A Surprise Find Sparks Conservation Cheers Thanks to This Rare Animal

While kangaroos and koalas often steal the spotlight in Australia, a lesser-known marsupial is making headlines. Quokkas, small and charming creatures, have been discovered in the Perth Hills area, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association Inc., a local charity, announced this exciting find through their BoorYul-Bah-Bilya program. This initiative focuses on creating community catchment plans to enhance river health. "Looking at these photographs, this is an important find for me," said Greg Ugle, Senior Elder of the association. Historically found throughout southwest Western Australia, quokka populations began declining around the 1930s due to threats from foxes and feral cats and habitat loss from agriculture and mining. Consequently, they are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. This discovery underscores the significance of conservation efforts in restoring ecosystems that support displaced wildlife. Protecting habitats not only preserves biodiversity but also ensures healthy ecosystems that provide essential services like clean air and water. Globally, similar conservation projects are underway. In Brazil, wildlife corridors have helped increase golden lion tamarin numbers. In California, black bear populations have rebounded, thanks to dedicated restoration efforts.

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Scientists Discover Way To Boost Bone Health Without Physical Movement

Scientists in Hong Kong say they’ve cracked a key part of the mystery behind how bones get stronger during exercise — and their discovery could pave the way for new treatments for osteoporosis and age-related bone loss. A research team at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Medicine has identified a specific protein, Piezo1, that acts as an “exercise sensor” in the body. When this protein is triggered by physical movement, it helps bones stay strong by encouraging stem cells to form new bone tissue instead of turning into fat. The findings were published in the journal Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. Crucially, this discovery could lead to the development of medication that mimics the effect of exercise — offering hope to people who are bedridden, frail, or living with chronic illness. “Osteoporosis and age-related bone loss affect millions worldwide, often leaving elderly and bedridden patients vulnerable to fractures and loss of independence,” said Professor Xu Aimin, who led the study. “This study is a critical step toward finding a way to replicate the benefits of exercise at the molecular level.” Why Bones Get Weaker With Age Osteoporosis affects one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50, according to the World Health Organization. In Hong Kong, the condition hits especially hard: nearly half of women and more than one in ten men aged 65 or older suffer from it. As people age, their bones naturally become less dense and more porous. Part of the problem lies within the bone marrow, where special stem cells (called mesenchymal stem cells) live. These cells can turn into either bone tissue or fat. Normally, physical movement nudges them toward making more bone. But over time, and especially without regular movement, the cells start to shift toward fat production instead. That fat buildup inside the bone weakens it even further, creating a downward spiral of bone loss. Piezo1: The Body’s Movement Sensor In experiments with both mice and human cells, the researchers found that Piezo1 plays a central role in how bones sense and respond to physical forces. Located on the surface of bone marrow stem cells, Piezo1 detects movement and pressure. When activated, it encourages new bone growth and limits fat formation. But when Piezo1 is missing or inactive, the opposite happens. More stem cells become fat cells, and bones weaken more rapidly. In addition, the absence of Piezo1 triggers inflammatory signals that further disrupt bone health. The team also found that blocking these inflammatory signals could help restore better conditions for bone growth — another potential target for future drugs. A New Kind of Medicine: Exercise Mimetics “We have essentially decoded how the body converts movement into stronger bones,” said Professor Xu. “By activating the Piezo1 pathway, we can mimic the benefits of exercise, effectively tricking the body into thinking it is exercising, even in the absence of movement.” The implications are significant for older adults, patients recovering from injury or surgery, and those with conditions that limit mobility. “This discovery is especially meaningful for individuals who cannot exercise due to frailty, injury or chronic illness,” said Dr Wang Baile, co-leader of the study. “Our findings open the door to developing ‘exercise mimetics’ — drugs that chemically activate the Piezo1 pathway to help maintain bone mass and support independence.” Professor Eric Honoré, a co-leader of the research and scientist at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), called it a promising step beyond traditional physical therapy. “In the future, we could potentially provide the biological benefits of exercise through targeted treatments, thereby slowing bone loss in vulnerable groups.” What’s Next? The team is now focused on developing these potential treatments. Their goal is to create therapies that can preserve bone strength and improve quality of life for aging populations, especially those unable to engage in physical activity. The international study brought together researchers from HKUMed and several French institutions, and received funding from a wide range of public science foundations across Hong Kong, China, France, and Macau. If successful, the research could fundamentally change how osteoporosis and bone loss are treated — not just by preventing fractures, but by restoring strength to bones, even without a single step taken.

