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From reducing pain to relieving stress, the evidence for music's power is strong. Stefan Koelsch says we should use it – now

If ancient humans with brains a third the size of our own buried their dead, as some archaeologists are claiming, then our species may be less special than we thought

If ancient humans with brains a third the size of our own buried their dead, as some archaeologists are claiming, then our species may be less special than we thought

A long-standing mystery about the presence of hydrogen peroxide on Jupiter's icy ocean moon Europa may be closer to being solved.

The head of the Trump administration's Golden Dome program says the technologies needed to create such an ambitious space-based missile defense system already exist.

Astronomers have found a baby system that’s just beginning to build planets — and it can tell us about how and where planet formation starts.

The post Webb Space Telescope Spies Baby Planetary System appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Researchers hoped CMB-S4, a $900-million cosmology experiment, would answer one of the greatest questions in physics. Instead it’s become another cautionary tale of pursuing big science amid shrinking budgets

Scientists have examined the interstellar invader 3I/ATLAS, finding evidence that it is packed with water that could be older than the solar system.

High humidity and low overnight temperatures will put tens of millions of people under heat alerts over the course of the coming week

Damian Hischier of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California, takes part in testing of a virtual reality-infused pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on May 30, 2025. NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete

Commercial companies and government agencies are increasingly pursuing a more immersive and affordable alternative to conventional displays currently used in flight simulators. A NASA research project is working on ways to make this technology available for use faster. 

Mixed reality systems where users interact with physical simulators while wearing virtual reality headsets offer a promising path forward for pilot training. But currently, only limited standards exist for allowing their use, as regulators have little to no data on how these systems perform. To address this, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley invited a dozen pilots to participate in a study to test how a mixed-reality flight simulation would perform in the world’s largest flight simulator. 

“For the first time, we’re collecting real data on how this type of mixed reality simulation performs in the highest-fidelity vertical motion simulator,” said Peter Zaal, a principal systems architect at Ames.  “The more we understand about how these systems affect pilot performance, the closer we are to providing a safer, cost-effective training tool to the aviation community that could benefit everyone from commercial airlines to future air taxi operators.” 

A National Test Pilot student observes the mixed-reality pilot simulation in the VMS at Ames on May 30, 2025.NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete

Mixed reality blends physical and digital worlds, allowing users to see physical items while viewing a desired simulated environment. Flight simulators employing this technology through headset or a similar setup could offer pilots training for operating next-generation aircraft at a reduced cost and within a smaller footprint compared to more traditional flight simulators. This is because pilots could rely more heavily on the visuals provided through the headset instead of large embedded visual displays in a physical motion simulator. 

During the testing – which ran May 23-30 – pilots donned a headset through which they could see the physical displays and control sticks inside the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) cab along with a virtual cockpit overlay of an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle through the head-mounted display. When the pilots looked toward their windscreens, they saw a virtual view of San Francisco and the surrounding area. 

Pilots performed three typical flight maneuvers under four sets of motion conditions. Afterward, they were asked to provide feedback on their level of motion sickness while using the head-mounted display and how well the simulator replicated the same movements the aircraft would make during a real flight. 

An initial analysis of the study shows pilots reported lower ratings of motion sickness than NASA researchers expected. Many shared that the mixed-reality setup inside the VMS felt more realistic and fluid than previous simulator setups they had tested.  

As part of the test, Ames hosted members of the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, which studies factors that influence human performance in aerospace. Pilots from the National Test Pilot School attended a portion of the testing and, independent from the study, evaluated the head-mounted display’s “usable cue environment,” or representation of the visual cues pilots rely on to control an aircraft.  

Peter Zaal (right), observes as Samuel Ortho (middle) speaks with a National Test Pilot student during the mixed reality pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames on May 30, 2025.

NASA will make the test results available to the public and the aviation community early next year. This first-of-its-kind testing – funded by an Ames Innovation Fair Grant and managed by the center’s Aviation Systems Division – paves the way for potential use of this technology in the VMS for future aviation and space missions. 

Damian Hischier of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, California, takes part in testing of a virtual reality-infused pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley on May 30, 2025. NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete

Commercial companies and government agencies are increasingly pursuing a more immersive and affordable alternative to conventional displays currently used in flight simulators. A NASA research project is working on ways to make this technology available for use faster. 

Mixed reality systems where users interact with physical simulators while wearing virtual reality headsets offer a promising path forward for pilot training. But currently, only limited standards exist for allowing their use, as regulators have little to no data on how these systems perform. To address this, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley invited a dozen pilots to participate in a study to test how a mixed-reality flight simulation would perform in the world’s largest flight simulator. 

