A fusion reaction reached a historic milestone

Hello and welcome to New Scientist’s weekly round-up of the best stories in science and technology. This week we’re talking about…

Nuclear fusion reaction releases almost twice the energy put in

A historic milestone has been confirmed: a fusion reaction unleashed more energy than was put into it. In December 2022, scientists at the National Ignition Facility in the US bombarded capsules of deuterium and tritium fuel with lasers, which resulted in an energy release 1.5 times that of the laser going in. By last September, researchers at NIF had fine-tuned the reaction to produce 1.9 times the energy input. Even so, the long-awaited promise of fusion power may not be quite a reality just yet .?

Asteroid sampled by NASA may once have been part of an ocean world

An analysis of minerals in an asteroid sample ferried back to Earth by the OSIRIS-REx mission shows that the rock may have originated in a world covered by water. Bits of the asteroid Bennu contain minerals called serpentinites, which form on Earth when the planet’s mantle is pushed upwards into the seabed and exposed to water. Some parts of the Bennu samples are also coated in a thin crust of material that has also been found in the plumes of water that shoot out from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. If Bennu did form during the destruction of a world covered in water, and if it also has signs of containing the amino acids crucial for building proteins – the researchers say they have forthcoming results on that – it could be a sign that the asteroid comes from the kind of environment that can produce life.

Drought has hit the Panama Canal hard – can it survive climate change?

Over the past few months, ship crossings at the Panama Canal have been severely restricted. The shift to El Ni?o conditions in the region has led to severe drought, reducing the number of times per day that the huge locks can be filled and emptied to allow passage across the 80-kilometre waterway. At the same time, disruptions in other major shipping routes – including drone attacks in the Red Sea – have increased demand for the Panama Canal. As climate change continues to warm the planet, will this engineering marvel be able to stay open?

More from New Scientist

• A group of more than a dozen orcas has disappeared after being trapped by drifting ice of the coast of Japan – it isn’t known if they escaped or have died.
• AI has helped decipher an ancient papyrus scroll containing a Greek philosopher’s musings on pleasure, which was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2000 years ago.
• Semaglutide-based medicines, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can help people who are obese or overweight to quickly lose weight – here’s a look at their side effects , including hair loss and a potential role in treating addiction.

Thanks for reading, and do remember to share this newsletter with your network by hitting the repost button.

Chelsea Whyte, US Editor