Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
Moon Turns Red? Hematite Discovery Reveals Lunar Rusting Phenomenon
The researchers have detected hematite, a form of iron oxide commonly known
as rust, on the Moon's surface, particularly at the poles. Scientists were surprised to notice that the Moon is rusting, a process that typically requires oxygen and water, both of which are scarce on the lunar body. According to Nature's report, the findings help in understanding Earth's deep link to the Moon. The scientists believe oxygen from Earth's atmosphere is transported to the Moon. Notably, charged particles from the Sun reach Earth and the Moon most of the time. Most of the solar particles are blocked when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon for around five days each month. It is the time when the Moon is exposed mainly to particles that had been part of Earth's atmosphere, which is called Earth wind.
Agni Missile and the Train Launch Mystery - Yes and No, Says DRDO
*Watch Now* | The launch of the Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a Rail-based Mobile launcher system. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IkPg5B5Koq
— C. P. Rathore ⚔️ 🇮🇳🕉️🔯💞🌌🚀✨⭐ (@RathorePar1116) September 25, 2025
(Credit: X/@RathorePar1116)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on September 24, 2025, successfully tested the Intermediate Range Agni-Prime Missile from a rail-based mobile launcher, marking a significant milestone in India’s strategic capabilities. DRDO described the development as a “game changer,” stating that the road-cum-rail missile system would act as a force multiplier for the nation’s strategic forces. However, it was not an ordinary train running on tracks, but a specially designed system built for the missile. A rail-based mobile launcher is a missile deployment platform mounted on specially modified trains. Unlike fixed silos, which are stationary and easier to target, this system allows missiles to be transported, concealed, and launched from a railway network spread across the country. The launcher can move along with trains, with the idea that it blends within civilian rail traffic, and position itself at strategic locations before launching a missile. This mobility significantly enhances survivability and deterrence by making it much harder for adversaries to track or neutralise India’s missile assets.
Brain Bugs? Hidden Molecules From Bacteria Reveal Sleep Secrets
What causes us to sleep? The answer may lie not only in our brains, but in their complex interplay with the micro-organisms spawned in our intestines. New research from Washington State University suggests a new paradigm in understanding sleep, demonstrating that a substance in the mesh-like walls of bacteria, known as peptidoglycan, is naturally present in the brains of mice and closely aligned with the sleep cycle. The recent findings regarding peptidoglycan, or PG, lend weight to that hypothesis and point to a possible regulatory role for bacterial cell wall products in sleep. PG is known to promote sleep when injected in animals, but until recently, the conventional view held that it did not naturally migrate to the brain. As these smaller pockets of sleep accumulate, like lights going off in a house, the body tips from wakefulness toward sleep.
The Fast Track to Fitness? Scientists Reveal Revolutionary Pill
New research presented showed that daily treatment with the new once-daily GLP-1 agonist orforglipron results in substantial weight loss in people living with obesity that do not have type 2 diabetes. The study is sponsored by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of orforglipron, which is a small-molecule, oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. Outcomes such as waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride levels, and non-HDL cholesterol levels significantly improved with orforglipron treatment, during the study. The most common adverse events with orforglipron were gastrointestinal effects, which were mostly mild to moderate, consistent with the GLP-1 class of medications.
