active matter

Scientists say the Moon's scarce water resources could place a hard limit on how many people could live there long-term. Water is essential for drinking, oxygen production and rocket fuel, and available supplies in lunar ice deposits may not support large settlements. The finding matters as space agencies plan permanent lunar bases under programs like NASA's Artemis.

A delegation from Cornwall, England has arrived in Christchurch to encourage New Zealand space companies to partner with or use Spaceport Cornwall. The British officials are pitching the facility as a launch and collaboration hub for Kiwi firms, part of the UK's push to build an international commercial space industry, and the visit is drawing attention in New Zealand's growing aerospace sector.

A study published in Nature reports that fully developed active turbulence can be defined through a non-equilibrium phase transition. The finding gives researchers a clearer framework for understanding chaotic flows generated by active matter, such as bacterial suspensions and cellular layers. Researchers in soft matter and statistical physics are expected to discuss how the phase-transition definition sharpens classification of these turbulent states.