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Universal-Sci Weekly · Nov 6, 2025

Sending a paperclip-sized probe to a black hole - Universal-Sci Weekly #113

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Universal-Sci Weekly · Universal-Sci Weekly

Dear subscribers, welcome back to Universal-Sci Weekly!

In this issue:

  • Shape-shifting “DNA flowers” that fold, unfurl, and spark reactions - hinting at future drug delivery, environmental sensing, and even data storage.

  • A laser-pushed, paperclip-sized probe aimed at a nearby black hole - and a roadmap for making it real

  • Surprising links between gum disease and changes in the brain’s white matter - plus what you can do now

  • Why “hovering” costs fish nearly twice the energy of real rest - and what that means for biology and bio-inspired robots.

  • The science-backed case for scheduling exams (and interviews) around noon.

Our Book of the Week is Dan Hooper’s At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe’s First Seconds - a lucid tour of the Big Bang’s opening moments and how they’re reshaping today’s cosmology.

As always, enjoy the read!

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Microscopic visualization of a “DNA flower” created by Ronit Freeman in the Freeman Lab at UNC - (Image Credit: Justin Hill, Philip Rosenberg, and Ronit Freeman)

Imagine a field of microscopic flowers that can fold, unfurl, and even kick off a chemical reaction without a gardener in sight. Researchers at the University of North Carolina have at Chapel Hill built just such shape-shifting “soft robots,” and the most interesting part isn’t what they are, but what they might be able to do.

In this article we’ll cover how these tiny petals learn to move, and why that could matter for health, the environment, and even data storage.- (Read more)

While the challenges are significant, astrophysicist Cosimo Bambi believes that sending a tiny spacecraft to a nearby black hole is within the realm of possibility. - (Image Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration)

It may sound like the plot of a sci-fi film: a tiny spacecraft, no heavier than a paperclip, fired through space by a powerful laser, headed toward a mysterious black hole.

But for Cosimo Bambi, an Italian cosmologist at Fudan University in China, this idea isn’t so far off. He recently outlined a step-by-step plan for this kind of mission, raising the possibility that, within our lifetimes, humanity might be able to probe the universe’s greatest mysteries directly. (Read more)

Gum disease may not only concern the mouth - (Image Credit: Andrii Iemelianenko via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci)

Most of us think of dentists when our gums are sore, not brain scans. Yet a new study hints that what’s happening along the gumline may show up deep inside the brain.

In this article we’ll cover what the scientists measured, what it could mean, and how to protect yourself while we wait for more answers.- (Read more)

You have probably seen fish calmly hanging in the water, seemingly motionless. For a long time, scientists thought this was their way of resting. Surprisingly, a recent study shows that this seemingly effortless action actually costs fish nearly twice the energy compared to real rest. - (Read more)

If you’re a student who struggles with morning exams or feels exhausted by late-afternoon tests, it might not just be your imagination. Research from the University of Messina suggests that the timing of your exam can significantly impact your chances of passing, and the same might hold true for job interviews. - (Read more)

Our pick this week is: At the Edge of Time: Exploring the Mysteries of Our Universe’s First Seconds

This book by American cosmologist offers Dan Hooper offers a fascinating look at the first few seconds after the Big Bang - and how research into these moments continues to revolutionize our understanding of our universe!

Get the book on Amazon

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Thanks for reading, we hope to see you next time!

Read the original on universalsci.substack.com

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