A star in the Andromeda galaxy vanished without a supernova, becoming a black hole through direct collapse. In 2014, NASA's NEOWISE detected a massive star brightening, only to watch it fade completely by 2016. This rare event suggests a new class of stellar objects that skip the explosive death phase, challenging our understanding of stellar evolution.

Scientists have revived Thomas Edison's century-old nickel-iron battery design, creating a prototype that charges in seconds and lasts over 12,000 cycles. Inspired by shellfish shells and bone formation, the team used beef byproduct proteins combined with graphene oxide to create an aerogel structure. While storage capacity lags behind lithium-ion batteries, the design shows promise for renewable energy storage from solar farms.

University of Maryland researchers have developed 'smart underwear' that measures flatulence 24/7 using electrochemical sensors. Their study found healthy adults pass gas an average of 32 times daily—nearly double previous estimates. The team is recruiting volunteers for their Human Flatus Atlas program to establish baseline fart patterns correlated with diet and microbiome composition across larger populations.