A galaxy spinning out of sync
Image: Though the spiral galaxy in this new image by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope seems serene, it hides a chaotic secret. This galaxy is NGC 4698, and it lies about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. It’s one of over one thousand galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, the nearest large cluster of galaxies bound together by gravity. As a spiral galaxy similar to our own Milky Way galaxy, NGC 4698 has spiral arms that curl around within a thin disc of stars, gas and dust. Its centre is dominated by a galactic bulge. The diffuse off-white glow of the galaxy’s bulge comes from stars smaller, older, and cooler than the massive blue stars that dot the galaxy’s outer disc. These tightly packed stars orbit a supermassive black hole containing millions of times the Sun’s mass. Scientists have found signs that this black hole is actively growing, drawing gas inward with its gravitational pull. With a flat, starry disc and diffusely glowing centre, NGC 4698 looks a lot like a typical spiral galaxy — but this galaxy is far from normal. NGC 4698 is one of only a few known spiral galaxies with a bulge that extends out from the disc at a right angle. The elongation is faintly visible in this Hubble image, which shows the ghostly glow of the starry bulge peeking above and below the dusty disc. What’s more, the stars and gas nearest the galaxy’s centre rotate perpendicular to the rest of the disc. What could cause a galaxy to be so out of sync? Astronomers have found that the culprit likely lies outside the galaxy. If NGC 4698 funneled in gas from an outside source, the newly collected gas could have formed a disc of gas and stars in the galaxy’s centre, at an angle relative to the rest of the disc. Some observations suggest that this galaxy once experienced a minor galactic merger, as evidenced by a short ‘tail’ of hydrogen streaming from one side of the galaxy. The data used to create this image come from an observing programme ( #18103; PI: Thilker) focusing on galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. [ Image Description: A spiral galaxy viewed at an angle, with a bright central bulge and winding spiral arms. The arms form a ring around the galaxy, without appearing to reach its centre. Prominent red-brown dust lanes weave through the arms, which are also dotted with bright blue and reddish regions of star formation. The galaxy is set against a dark background scattered with stars and faint distant galaxies. ] Release on esawebb.org
Analysis
This update adds to the picture of space missions and activities described by the official source. The feed provides limited detail, so schedules, responsibilities and operational information should be verified in the original article.
Source: European Space Agency — Space Science
Copilot code review: An improved review experience
Copilot code review now gives you a clearer view of how a review changes over time, more intelligently auto-resolves its own suggestions, and generates useful commit messages when you accept
Analysis
The update is relevant to people who build or operate software. Before applying it, readers should verify availability, requirements, limitations and possible workflow effects in the original source.
Source: GitHub Changelog
World models for biomedicine
Biological processes continuously adapt in response to intervention. Unlike static predictive models, biomedical world models support action-conditioned simulations for counterfactual reasoning, intervention design, and sequential planning. This perspective defines the key properties of biomedical world models and discusses the data, modeling, and evaluation challenges required to build them across biological and clinical scales.
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The item presents a question or finding in the life sciences. The feed is not sufficient to assess study design, strength of evidence or clinical relevance.
Source: Cell
How to connect AI usage to business value
Learn how ChatGPT Work and Codex analytics help teams understand AI usage and spend, identify training needs, and connect adoption to business outcomes.
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The item concerns the adoption or development of artificial intelligence from the source's perspective. This summary alone does not support independent comparisons of effectiveness, cost or impact.
Source: OpenAI News
A versatile nanopore identifies four classes of analytes simultaneously
Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 15 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03322-x A versatile nanopore sensor, created by modifying a bacterial porin, enables the simultaneous identification of amino acids, nucleoside monophosphates, saccharides and peptides. Coupled with machine learning, it achieves 98.7% classification accuracy and enables the compositional analysis of native glycopeptides.
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The item reports a method or development in biotechnology. The short feed text is not sufficient to assess validation, limitations or reproducibility; those require reading the original work.
Source: Nature Biotechnology
Daily trend
Today's selection is multidisciplinary, with items spanning Astronomy and Space (1), Artificial Intelligence (1), Technology and Computing (1), Biotechnology (1), Life Sciences (1). No single topic dominates: the review brings together scientific research, technology development and institutional updates. The sources are Cell, European Space Agency — Space Science, GitHub Changelog, Nature Biotechnology, OpenAI News. This range highlights different fields without implying undocumented causal links. Readers should consult the original articles for complete results, limitations and context.