sanchez, Staff Scientist in OIST's Molecular Genetics Unit and lead author of the study. "The question of their ancestry has been under investigation for decades, and many research groups have proposed different evolutionary hypotheses. With our new genomic information, we have been able to resolve some of the mysteries surrounding their origins."

Previous attempts to map decapodiform evolution were hampered by limited datasets and conflicting signals from different morphological and molecular sources. Whole-genome sequencing has now provided a far cleaner and more reliable foundation for understanding how these animals are related to one another.

## Building the First Genome-Based Evolutionary Tree

Over five years, the OIST team collaborated with researchers worldwide—including through the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project, supported by the Wellcome Sanger Institute—to sequence genomes from nearly every major lineage of decapodiformes. The result is the first evolutionary tree for this group built entirely from genomic data.

One particularly pivotal specimen was the elusive ram's horn squid (*Spirula spirula*), a deep-sea dweller whose unusual spiral internal shell had long misled scientists into placing it too close to cuttlefish on the evolutionary tree. Co-author Dr. Fernando Á. Fernández-Álvarez of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography had long suspected that sequencing this species would be transformative. "I believed this genome could help close a key gap and bring clarity to the broader evolutionary questions of cephalopods," he explained—and the data proved him right.

Collecting the necessary samples was itself a major undertaking. Many squid species inhabit remote tropical reef systems or the poorly explored deep sea, making fresh DNA samples difficult to obtain. The team was fortunate to find several key species near their base in Okinawa's Ryukyu Archipelago, while international collaborators supplied access to rarer specimens.

## A Deep-Sea Origin Over 100 Million Years Ago

By integrating genomic evidence with the fossil record, the researchers pieced together both the chronology and the ecological backdrop of squid and cuttlefish evolution. Their findings point to a deep-ocean origin, with the major decapodiform lineages diverging from one another approximately 100 million years ago during the mid-Cretaceous period.

This deep-sea birthplace left lasting marks on the group's biology. Most decapodiform species share some form of internal shell—ranging from the rounded cuttlebone of cuttlefish to the thin, blade-like gladius of many squid—a feature the researchers believe reflects their ancient deep-water heritage. Some shallow-water species have since lost the shell altogether, but its persistence across so many lineages speaks to its deep evolutionary roots.

## Surviving the End-Cretaceous Catastrophe

Approximately 66 million years ago, the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event wiped out roughly three-quarters of all species on Earth, including the non-avian dinosaurs. The ocean surface became a hostile environment—battered by acidification, temperature swings, and oxygen depletion. Yet the ancestors of modern squid and cuttlefish endured.

The researchers believe these early cephalopods found sanctuary in oxygen-rich pockets of the deep ocean, far from the chaos unfolding at the surface. "The sea surface would have been a very harsh environment for cephalopods," Sanchez noted. "Intense ocean acidification in shallower waters would also likely have degraded their shells, so the fact that some form of this feature has been retained throughout their evolutionary history is evidence of their deeper oceanic origins."

## The 'Long Fuse' Explosion That Shaped Modern Oceans

What followed the extinction event is perhaps the most striking chapter in the squid and cuttlefish story. For tens of millions of years after the initial lineage splits in the Cretaceous, evolutionary change was slow and measured. Then, as Earth gradually recovered and coral reef ecosystems began to re-establish themselves in shallow waters, something remarkable happened: diversification accelerated dramatically.

New habitats opened up, and squid and cuttlefish lineages poured into them, rapidly evolving to exploit the changing seascape. Scientists describe this pattern as a "long fuse" model—a prolonged period of evolutionary stability followed by a sudden, explosive burst of diversification.

"Following the initial lineage splits in the Cretaceous, we don't see much branching for many tens of millions of years," said Sanchez. "However, in the K-Pg recovery period, we suddenly see rapid diversification, as species adapt and evolve to new and changing ecosystems. This is an example of a 'long fuse' model—a period of limited change followed by an explosion of diversity."

## What This Means for Future Cephalopod Research

Beyond resolving evolutionary timelines, the newly assembled genomes open exciting doors for investigating the molecular basis of the traits that make squid and cuttlefish so extraordinary.

"Squids and cuttlefish have so many unique features compared to other animal groups, making them an endless source of inspiration for scientists," said Professor Daniel Rokhsar, head of the OIST Molecular Genetics Unit. "With these genomes and a clear picture of their evolutionary relationships, we can make meaningful comparisons to uncover the molecular changes associated with major cephalopod innovations—from the emergence of novel organs and dynamic camouflage to the neural complexity that supports their remarkable behavior."

From their quiet origins in the ancient deep sea to their current reign across the world's oceans, squid and cuttlefish have proven themselves to be among evolution's most resilient and inventive success stories. This new research ensures that scientists are only just beginning to understand how they got there.