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What Happens to a 1,000-Pound Butter Sculpture? In Pennsylvania, It Powers Homes

After drawing thousands of curious onlookers at the Pennsylvania Farm Show earlier this month, a towering butter sculpture featuring Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and the Liberty Bell is now fueling homes with renewable energy. The 1,000-pound sculpture, titled A Toast to Our Nation’s 250th Anniversary: Inspired by Founders. Grown by Farmers, was dismantled by local 4-H students and sent to Reinford Farms, a dairy farm in Mifflintown that turns food waste into methane power. “Inside this tank, there’s a process that converts the butter, as well as manure and other food waste, into methane,” farm owner Brett Reinford told WPMT. “We have specialized motors that run on methane and a generator that produces power.” It takes just a few hours in the anaerobic digester for the butter to be transformed into methane, which then helps generate electricity for nearby homes. Before meeting its eco-friendly end, the sculpture had been kept in a refrigerated display room set to around 55 degrees Fahrenheit while artists were working, then dropped lower to preserve it during the week-long show in Harrisburg. It took students only four hours to take it apart, but the process of bringing it to life was months in the making. Philadelphia-based sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton were behind this year’s buttery tribute to the nation’s founding. Their work showed the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, complete with founding fathers, the Liberty Bell, and Ross sewing the stars and stripes. It was designed to reflect “how agriculture has been the roots of our nation’s growth and prosperity for 250 years,” said Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding in a statement. “It’s an honor to be part of the tradition every year,” Victor told the Patriot-News at the unveiling. “Especially for this commemorative year.” The butter used in these sculptures isn’t fit for sale or consumption. It’s donated scrap butter that would otherwise go to waste. Once in the artists' hands, it's supported by custom welded metal frames, sketched into detailed designs, and molded into intricate forms. The sculpture was the 35th in the Farm Show’s long-running tradition of transforming dairy products into art. Since 1991, it’s become a highlight of the annual event—drawing visitors from across the state for a glimpse at the creamy creations. Past sculptures have depicted everyone from WWII soldiers to lunch ladies. This year’s display may be gone, but it isn’t wasted. Thanks to a growing effort to recycle food art into renewable energy, Pennsylvania’s butter sculptures are getting a second life—this time as electricity.

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‘Shared Among All’: French Man Donates Family Field to Become Orchard and Garden for Entire Town

When Michel Éprinchard inherited a quiet patch of overgrown land in western France, he didn’t see much use for it. The field, full of weeds and distant childhood memories, sat untouched for years—until he had an idea that would bring new life not just to the soil, but to his hometown. He decided to donate the entire parcel to the small town of Clussais-la-Pommeraie, population 560, on one condition: that it be turned into a fruit orchard and community garden open to everyone. “The first condition is to create a garden with specific varieties of fruit trees, and the second condition, undoubtedly the most important, is that the entire community can benefit from it, shared among all,” Éprinchard told Franceinfo. He estimated the project would cost around €11,000 (about $12,000), and warned local officials that accepting the gift would also mean taking on that responsibility. Mayor Étienne Fouché didn’t hesitate. The town accepted, and work began last year. The orchard includes apple, pear, and plum trees, with the first 50 saplings already in the ground. Another 50 will be planted this year, alongside hedges, flower beds, and flowering trees. Community members showed up in force to help with the planting. “Now we will let them grow, we will monitor the diseases, we will take care of the soil, and then people will come to pick their own apples or make jam,” Fouché said. It will be four years before the first real harvest. But that doesn’t seem to matter to anyone. The project has already done what it set out to do: bring people together and return an unused patch of land to a shared, meaningful purpose. This kind of grassroots generosity isn’t new in France, but it’s rare. It echoes the story of Roger Thiberville, who passed away and left €10 million to a town he’d never even visited—Thiberville, in Normandy. The man had no family heirs and, in a poetic gesture, chose to donate his inheritance to a town that happened to share his name. His ashes now rest there, under a plaque in the town cemetery. Elsewhere, similar visions of land reuse are taking shape. One college principal in India turned eight barren acres on campus into a mini forest and orchard, transforming the space into a thriving green zone for students and wildlife. Back in Clussais-la-Pommeraie, the sentiment is simpler but no less powerful. A man gave his land, a town came together, and now they wait—not in a hurry—for the trees to grow.

