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Welcome to our new email format! Moving forward, you will see a "News in Context" section between our main topic write-up and our updated "Research Spotlight," which will highlight science and technology news making headlines. Please let us know what you think after reading this issue, and, as always, thanks for being a reader!
Last month, Pope Leo XIV warned of the dangers of AI in his first encyclical, a document written every few years that, in part, addresses current events. The news had us wondering how the pope learns about the latest in science and technology before writing about it, which led us to this week's topic: the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
PS—Reader feedback is a gift! Whether it's feedback on today's email, suggestions for what we should cover, or anything else, we're happy to hear from readers. Simply reply to this email or reach out at science-technology@join1440.com.
—Marco Daniel Machado, 1440 Science & Technology Section Editor |
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Bringing Science to the Pope |
The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is the Vatican's scientific advisory board. Established in 1603 as the Academy of Lynxes, named for the sharp eyes needed to understand nature, it was rebranded in its current form in 1936. It has promoted progress in the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences and provided guidance to the pope on issues such as nuclear power, biotechnology, climate change, and AI.
> An overview of the academy from one of its members. (More)
> The Academy of Lynxes was cofounded by an 18-year-old whose father suspected he was associating with sorcerers and magicians. (More)
The academy primarily consists of 80 Pontifical Academicians—individuals with outstanding scientific achievements and moral character chosen by the body and appointed by the pope to lifetime positions, regardless of faith. Academicians and honorary members have included Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, and atheist scholars, as well as renowned scientists, such as Alexander Fleming (discovered penicillin), Max Planck (originated quantum theory), Ernest Rutherford (father of nuclear physics), and Georges Lemaître (proposed the Big Bang).
> As of 2026, 90 Nobel laureates have served as Pontifical Academicians. (More)
> Explore the list of 382 Pontifical Academicians throughout history. (More)
To accomplish its goals, the academy holds plenary sessions, organizes meetings, and arranges conferences among its members on topics in fundamental science, global problems, the developing world, scientific policy, bioethics, and epistemology. These deliberations have produced several open-access publication series spanning over 185 combined volumes. It also collaborates with other papal institutions, such as the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.
> Browse the published volumes from the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. (More)
> A member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences discusses what it's like to advise the pope. (More)
Discover more:
> Galileo Galilei—considered the father of modern science—was once president of the Academy of Lynxes. (More)
> The Pius XI Medal—named after the pope who reestablished the Pontifical Academy of Sciences—honors promising scientists under 45. (More)
> What does it mean for the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to be the world's only supranational academy of sciences? (More) |
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1440 brings you the knowledge and rabbit holes behind the week's stories:
NASA announced the crew of Artemis III—a risk-reduction mission in low Earth orbit. (More)
> Read about the first five missions that make up the Artemis program.
> Preview the Artemis program's future moon base.
Nuclear microreactors may produce steady electricity by 2027 after passing a key test. (More)
> How nuclear microreactors work and differ from traditional nuclear plants.
> Learn about the next-generation fuel behind future nuclear power.
China began operations at the world's first wind-powered, underwater data center. (More)
> Watch a submerged server in action.
> Learn about the different methods to keep data centers cool.
Researchers uncovered the world's largest whale graveyard, containing 5.3-million-year-old fossils. (More)
> Explore the origins and phases of whale-fall ecosystems.
> View a gallery of deep-sea creatures. |
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Like all great researchers, we love spending time learning about the latest breakthroughs across science and technology. Here's what we found this week.
> International astrophysicists refute claim that universal expansion is slowing
Royal Astronomical Society | Sam Tonkin and James Haigh. In 2025, a team of researchers claimed that the universe's expansion was slowing rather than speeding up, contrary to prevailing theory, based on a flaw in how expansion is measured using exploding stars. A new analysis found an error in this claim and, after calibration, showed that existing data are in line with the acceleration model. (More)
> Learn how astronomers measure cosmic distances using exploding stars.
> ... and how starlight color provides astronomers with the rate of expansion.
> Global warming projected to surpass key Paris Agreement threshold in four years
Earth System Science Data | Staff. The annual "Indicators of Global Climate Change" report found that human-induced warming reached 1.37 degrees Celsius in 2025 relative to the 1850-1900 baseline, with a rate of warming matching the all-time high in the instrumental record. Scientists stated that warming has been driven by increasing greenhouse gas emissions and decreasing aerosol cooling. (More)
> What is the Paris Agreement, and why is the 1.5 degrees Celsius target important?
> Watch a demonstration of the greenhouse effect to understand how carbon dioxide warms the Earth.
> Salts and organic matter slow the sunlight-driven breakdown of plastic in water
Northwestern University | Amanda Morris. Although ultraviolet light is known to break polystyrene—a type of plastic used in packaging—into smaller molecules, this process has not been observed to occur in rivers, lakes, or oceans at expected rates. Researchers found that salty, complex water environments harbor contaminants that compete with plastics for this light, a phenomenon that previous lab experiments may have missed by using pure water and artificial light. (More)
> Read about the seven different categories of plastics.
> ... and a novel type of eco-friendly plastic that naturally dissolves in ocean water.
> Scientists confirm cause of rusting rivers in Alaska’s Brooks Range
University of California, Riverside | Jules Bernstein. The contamination of iron particles, which turn water into a cloudy orange, originates from pyrite—fool's gold—that has been exposed to air and water as ice warms and thaws. Microbes in oxygen-deprived permafrost "breathe" iron, releasing a water-soluble form of the metal that seeps into streams and rusts when it meets oxygenated surface water. (More)
> Why does iron rust, and how can you prevent it?
> Discover why melting permafrost may expose organisms to dangerous viruses. |
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> Watch a diving expedition through the world's longest coral colony, whose exact location is kept secret.
> Scientists have used computer models to explain the climates depicted in fantasy worlds like Middle-earth and Westeros.
> No matter what you see in the movies, most space lasers are impossible to see.
> How did caterpillars learn to turn into butterflies?
> As you prepare for summer cookouts, view the chemistry behind smoking foods.
> How do plants know which direction to grow in when they can't see sunlight underground?
> If the sun were to vanish, we wouldn't know about it for over 8 minutes.
> A college student created photographs in space using cosmic rays.
> Why don't fish in the waters of Antarctica freeze to death?
> ... and why does the continent have two ATMs?
> Learn about the supertrees protecting the Cambodian coastal ecosystems.
> Southern Texas is home to an all-female fish species that has cloned itself for 100,000 years. |
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