New genomic research reveals squid and cuttlefish survived mass extinction in deep-sea refuges before exploding into thousands of species across the oceans.

How Squid Survived Earth's Biggest Mass Extinction

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How Squid Outlasted Earth's Greatest Mass Extinction to Dominate the Oceans

## A Moon Mission With Much More Than Science at Stake

When four astronauts board their spacecraft this Wednesday for the first deep-space journey since 1972, the mission will carry far more weight than any rocket can measure. NASA's Artemis II represents a bold leap back into lunar territory — but behind the technical achievement lies a web of geopolitical strategy, economic ambition, and political opportunity that experts say could define Donald Trump's second term.

## Timing Is Everything

The United States is navigating one of its most turbulent periods in recent memory. Ongoing military strikes in Iran, fierce immigration debates, and a rattled economy have left the country sharply divided. Against this backdrop, a successful crewed mission to the Moon offers the Trump administration something increasingly rare: a moment of genuine national pride.

The potential upside is enormous. A triumphant space mission could unite Americans across political lines, project strength on the world stage, and deliver a symbolic win at a time when the White House badly needs one.

## Trump's Evolving Space Ambitions

America's renewed interest in the Moon didn't begin with Trump, but he has been a driving force behind its current shape. During his first term, Trump launched Space Force — a new military branch under the Pentagon — and set his sights on Mars, pledging to send American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the red planet.

His second-term priorities, however, have shifted closer to home — or rather, closer to the Moon. In December of last year, Trump signed an executive order directing NASA to return Americans to the lunar surface by 2028 and establish a permanent outpost there by 2030. The directive framed US dominance in space as a direct reflection of national strength, vision, and security.

## The China Factor: A 21st Century Space Race

What the executive order notably left unmentioned was the nation fueling much of Washington's urgency: China. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has been far more direct on the subject.

"We find ourselves with a real geopolitical rival, challenging American leadership in the high ground of space," Isaacman stated at a NASA event in March. "This time, the goal is not flags and footprints. This time, the goal is to stay. America will never again give up the Moon."

China has accelerated its own lunar program and is working toward placing a crew on the Moon's surface within the next few years. The echoes of the Cold War-era space race with the Soviet Union are hard to ignore.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy made his intentions crystal clear in a declassified White House recording with NASA Administrator James Webb. "This is important for political reasons," Kennedy said bluntly. "This is, whether we like it or not, a race." Six decades later, the race is on again — just with a different rival.

## The Lunar Gold Rush: What's Really on the Moon

Beyond geopolitics, the Moon may hold staggering economic value — and that's where the competition gets even more intense.

Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe told the BBC that whichever nation plants roots on the Moon first will hold a decisive advantage in accessing its resources. Chief among them is helium-3, a rare element with potential applications in compact, long-lasting nuclear fusion reactors. Currently trading at more than $20,000 per kilogram, helium-3 is among the most valuable substances on Earth — and the Moon is believed to hold it in significant quantities.

The lunar surface also contains water ice, which can be converted into rocket propellant, along with rare earth minerals including lithium and platinum — materials that are critical to modern electronics and clean energy technologies. On Earth, the mining of these resources is largely dominated by China, making lunar access a matter of both economic and strategic urgency for Washington.

### A Frontier Without a Price Tag

Clayton Swope, a former CIA science and technology officer and Capitol Hill space policy adviser, likened the coming lunar resource rush to the Lewis and Clark expedition of the early 19th century.

"We didn't quite know the value of the western part of the US, or the Pacific Northwest, but we thought it was there," Swope explained. "Part of this mission is trying to figure out what that value is. We can't quite put a price tag on the Moon — but you can't get away from that competition and rivalry with China."

## Space as a Unifying Force

History offers a compelling precedent for the cultural power of a Moon mission. When Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the lunar surface in July 1969, an estimated 125 to 150 million Americans watched live. The country was deeply fractured at the time — mired in the Vietnam War, reeling from the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and polarized by Richard Nixon's presidency. Yet for one extraordinary moment, the nation came together.

Experts believe Artemis II could recreate that phenomenon in 2026.

"Space is one of the few areas that Americans with different political views can enjoy and watch together," said Esther Brimmer, a senior fellow and space policy specialist at the Council on Foreign Relations. "The space program is something that most Americans have grown up with and see as a point of pride. It's by and large unifying, in terms of the social impact."

The White House has leaned into this narrative. Spokeswoman Liz Huston framed the mission within the broader 'America First' agenda: "With President Trump's America-First policies, the United States will lead humanity into space and enter a new era of groundbreaking achievements in space technology and exploration."