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Capybara Trio Captures Hearts at Kent Wildlife Park with New Names

Three baby capybaras at a Kent wildlife park are winning over visitors—and the internet—after being officially named Colin, Clive and Cuthbert. The trio, born in October at Wingham Wildlife Park near Canterbury, were dubbed the “furry band of brothers” by keepers in a video posted to Instagram. In the clip, staff joked, “Forget heist movies, these cute 'baby potatoes' are stealing our hearts.” Their names were chosen through a public contest, where fans submitted suggestions and then voted on a shortlist. According to Meg Lawler, the park’s head of mammals, the final picks were a nod to the names of the beloved chocolate caterpillar cakes popular across the UK. Capybaras—the largest rodents in the world—have enjoyed viral fame since 2023, when a TikTok trend featuring a quirky capybara-themed song racked up hundreds of millions of views. That sudden surge in popularity translated into real-world demand, with zoos and wildlife parks reporting increased foot traffic and more visitors asking specifically about the laid-back animals. “Even before the babies were born, everybody wanted to see them,” Lawler said. “Now we’ve got the babies, they’re getting lots and lots of attention.” The park, known for its active social media presence, involved fans in every step of the naming process. “We got people to put some names in. We picked our favourites. We did a poll and that was the one that came top,” Lawler explained. While Colin, Clive and Cuthbert are still adjusting to life under the spotlight, their keepers say they’re handling it just fine. Capybaras are famously easygoing and social—qualities that have helped them earn a reputation as the ultimate “vibe” animals. Last year, capybara keepers in Oxfordshire described them as “chilled” creatures that “vibe through life,” typically starting their days in the afternoon and seeming entirely unbothered by much else. With their rising popularity and the warm reception to the new arrivals, the Kent wildlife park is hopeful there will be more baby capybaras in the future. For now, though, Colin, Clive and Cuthbert are the stars of the show—and they seem perfectly content with the attention.

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NASA Tech May Soon Help Spot Ocean Plastic From Space — Thanks to a New ‘Fingerprint’ Database

Tracking the world’s marine litter is a logistical nightmare. Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic flow into the ocean, much of it from land. Once it enters the water, debris can travel thousands of kilometers, carried by currents and wind, breaking down into smaller pieces that are nearly impossible to trace. But a new tool from space might soon change that. In late 2025, scientists using NASA’s EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) sensor aboard the International Space Station announced they had detected plastic pollution concentrations on land for the first time using space-based spectroscopy. Now, researchers are exploring whether that same tech could one day help track plastic in the ocean, too. It’s a challenge, but not an impossible one. And a new reference library, led by NASA intern Ashley Ohall, is laying the groundwork. The open-source database contains nearly 25,000 unique molecular “fingerprints” from marine debris — including items like tires, rope, bubble wrap, bottle caps, and buoys — covering everything from metals to 19 different types of plastic polymer. These spectral patterns, captured using handheld instruments in labs over many years, provide the essential training data for algorithms that could one day scan for the same materials from space. “My biggest hope is that people see remote sensing as an important and useful tool for marine debris monitoring,” said Ohall, a Florida native and recent graduate of the University of Georgia. “Just because it hasn’t been done yet doesn’t mean it can’t be done.” The problem, however, is that seawater absorbs infrared light — the same wavelengths that are key to spotting plastic using EMIT’s imaging technology. That makes detection at sea harder than it is on land. Still, the early success of EMIT in spotting plastic from orbit — like in landfills or in massive greenhouse structures — is encouraging. David Thompson of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a coauthor of the original 2025 EMIT study, said the sensor wasn’t designed for this mission, but it’s already proving remarkably adaptable. Originally launched in 2022 to study mineral dust and its role in climate, EMIT uses imaging spectroscopy to detect hundreds of compounds by the way they reflect sunlight. Similar tech has found water on the Moon and is being sent back to help astronauts choose where to sample lunar soil. The same precision could one day be applied to Earth’s oceans — but only if researchers know what to look for. That’s where the fingerprint library comes in. By standardizing years of fragmented lab data into one searchable database, scientists can begin training remote sensing models to differentiate one piece of trash from another. A waterlogged bottle looks different than a buoy, and both differ from sun-bleached packaging caught in a hurricane. Algorithms will need to recognize all of them. The effort also complements another area of research: using artificial intelligence to sift through satellite images and identify patterns that might indicate floating debris. “Detecting marine debris is the kind of incredible challenge that NASA can help solve,” said Kelsey Bisson, a program manager at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Humans have a visceral connection to the ocean and its health.” While dragging nets through the ocean or surveying beaches has been the norm for monitoring marine litter, those methods can’t cover the scale of the problem. Ocean plastic is spread out, constantly moving, and mostly invisible to the naked eye once it breaks apart. If EMIT and its future successors can be trained to spot the spectral signs of pollution, it could open a new era of global monitoring — helping identify pollution hotspots before the debris hits the water, or tracking it once it’s adrift. The technology isn’t quite there yet, but scientists are steadily closing the gap. “We’re still learning what current sensors can detect and what we’ll need in the next generation,” Ohall said. “But this is a huge step in that direction.”

