Science & Tech news · 6 November 2026
ISS Completes Five-Year Solar Power Upgrade With Final Array
Astronauts installed the eighth and last upgraded roll-out solar array on the International Space Station, completing a five-year effort to augment its ageing power system alongside the original solar wings.
NASA's Swift Space Telescope Burns Up After Nearly 22 Years of Service
NASA marked the fiery re-entry of its Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, which burned up over North Sumatra, Indonesia, on 4 November at 7:39 a.m. EST after nearly 22 years studying the universe's fastest and most energetic explosions.
2026 on Course to Tie or Break Record as Warmest Year Ever
A Carbon Brief analysis finds 2026 has a 67 % chance of becoming the warmest year on record at roughly 1.52 °C above pre-industrial levels, driven by a historically powerful El Niño.
Physicists Trap a Single Positron for Months to Probe Antimatter's Secrets
A Northwestern University team held a single positron — antimatter's twin of the electron — in a quantum cyclotron for months, aiming to measure its magnetic properties at the same precision already achieved for the electron.
Arctic Plant Roots May Play Key Role in Climate Change, Review Finds
A new review published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment finds that plant root systems beneath Arctic tundra soils are critical in determining whether thawing permafrost releases its vast carbon stores into the atmosphere or keeps them locked away.