## More Than a Mission — A Statement

Officially, Artemis II is described as a stepping stone — a foundation for a permanent lunar base and, eventually, a crewed mission to Mars. But in practice, it is something far more layered: a geopolitical signal to Beijing, a potential gateway to trillions in untapped resources, and a rare opportunity to remind a divided nation of what it's capable of achieving when it looks upward together.

NASA's Artemis II is more than a space mission — it's a geopolitical move against China, a lunar resource race, and a political win for Trump. Here's the full s

Trump's America First Strategy Behind NASA Artemis II Moon M

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How NASA's Artemis II Mission Serves Trump's 'America First' Vision in the New Space Race

## Why Your Blood Pressure Medications May Not Be Working

For millions of Americans struggling with stubborn high blood pressure, the answer may not lie in stronger medications — it could be hiding in their hormones. A landmark U.S. study has found that elevated cortisol levels are surprisingly common among patients whose blood pressure refuses to respond to standard treatment, potentially reshaping how doctors approach one of the country's most persistent cardiovascular challenges.

## What the MOMENTUM Study Revealed

The MOMENTUM study — the largest and first of its kind conducted in the United States — examined 1,086 patients across 50 medical centers nationwide, including the Mount Sinai Health System in New York. Researchers focused on individuals diagnosed with resistant hypertension, a condition in which blood pressure remains dangerously high despite the use of three or more medications simultaneously.

After screening participants using a dexamethasone suppression test — which involves taking a dexamethasone dose overnight and measuring cortisol levels in the blood the following morning — researchers identified a striking pattern. Any patient with cortisol levels exceeding 1.8 ug/dL was classified as having hypercortisolism.

The results were eye-opening: **297 out of 1,086 participants, or 27 percent**, were found to have elevated cortisol levels. This figure far exceeds what medical professionals have historically been taught to expect.

## Understanding Cortisol's Role in Blood Pressure

Cortisol is widely known as the body's primary stress hormone, playing a key role in regulating how we respond to physical and emotional stress. Under normal circumstances, cortisol levels rise and fall in a healthy rhythm. However, when cortisol remains chronically elevated — a condition known as hypercortisolism — it can trigger a cascade of serious health complications.

These complications include:

- **Uncontrolled high blood pressure**
- **Unexplained weight gain**
- **Muscle deterioration**
- **Increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes**

The study also found that patients with reduced kidney function were significantly more likely to have elevated cortisol, suggesting a potential link between impaired renal health and hormonal imbalance in hypertensive patients.

### A Double Hormonal Threat

Cortisol is not the only hormone causing trouble. The study also found that approximately 20 percent of participants had primary hyperaldosteronism — a condition where the body overproduces aldosterone, another hormone closely tied to blood pressure regulation. Even more concerning, around 6 percent of participants had both conditions simultaneously, compounding their cardiovascular risk.

## Why This Changes Everything for Resistant Hypertension

Nearly 10 million people in the United States live with resistant hypertension, and many of them face a significantly higher risk of heart attacks, heart failure, and other serious cardiovascular events. For years, clinicians have focused primarily on adjusting medication regimens when standard treatments fail — but this research suggests that an undiagnosed hormonal disorder may be the true culprit.

"The fact that such a high percentage — more than 25 percent — of patients with resistant hypertension have elevated cortisol levels is very different from what doctors have been historically taught in medical school," said Dr. Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, MBA. "These findings should prompt more screening for excess levels of cortisol in patients with resistant hypertension."

Dr. Bhatt also noted that the logical next step involves conducting randomized clinical trials to determine whether therapies specifically designed to reduce cortisol's impact can safely and effectively lower blood pressure in these patients.

## What Patients and Physicians Should Consider

The good news is that screening for hypercortisolism is relatively straightforward. The dexamethasone suppression test used in this study is a well-established diagnostic tool that can be administered without significant difficulty.

For patients whose blood pressure remains persistently high despite multiple medications, there is now a compelling reason to have a broader hormonal conversation with their physician. Requesting a cortisol screening could be a meaningful step toward finally finding an effective solution.

Physicians, in turn, are being encouraged to expand their diagnostic thinking beyond standard cardiovascular risk factors and consider hormonal imbalances — particularly elevated cortisol — as a possible underlying cause in resistant hypertension cases.

## Looking Ahead

The MOMENTUM study, presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session and funded by Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated, marks a significant turning point in cardiovascular research. If follow-up trials confirm that cortisol-targeting therapies can effectively manage blood pressure, it could open an entirely new treatment pathway for millions of patients who have long struggled without relief.

For now, the most important takeaway is clear: when blood pressure won't budge, it may be time to look beyond the heart — and straight at the hormones.