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Heroic Manager Rescues Homeless Woman From Winter Storm, Earns Heartfelt Gratitude

When a brutal winter storm swept through Texas, Faris Hussain didn’t hesitate. On the morning of January 22, a customer ran into the Evans Food Mart in northern Texas, calling for help after spotting a woman lying outside in the cold. Hussain, the store manager, recognized her name immediately. “When I heard her name, it was one of my good customers,” he told CBS affiliate KTVT. “So I instantly was like, ‘Hey man, no no no, there’s no way. We gotta go help her right now.’” The woman, known in the area as Bobbi, had spent the night outside as temperatures plummeted. Surveillance footage captured Hussain rushing out and lifting her off the ground, cradling her frozen body in his arms before carrying her into the store. “The second my hands touched her, it was like frozen solid,” he told ABC affiliate WFAA. “Her body was so stiff.” As he worked to warm her up, Bobbi turned to him and said, “I love you, thank you so much,” Hussain recalled. First responders arrived shortly afterward and transported her to a nearby hospital. The Fort Worth Fire Department confirmed they were dispatched to the store after 9 a.m., though no update was available on Bobbi’s condition. Hussain said he doesn't consider what he did to be extraordinary. “I don't really consider myself a hero or nothing,” he told KTVT. “But we just, we do this on a daily for our community. Doing it once in a while, it’s not going to cut it.” The storm that hit Texas was part of Winter Storm Fern, which moved across much of the United States over the weekend. At least 17 people were killed in the storm’s path, according to the BBC. For Hussain, it wasn’t about headlines or heroics. It was about helping someone he knew—someone who needed it. “We do it on a daily for our daily customers,” he said. “All the time. Every time.”

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Scientists Identify Europe’s Oldest Bone Tool—a 480,000-Year-Old Hammer Carved From Elephant Bone

It sat quietly for decades in the collection of London’s Natural History Museum, overlooked and unassuming. But the four-inch fragment of elephant bone, unearthed in southern England in the mid-1990s, has now been reexamined—and redefined—as the oldest known bone tool of its kind ever found in Europe. Researchers say the artifact, pulled from an archaeological site in the village of Boxgrove, was shaped by early humans around 480,000 years ago and used as a “soft hammer” to sharpen stone tools. In a paper published January 21 in Science Advances, the team argues it likely served as a precision instrument to refine handaxes and other cutting tools. “It shows an advanced level of complex thinking and abstract thought,” said Silvia Bello, a researcher at the Natural History Museum and co-author of the study. The bone—possibly from a straight-tusked elephant, though researchers haven’t been able to confirm its origin—was originally set aside when it was first found. But recent analysis with an electron microscope revealed a dense pattern of marks: slicing and scraping damage, as well as tiny flint fragments embedded in the surface. That pattern matches what researchers would expect from repeated use in toolmaking. These kinds of bone instruments, called “soft hammers” or “retouchers,” were essential in early human tool production. Unlike stone or antler hammers, soft hammers allowed for greater control when flaking or sharpening edges. “Soft hammers enabled early humans to produce more finely shaped and efficient tools,” the researchers wrote. The team believes the Boxgrove tool was used for more delicate work—refining the cutting edge of flint handaxes or other butchery tools. That kind of precision would have been especially valuable for processing animal carcasses, a key part of survival in the Lower Paleolithic. Although other bone tools have been found in Europe, most are younger—dating to around 450,000 years ago—and are typically discovered farther south, where elephant and mammoth populations were denser. That makes the Boxgrove specimen particularly significant, not just because of its age but because of its apparent rarity. “No other elephant remains were found [at the site], so it is likely that this bone was brought in from somewhere else,” Bello told IFL Science. Researchers don’t yet know what part of the body the bone came from or how it was acquired. But they suspect it was used shortly after the animal died, while the bone was still relatively fresh. That detail, they say, offers a glimpse into the resourcefulness of early human ancestors—possibly Neanderthals or the species Homo heidelbergensis—who lived in what is now southern England. “These findings indicate our human ancestors were resourceful gatherers of available materials and savvy about how best to use them,” Bello said. The artifact also adds another layer to what we know about human interaction with elephants. In a separate study of 125,000-year-old bones in central Germany, researchers found evidence that Neanderthals learned how to hunt and butcher straight-tusked elephants—large enough to feed a group of 25 people for three months. Even further back, in Africa, archaeologists have uncovered 1.5-million-year-old elephant bone tools in Tanzania, showing that hominins were working with large bones long before they arrived in Europe. Whether crafted by Neanderthals or their predecessors, the Boxgrove hammer stands as a rare early example of abstract thinking and purposeful design—a quiet but powerful reminder of how long humans have been shaping the world around them.