“For the first time, we’re collecting real data on how this type of mixed reality simulation performs in the highest-fidelity vertical motion simulator,” said Peter Zaal, a principal systems architect at Ames.  “The more we understand about how these systems affect pilot performance, the closer we are to providing a safer, cost-effective training tool to the aviation community that could benefit everyone from commercial airlines to future air taxi operators.” 

A National Test Pilot student observes the mixed-reality pilot simulation in the VMS at Ames on May 30, 2025.NASA/Brandon Torres-Navarrete

Mixed reality blends physical and digital worlds, allowing users to see physical items while viewing a desired simulated environment. Flight simulators employing this technology through headset or a similar setup could offer pilots training for operating next-generation aircraft at a reduced cost and within a smaller footprint compared to more traditional flight simulators. This is because pilots could rely more heavily on the visuals provided through the headset instead of large embedded visual displays in a physical motion simulator. 

During the testing – which ran May 23-30 – pilots donned a headset through which they could see the physical displays and control sticks inside the Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS) cab along with a virtual cockpit overlay of an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle through the head-mounted display. When the pilots looked toward their windscreens, they saw a virtual view of San Francisco and the surrounding area. 

Pilots performed three typical flight maneuvers under four sets of motion conditions. Afterward, they were asked to provide feedback on their level of motion sickness while using the head-mounted display and how well the simulator replicated the same movements the aircraft would make during a real flight. 

An initial analysis of the study shows pilots reported lower ratings of motion sickness than NASA researchers expected. Many shared that the mixed-reality setup inside the VMS felt more realistic and fluid than previous simulator setups they had tested.  

As part of the test, Ames hosted members of the Federal Aviation Administration Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, which studies factors that influence human performance in aerospace. Pilots from the National Test Pilot School attended a portion of the testing and, independent from the study, evaluated the head-mounted display’s “usable cue environment,” or representation of the visual cues pilots rely on to control an aircraft.  

Peter Zaal (right), observes as Samuel Ortho (middle) speaks with a National Test Pilot student during the mixed reality pilot simulation in the Vertical Motion Simulator at Ames on May 30, 2025.

NASA will make the test results available to the public and the aviation community early next year. This first-of-its-kind testing – funded by an Ames Innovation Fair Grant and managed by the center’s Aviation Systems Division – paves the way for potential use of this technology in the VMS for future aviation and space missions. 

A Space.com obituary for the ‘Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne.

Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Jonny Kim from NASA and Axiom Mission 4 Commander Peggy Whitson work together inside the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory module setting up research hardware to culture patient-derived cancer cells, model their growth in microgravity, and test a state-of-the-art fluorescence microscope.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi

In this photo from June 28, 2025, Expedition 73 flight engineer Jonny Kim and former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space Peggy Whitson work together inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module setting up hardware for cancer research.

The hardware is used to culture patient-derived cancer cells, model their growth in microgravity, and test a state-of-the-art fluorescence microscope. Results of this study may lead to earlier cancer detection methods, development of advanced cancer treatments, and promote future stem cell research in space.

Whitson returned to Earth on July 15, 2025, with fellow Axiom Mission 4 crew members ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary. They completed about two and a half weeks in space.

Image credit: JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi

In this photo from June 28, 2025, Expedition 73 flight engineer Jonny Kim and former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space Peggy Whitson work together inside the International Space Station’s Destiny laboratory module setting up hardware for cancer research.

The hardware is used to culture patient-derived cancer cells, model their growth in microgravity, and test a state-of-the-art fluorescence microscope. Results of this study may lead to earlier cancer detection methods, development of advanced cancer treatments, and promote future stem cell research in space.

Whitson returned to Earth on July 15, 2025, with fellow Axiom Mission 4 crew members ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary. They completed about two and a half weeks in space.

Image credit: JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi

Keeping a baby's skin moisturised could significantly reduce their risk of eczema - but perhaps only for babies who aren't genetically at risk

Keeping a baby's skin moisturised could significantly reduce their risk of eczema - but perhaps only for babies who aren't genetically at risk

Google DeepMind and historians created an AI tool called Aeneas that can predict the missing words in Latin inscriptions carved into stone walls and pottery sherds from the ancient Roman Empire.

Google DeepMind and historians created an AI tool called Aeneas that can predict the missing words in Latin inscriptions carved into stone walls and pottery sherds from the ancient Roman Empire.

Claims that a small-brained hominin called Homo naledi buried its dead raise intriguing questions about ancient minds and why we engage in this peculiar practice