A major U.S. study finds elevated cortisol in 27% of resistant hypertension patients. Learn why this overlooked hormone may be blocking blood pressure treatment

Hidden Cortisol Problem May Cause Resistant High Blood Press

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The Hidden Hormone Sabotaging Your Blood Pressure Treatment

## The Final Survivors of History's Greatest Space Adventure

Twenty-four human beings have traveled to the Moon. Of that remarkable group of pioneers — the men who rode rockets beyond Earth's orbit during NASA's Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s — only five are still alive today.

The recent passing of Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, the man who famously guided a critically damaged spacecraft safely back to Earth in 1970, has further reduced this already small circle of living legends. His death serves as a poignant reminder that time is running out to hear these stories firsthand.

## A New Space Race Reignites Old Ambitions

More than half a century has passed since a human being last left footprints on the lunar surface, yet the ambition to return has never been stronger. NASA's Artemis program is actively working toward establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon within this decade.

Originally, the Artemis II mission — which would represent the first crewed lunar expedition since Apollo 17 in 1972 — was scheduled for launch in 2025. That timeline has since shifted to 2026. Meanwhile, China has set its sights on landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030, building on the success of its probe landing on the far side of the lunar surface in June 2024.

Private space companies are also entering the arena, though progress has been uneven. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft made international headlines when two astronauts were left stranded aboard the International Space Station due to technical failures. SpaceX's Starship rocket, meanwhile, has become notorious for its dramatic — and expensive — mid-flight explosions, events that the space community has wryly dubbed "rapid unscheduled disassemblies."

These ongoing challenges make the dwindling number of living Apollo veterans feel all the more significant.

## Jim Lovell: The Commander Who Never Walked on the Moon

Alongside Frank Borman and Bill Anders, Jim Lovell helped make history as part of the Apollo 8 crew — the first human mission to orbit the Moon. The spacecraft completed ten lunar orbits, testing the Command and Service Module and its life-support systems ahead of the eventual Apollo 11 landing.

Lovell was later assigned to command Apollo 13, a mission that would have made him the fifth person to walk on the Moon. Instead, a catastrophic onboard explosion turned the mission into a life-or-death survival story that captivated the world. His calm leadership under pressure brought the crew home safely and became the subject of the acclaimed 1995 film *Apollo 13*, in which actor Tom Hanks portrayed him.

After retiring from NASA in 1973, Lovell transitioned into the telecommunications industry. His wife Marilyn, who became a central figure in media coverage during the Apollo 13 crisis, passed away in August 2023.

## The Five Remaining Apollo Astronauts

### Buzz Aldrin: The Second Man on the Moon

On July 21, 1969, former fighter pilot Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin descended from the lunar lander and became the second human being to stand on the Moon's surface — just twenty minutes after his commander, Neil Armstrong, had claimed the historic first step.

His immediate reaction upon looking out at the alien landscape was simple but profound: "Beautiful view."

"Isn't that something?" Armstrong responded.

"Magnificent desolation," Aldrin replied.

By his crewmate Michael Collins' account, Aldrin quietly struggled with being second rather than first — a distinction that reportedly never fully sat well with him. Yet his pride in the achievement was undeniable. When confronted at the age of 72 by a conspiracy theorist insisting the Moon landing was staged, Aldrin responded decisively — with a punch to the jaw.

Following Neil Armstrong's death in 2012, Aldrin offered a heartfelt tribute: "I know I am joined by millions around the world in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew."

In his later years, Aldrin's appetite for exploration never faded. He joined expeditions to both the North and South Poles, visiting Antarctica at the remarkable age of 86. He has remained a passionate advocate for space exploration, particularly championing a crewed mission to Mars.

"I don't think we should just go there and come back — we did that with Apollo," he has said.

Aldrin's cultural legacy has also taken on new dimensions. His name served as the inspiration for the beloved animated character Buzz Lightyear from the *Toy Story* film franchise, introducing him to entirely new generations. In January 2023, at the age of 93, he married for the fourth time.

### Charlie Duke: The Youngest Person to Walk on the Moon

Among the four people still alive today who have set foot on the Moon, Charlie Duke holds a unique distinction — he was only 36 years old when he walked on the lunar surface during the Apollo 16 mission, making him the youngest person ever to do so.

In a later interview, Duke recalled the overwhelming beauty of the experience:

"The sharp contrast between the blackness of space and the horizon of the Moon... I'll never forget it. It was so dramatic."

But Duke's connection to the Moon program runs even deeper than his own moonwalk. During the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, he was stationed in mission control as the Capsule Communicator — known as Capcom — the single voice linking Earth to the astronauts on the spacecraft.

