SCIENCE SUNDAY
The most interesting scientific discoveries and breakthroughs this week
Scientists have unveiled a DNA tape that can store every song ever recorded. Source: Jiankai Li et al. 2025
1. NASA claims to have found “clearest sign of (ancient) life” on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance rover has sent back pictures of a rock sample that contains potential ‘biosignatures’ — possible traces of ancient microbial life from billions of years ago. NASA claims that the sample, which contains distinctive spots that typically form when microbes consume organic matter as fuel, is the closest we’ve come to possibly finding signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. However, multiple non-biological explanations are still on the table. Here are the iconic photos that have the scientific community excited.
2. DNA tape can store every song ever recorded: Cassettes may be coming back (with a twist). Scientists have printed synthetic DNA molecules onto plastic tape, combining the information storage capabilities of DNA with a “cassette tape” inspired design. They claim the modified tape can hold about 36 petabytes of data — enough to store every single song ever recorded. Although a significant step towards long-term data storage, you can’t pop the tape into your old Walkman just yet, as “the formats are incompatible.”
3. New study finally proves Stephen Hawking’s black hole theorem: Scientists have captured gravitational wave signals from two black holes that collided 1.3B light-years away, finally providing observational proof of Hawking’s 1971 black hole area theorem — the idea that black holes can only grow, never shrink. With scientists now able to catch roughly one black hole merger every three days, the breakthrough potentially turns collisions into precision laboratories for testing the fundamental laws of physics.
4. Medical breakthrough could help scientists fix bone fractures on the spot: Scientists claim to have created a device that can 3D-print bone grafts directly onto fractures during surgery. The tool uses a special filament made from natural bone and biocompatible plastic that melts at just 140°F — cool enough to avoid tissue damage but hot enough to conform to bone breaks. This could potentially slash surgery times, eliminating weeks of prep work currently needed to custom-make bone implants.
via Superhuman