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Swedish Pharmacy Launches "Friend Care" Trial to Combat Loneliness Among Employees

A major pharmacy chain in Sweden is testing a small but potentially powerful idea: give employees 15 minutes a day to connect with others, and see if it helps reduce loneliness. Apotek Hjärtat, one of the country’s leading pharmacy chains, has rolled out what it calls a “Friend Care” initiative across its locations. The premise is simple—each staff member gets one hour per month, or 15 minutes a day, to do something that builds or supports friendships. That could mean calling a friend, planning an event, stepping out to meet someone, or even chatting with a colleague on shift. The program comes on the heels of a national report on loneliness, commissioned by Sweden’s government, which revealed that 8 percent of adults in the country don’t have a single close friend. Apotek Hjärtat’s CEO Monica Magnusson told the BBC the idea was sparked by a previous company initiative that trained pharmacists to recognize signs of loneliness in their customers, especially seniors. Staff were encouraged to ask subtle questions to check in on people who might be isolated. But that got Magnusson thinking about the wellbeing of the staff themselves. “We wanted to do more for our own people,” she said. So the company launched “Friend Care,” or vänvård, a wordplay on friskvård, the Swedish term for health and wellness benefits. Many companies in Sweden offer friskvård as a way to support things like gym memberships or massages. Apotek Hjärtat’s twist puts the focus on social connection instead of physical fitness. To sweeten the deal, the company also offers employees the equivalent of 100 US dollars a year to support activities that promote friendship—anything from hosting a dinner to attending a group class. Yasmine Lindberg, an employee at the pharmacy, said the benefit has already helped her. After separating from her partner four years ago, she found herself often alone, especially on the weeks her teenage kids were at their father’s house. “I often come home from work too tired to do anything or see anyone,” she told the BBC. But the 15-minute allowance, she said, gave her the push she needed to start making plans again. Daniel Ek, a Swedish psychologist also interviewed for the BBC piece, explained that social isolation in Sweden often has more to do with cultural norms than a lack of opportunities. “The Swedish mentality is like, you shouldn’t disturb others. We value personal space a lot, and we have a hard time breaking the ice,” he said. That cultural hurdle makes something like “Friend Care” especially meaningful, according to Ek, because it helps people overcome that initial hesitation to reach out. The pilot program is still in its early stages, but Magnusson says early feedback has been positive. It’s part of a broader rethinking of what workplace wellness can look like in a post-pandemic world—especially in countries where social interaction may not always come easily. For Apotek Hjärtat, the bet is that a few minutes of social connection, built into the workday, could make a lasting difference.

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Colombia Bans New Oil and Mining Projects in Amazon, Urges Neighbors to Follow Suit