It was Duke who was on the radio when Neil Armstrong delivered one of the most iconic messages in human history: "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

With his unmistakable Southern accent, Duke replied: "Roger, Tranquility. We copy you on the ground — you've got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again."

It was the sound of collective human relief, broadcast across the world.

## A Legacy Written in Lunar Dust

As the Apollo generation ages, each passing year brings a sharper awareness of just how extraordinary their achievements were — and how few remain to tell those stories personally. With new lunar missions on the horizon and a fresh generation of astronauts preparing to follow in their footsteps, the legacy of those original Moon men has never felt more relevant.

Only five of the 24 NASA Apollo astronauts are still alive. Discover the incredible stories of the last surviving Moon men and their historic journeys.

The Last Survivors of NASA's Apollo Moon Missions

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The Last Moon Men: Stories of NASA's Surviving Apollo Astronauts

## The Hidden Power Behind Scientific Philanthropy

Philanthropy quietly drives a substantial portion of scientific research funding across the United States and beyond. Unlike government grants or corporate investments, private charitable giving operates in a space with remarkably little legal scrutiny or public accountability. That gap between generosity and oversight has consequences — and few cases illustrate those consequences more starkly than the story of Jeffrey Epstein.

## A System Built on Trust — and Vulnerability

When wealthy individuals donate to scientific institutions, they gain something far more valuable than a tax deduction. They gain access. They gain credibility. They gain the ability to shape conversations, influence priorities, and associate their names with some of the most respected minds in the world.

Experts who study the intersection of money and academia describe philanthropy as a **significant form of power** — one that operates largely outside the checks and balances applied to other funding sources. There are no congressional hearings, no competitive peer reviews, and often no public disclosures required when a private donor writes a check to a university lab or research institute.

### Why Oversight Is So Limited

Government science funding, such as grants from the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation, must pass through rigorous application processes, ethical reviews, and public reporting requirements. Corporate funding, while sometimes controversial, is subject to shareholder scrutiny and regulatory frameworks.

Private philanthropy, by contrast, exists in a far more loosely regulated space. Donors can give directly to individual researchers, fund special programs, or endow entire departments with comparatively little formal review of their motives, background, or conduct.

## How Epstein Exploited the System

Jeffrey Epstein — the financier who was convicted of sex crimes and faced far more serious federal charges before his death in 2019 — understood this dynamic and used it strategically. By positioning himself as a generous patron of science, he was able to cultivate relationships with prominent researchers and respected academic institutions.

These relationships served a dual purpose. They provided him with intellectual prestige and social legitimacy while simultaneously creating a buffer against scrutiny of his criminal behavior. In effect, Epstein used charitable donations to launder not money, but his own reputation.

### Scientists and Institutions Caught in the Web

Several high-profile scientists and elite universities were linked to Epstein's financial contributions. Some recipients later expressed regret or claimed ignorance of the full extent of his crimes. But the pattern itself reveals a systemic vulnerability: when institutions are hungry for funding and donors face little vetting, bad actors can find their way into trusted circles.

The reputational cover that philanthropy provided Epstein allowed him to continue operating socially and professionally in elite scientific circles even as allegations against him circulated for years.

## The Bigger Question: Who Is Science Accountable To?

Epstein's exploitation of scientific philanthropy raises important questions that extend well beyond one individual's crimes. The core issue is structural. When a significant portion of research funding flows through private channels with minimal transparency, the scientific community becomes vulnerable to influence — and manipulation — by those with questionable intentions.

Reformers and ethicists have called for stronger vetting processes for major donors, greater transparency around private funding arrangements, and clearer institutional policies on returning or refusing donations from individuals under legal scrutiny.

### What Meaningful Reform Could Look Like

- **Mandatory disclosure** of large private donations to academic and research institutions
- **Independent ethics reviews** before major philanthropic partnerships are formalized
- **Clear guidelines** for institutions on how to respond when a donor faces criminal allegations
- **Public registries** of significant science philanthropy, similar to lobbying disclosures

## Conclusion

Philanthropy has long been celebrated as a force for good in scientific progress — and in many cases, it genuinely is. But the Jeffrey Epstein case serves as a sobering reminder that unregulated generosity can be weaponized. Without meaningful oversight, the world of science philanthropy remains an arena where power, reputation, and access can be bought — and where accountability comes far too late.

Jeffrey Epstein used private science philanthropy to gain access and launder his reputation. Here's how the lack of oversight made it possible.

How Jeffrey Epstein Exploited Science Philanthropy

How Jeffrey Epstein Used Scientific Philanthropy to Buy Influence and Shield His Reputation

## Simple Therapies Prove More Effective Than Medications for Knee Osteoarthritis

Groundbreaking research involving nearly 10,000 patients has revealed that straightforward, non-pharmaceutical treatments — including knee braces, hydrotherapy, and regular exercise — can deliver significant relief for those suffering from knee osteoarthritis. Beyond their effectiveness, these approaches carry none of the serious health risks associated with conventional pain medications, potentially transforming how healthcare providers approach arthritis management.

## What the Research Involved

Published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal *PLOS One*, this comprehensive meta-analysis examined data drawn from 139 clinical trials. Researchers systematically compared 12 distinct non-drug treatment options, ranging from laser therapy and electrical stimulation to knee braces, insoles, kinesiology tape, water-based therapies, physical exercise, and ultrasound.

Using a network meta-analysis framework, the team was able to consolidate findings across all studies and generate reliable rankings for each treatment's overall effectiveness.

## Why This Research Matters

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common and debilitating conditions affecting older adults worldwide. Characterized by persistent joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, it significantly impacts quality of life. While anti-inflammatory medications are widely prescribed, they come with considerable risks — including gastrointestinal complications and cardiovascular side effects — making safer alternatives highly desirable.

## Top-Performing Non-Drug Therapies

### Knee Braces

Among all treatments evaluated, knee braces emerged as the top performer. They demonstrated strong results across multiple outcome measures, including pain reduction, improved joint function, and decreased stiffness. Their combination of effectiveness and accessibility makes them a particularly compelling option for patients and clinicians alike.

### Hydrotherapy

Water-based therapy ranked as especially powerful for pain relief. Performing exercises in warm water reduces joint stress while promoting mobility and muscle strengthening — a combination that proves particularly beneficial for arthritis sufferers who may struggle with land-based exercise.

### Exercise

Regular physical exercise delivered consistent and well-rounded benefits, improving both pain levels and overall physical function. Its low cost and broad accessibility position it as one of the most practical first-line interventions available.

## How Advanced Treatments Compare

Some higher-technology options, such as high-intensity laser therapy and shock wave therapy, produced moderate improvements. However, ultrasound therapy consistently ranked at the bottom of the effectiveness scale, suggesting that expensive or technologically advanced interventions do not necessarily translate to better patient outcomes.

## Limitations and Future Directions

The researchers acknowledged certain limitations within the analysis. Variations in study design, smaller sample sizes in some trials, and differences in treatment duration could influence the precision of the rankings. Despite these considerations, the overarching conclusion remains robust: physical therapy-based approaches offer meaningful, clinically relevant benefits without the dangers linked to anti-inflammatory drugs.

Future studies are encouraged to investigate whether combining multiple therapies could produce even greater improvements and to assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions within real-world healthcare settings.

## Expert Takeaway

The study's authors were direct in their conclusions: knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise represent the most effective non-drug therapies currently available for knee osteoarthritis. They reduce pain and enhance mobility without exposing patients to gastrointestinal or cardiovascular risks commonly associated with pharmaceutical options.

As the researchers put it, their findings could reshape clinical guidelines, shifting focus toward safer, lower-cost, and highly accessible interventions — ultimately benefiting millions of arthritis patients around the world.

New research on nearly 10,000 patients shows knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise outperform medications for knee osteoarthritis relief.

Best Non-Drug Treatments for Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

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Non-Drug Treatments Outperform Medications for Knee Arthritis Relief

## NASA Counts Down to Its Most Ambitious Crewed Mission in Decades

For the first time since the 1970s, human beings are preparing to travel to the moon. NASA's Artemis II mission is now just days away from liftoff, marking a defining moment in the history of space exploration and reigniting humanity's connection to lunar travel.

### A Launch That Could Reshape Space History

As early as Wednesday, the Artemis II crew is scheduled to blast off aboard NASA's Space Launch System rocket, beginning a journey that will take them around the moon and safely back to Earth. The mission represents the first time astronauts have ventured anywhere near the lunar surface since the Apollo program concluded more than fifty years ago.

### Why Artemis II Matters

While Artemis II will not land on the moon, its significance cannot be overstated. The mission is designed to test deep-space systems and validate the Orion spacecraft's performance with a live crew aboard — a critical step before NASA attempts an actual lunar landing with the follow-up Artemis III mission.

The four-person crew will travel farther from Earth than any human beings have journeyed since the Apollo era, pushing the boundaries of crewed spaceflight and paving the way for a sustained human presence beyond our planet.

### A New Era of Lunar Exploration

Artemis II is widely regarded as the cornerstone of NASA's broader Artemis program, which aims to return Americans to the lunar surface and eventually establish long-term exploration infrastructure. The mission also holds symbolic weight, representing a generational leap forward for space agencies, commercial partners, and the global scientific community alike.