Colombia is drawing a firm line around its share of the Amazon, declaring it off-limits to new oil drilling and large-scale mining in a sweeping move to protect one of the world’s most vital ecosystems. Acting Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres announced in November that the country will no longer approve new extractive projects in the Amazon biome within its borders — halting 43 proposed oil blocks and 286 mining applications. The decision, she said, is meant to preserve forests, rivers, and biodiversity while upholding Colombia’s environmental commitments. “This declaration is an ethical and scientific commitment … It is a life-or-death decision,” Vélez Torres said during a climate summit in Brazil last fall, according to Mongabay. The Amazon rainforest plays a critical role in regulating climate at both regional and global scales. But its resilience is under threat. Deforestation, pollution, and extractive development risk pushing parts of the biome past ecological tipping points. The World Wildlife Foundation has warned that if the forest's health continues to decline, it could create a feedback loop where rising temperatures and reduced rainfall accelerate the loss of more trees, endangering ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. A 2023 report by InfoAmazonia estimated that 55 million hectares of Amazonian forest are at risk if strong protections aren’t put in place. That risk motivated Colombia’s decision — and it’s encouraging other Amazon countries to adopt similar bans. The policy shift marks a major departure for a region historically reliant on resource extraction. While critics have raised concerns about the potential economic impact, the government sees an opportunity to pivot toward renewable energy, sustainable farming, and ecotourism — all of which can create long-term jobs without degrading the environment. Globally, other communities are making similar moves. In the Netherlands, The Hague banned advertisements in 2024 for gas suppliers, gas-powered vehicles, airlines, and other high-emission industries. In Alberta, Canada, authorities are grappling with how to expand renewable energy while protecting farmland and rural ecosystems. These shifts reflect growing recognition that economic development must be balanced with environmental stewardship — and that protecting ecosystems like the Amazon is essential to long-term climate stability. Colombia’s decision may not reverse decades of damage overnight, but it signals a clear direction: prioritizing life, water, and forests over short-term profits. For Vélez Torres and others pushing for similar policies, the Amazon isn’t just a natural resource — it’s a living system, critical to the planet’s future.

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Astronomers Use JWST to Create The Most Detailed Dark Matter Map Ever Made

Astronomers have taken a major step toward mapping one of the universe’s most elusive ingredients—by charting what can’t be seen. Using images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists have unveiled the most detailed map to date of dark matter in a patch of sky known as the COSMOS field. Dark matter isn’t visible, doesn’t emit light, and hasn’t been directly detected. But its presence is unmistakable. It outweighs normal matter five to one and acts as a kind of invisible scaffolding, shaping galaxies and clustering across the cosmos. Now, a new study published in Nature Astronomy traces its ghostly outlines by measuring tiny distortions in the shapes of distant galaxies. “We can see the influence of gravity on galaxy formation,” said Diana Scognamiglio, a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and co-lead author of the study. “It’s a way to trace, really, the backbone of the universe.” The researchers analyzed images from JWST's deep-sky survey of the COSMOS field, one of the most intensely studied regions of the night sky. Their goal was to identify patterns in how dark matter distorts light from faraway galaxies—a phenomenon called weak gravitational lensing. Though invisible to the naked eye, this lensing slightly warps the path of light as it passes through clumps of dark matter, similar to how a warped piece of glass distorts a view. The effect is so subtle that until about two decades ago, it was considered nearly impossible to detect. “People were saying that there’s absolutely no way you can measure a 1 percent distortion with everything else going on,” said Catherine Heymans, professor of astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh and Scotland’s astronomer royal. Heymans and others proved otherwise, launching the field of weak lensing and building the first dark matter map of the COSMOS field using the Hubble Space Telescope. Now, Scognamiglio and her team have updated that work with JWST’s more sensitive instruments and deeper reach. The new map covers a relatively small portion of the sky—roughly twice the size of the full moon—but with far greater precision. It pinpoints smaller blobs of dark matter that were invisible to Hubble, and it reaches farther back in time, to about 10 or 11 billion years ago, when the universe was rapidly forming stars and galaxies. “It’s super exciting just because of the sheer number of galaxies that they can use,” said Zoltan Haiman, an astrophysicist at Columbia University. By observing how dark matter influenced young galaxy clusters during this era—known as “cosmic noon”—astronomers hope to better understand how galaxies formed and evolved. The next step is to make the map three-dimensional by calculating the distances of each structure. Even in its current form, the map offers a rare glimpse at one of the universe’s most critical but hidden components. “Before we only had dark matter simulations, and I always wanted to be able to see it,” Heymans said. “What I love about weak lensing is: it allows us to see the invisible.” That work is far from over. New telescopes like the European Space Agency’s Euclid (now in orbit) and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (launching later this year) will use weak lensing to study dark matter and the expansion of the universe. Ground-based observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Dark Energy Survey are also contributing data on cosmic structure. Two decades after the first map, Scognamiglio says this project builds on that legacy—and she hopes the future will go even further. “I like this continuity,” she said. “I hope that, 20 years from now, my student will be able to make an even better map.”

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