With launch day approaching rapidly, anticipation continues to build around what promises to be one of the most watched and celebrated space events in modern history.

NASA's Artemis II is days from launch, sending a crew around the moon for the first time since the 1970s. Here's what you need to know about this historic missi

NASA Artemis II Moon Launch Just Days Away in 2026

Artemis II Moon Mission Just Days Away as NASA Prepares for Historic Launch

## When Dinosaurs Stood on Two Legs

Long before the age of modern giants, certain dinosaurs were pulling off a remarkable physical feat — rising up on their hind legs to tower over their surroundings. New research reveals that some smaller sauropods were surprisingly well-equipped for this upright posture, using it to access food, intimidate predators, and potentially attract mates. But there was a catch: the bigger they got, the harder it became.

A study published in the journal *Palaeontology*, led by an international team of researchers from Brazil, Germany, and Argentina, sheds new light on this extraordinary behavior — and explains why body size was ultimately the limiting factor.

## Two Species That Could Rise Above the Rest

Approximately 66 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, two South American sauropods demonstrated a rare ability among their kind. The Brazilian *Uberabatitan ribeiroi* and the Argentine *Neuquensaurus australis* — both roughly comparable in size to modern elephants — were capable of standing upright on their hind legs for extended periods of time.

Though considered small by sauropod standards, these were still formidable creatures. Adult *Uberabatitan* individuals may have stretched up to 26 meters in length, earning the species the title of the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Brazil. Despite their impressive scale, the research suggests that prolonged bipedal standing was primarily a behavior observed in younger, lighter individuals.

Standing tall on two legs offered these plant-eating giants significant survival advantages. By rearing up, they could browse vegetation far beyond the reach of competing herbivores. The posture may also have served as a visual threat display against predators, making the animal appear considerably larger. Researchers also suggest it could have played a role in mating behaviors, from physical mounting to elaborate courtship displays.

## Engineering Science Meets Paleontology

To investigate how these ancient animals handled the physical demands of bipedal posture, researchers turned to a technique borrowed from structural engineering — finite element analysis (FEA). This computational method is commonly used to assess how materials and structures respond to physical forces, such as the stress calculations performed when designing a bridge.

The team digitally reconstructed femur bones from seven different sauropod species, drawing on fossil specimens held in museum collections across the globe. Each species was chosen to represent a diverse range of evolutionary lineages, body sizes, and skeletal characteristics.

### Simulating Stress From Two Angles

The simulations examined stress on the femur from two distinct perspectives. The first — an extrinsic scenario — modeled the downward force of gravity and the dinosaur's own body weight pressing on the femur while the animal stood on two legs. The second — an intrinsic scenario — calculated the force generated by the animal's own muscles acting on the same bone.

"Using this technique, we performed two simulations," explained Julian Silva Júnior, postdoctoral researcher at São Paulo State University (FEIS-UNESP) and the study's lead author. "One dealt with the extrinsic scenario — gravity and the animal's weight on the femur. In the other, we analyzed the intrinsic scenario — the force that the muscles would exert on the femur."

By combining both results, the team was able to estimate the total mechanical stress each species would have experienced when standing upright.

## South American Species Had a Structural Advantage

The findings revealed that *Uberabatitan* and *Neuquensaurus* registered the lowest stress levels in their femur bones across all species studied. Their skeletal architecture — featuring more robust femurs capable of distributing force more effectively — gave them a distinct physical edge when it came to sustaining an upright stance.

Larger sauropods, despite possessing enormous muscles and massive femurs of their own, simply couldn't overcome the mechanical disadvantage of their extraordinary body weight. The stress placed on their leg bones during bipedal posture would have been substantially greater, making prolonged upright standing impractical.

"They had more robust femurs and could dissipate stress better," said Silva Júnior. "The bigger ones had very large muscles and even giant femurs, but not enough to support their weight. That doesn't mean they couldn't stand up, but they probably chose the best time to do so — because it must have been an uncomfortable position."

Importantly, adult *Uberabatitan* individuals — unlike the juvenile specimen analyzed in the study — would likely have faced the same biomechanical challenges as other large sauropods, suggesting this ability diminished significantly with age and growth.

## Acknowledging the Limits of the Model

The researchers were transparent about the boundaries of their analysis. The simulations did not account for cartilage, which would have cushioned joint stress in living animals, nor did they factor in the stabilizing role of the tail — which may have functioned as a third support point in a tripod-like stance during bipedal posture.

Because no direct cartilage evidence was preserved in any of the fossil specimens, the team applied consistent assumptions across all species. "The tool we use is very efficient for comparisons, even if the answer isn't exact for each one," Silva Júnior noted. "By comparing representatives from different lineages, we can get a fairly accurate picture of how these animals behaved millions of years ago."

## A Behavior That Faded With Growth

What emerges from this research is a nuanced portrait of dinosaur behavior shaped by the realities of biology and physics. For young, lighter sauropods, rearing up on two legs was a genuinely useful and relatively comfortable strategy. As these animals matured and their mass increased, the same posture became a calculated, energy-costly decision rather than a routine behavior.

What was once an agile and effective tactic in youth gradually transformed into an occasional, strategic act in adulthood — a vivid reminder that even in the age of giants, size always came with trade-offs.

New research reveals how smaller sauropods like Uberabatitan could stand upright on two legs, and why increasing body size eventually made this posture unsustai

How Sauropod Dinosaurs Stood on Two Legs — and Why Size Stop

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How Young Dinosaurs Could Stand Tall — And Why Size Eventually Stopped Them

## Scientists Just Rewrote the History of Man's Best Friend

For decades, researchers accepted a well-established scientific consensus: domestic dogs have walked alongside humans for approximately 10,000 years. That figure, supported by archaeological evidence and fossil records, became the gold standard in the study of animal domestication. Now, a landmark genetic study is challenging everything we thought we knew.

## What the New Research Reveals

A newly published genetic analysis has uncovered compelling evidence that dogs were domesticated nearly 5,000 years earlier than previously documented. This means our canine companions may have been living alongside humans for as many as 15,000 years — a revelation that fundamentally reshapes our understanding of the human-dog relationship.

The study, which drew on advanced genomic sequencing techniques, was able to trace genetic lineages far deeper into prehistoric time than traditional fossil-based methods allowed. By analyzing ancient DNA, researchers identified markers that point to a much earlier divergence between wolves and domestic dogs.

## Why This Discovery Matters

### Redefining Domestication Science

This finding carries enormous implications not just for the study of dogs, but for the broader field of animal domestication. Understanding when and how early humans first formed bonds with wolves — the ancestors of modern dogs — offers a rare window into prehistoric human behavior, social structure, and survival strategies.

### The Limits of Physical Evidence

For years, scientists were constrained by the physical fossil record, which could only confirm what bones and artifacts could reveal. Genetic research has increasingly proven capable of filling those gaps, reaching further back in time with greater precision than any excavation site could provide.

## A New Chapter in Human-Animal History

The relationship between humans and dogs is often described as the oldest and most enduring partnership in the animal kingdom. This latest research suggests that bond is even more ancient — and perhaps even more deeply woven into the fabric of human evolution — than science has ever been able to prove before.

As genetic tools continue to advance, researchers expect further revelations about the origins of domesticated animals, potentially rewriting other chapters of natural history in the process.

A groundbreaking genetic study reveals dogs were domesticated nearly 5,000 years earlier than scientists previously proved, pushing the timeline back 15,000 yea

New Study Proves Dogs Existed 5,000 Years Earlier Than Thoug

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Groundbreaking Genetic Study Pushes Dog Domestication Back Nearly 5,000 Years

## NASA's Artemis II Spacesuit Lab Opens Its Doors

With the Artemis II mission on the horizon, NASA astronauts are making final preparations for humanity's most ambitious return to the Moon in more than five decades. At the heart of these preparations is a specialized facility at Johnson Space Center — the Orion Crew Survival Systems Lab — where cutting-edge spacesuits are being engineered to keep the crew safe throughout their historic journey.

### The Engineer Behind the Suits

Leading the spacesuit development effort is NASA engineer Dustin Gohmert, who has spent years overseeing the design and testing of the Artemis II crew suits. His team's work is focused on ensuring astronaut safety across a range of demanding scenarios, from the intense forces experienced during launch and re-entry to unexpected emergency situations that could arise during the mission.

### What Makes These Suits Special

While the new suits share some design DNA with earlier generations, Gohmert notes that the physical demands placed on astronauts during this mission will push the boundaries of what has previously been attempted. The pressure conditions the crew will endure, combined with the extended duration they may need to remain suited up, represent what he describes as "unprecedented" challenges compared to past missions.

The iconic orange Orion suits are built not just for the immediate demands of Artemis II but with a longer-term vision in mind. NASA has designed them to serve as a foundation for future deep-space travel, including eventual crewed missions to Mars.

### Looking Beyond the Moon

The Artemis program marks a pivotal turning point in space exploration, bridging the gap between lunar missions and the dream of interplanetary travel. As engineers continue to refine every detail of the crew survival systems, these suits stand as a symbol of how far human spaceflight technology has come — and how far it is prepared to go.

Discover how NASA engineers are preparing next-gen spacesuits for the Artemis II lunar flyby mission, designed for both Moon and future Mars travel.