Science Snapshots: July 26, 2026

First ‘exomoon’ found comes with a challenge

Using the radial velocity method, astronomers have found a large body orbiting a brown dwarf, CD-35 2722 B, which orbits a star. It is estimated to be 90% as massive as Jupiter and orbiting the brown dwarf every 170 days on an oval path. The find is a milestone in the search for moons outside the solar system and challenges current ideas: the object is so large it blurs the line between a moon and a planet.

Invasive species affect the Global South more

The environmental consequences of invasive species have been found to be more severe in the Global South than in wealthier nations. Experts used to believe the Global North faced a greater threat as it reported more invasive species. But the study said these figures reflect wealthy countries conducting studies more often. Specifically, the authors found the actual damage per species is much higher in the Global South, driven by rapid trade growth plus poor environmental oversight.

AI helps take next stride on proteins in medicine

Researchers have developed a new tool called ContactSeek to enhance DNA base editing. Base editing is a powerful tool for gene therapy but often accidentally changes the wrong parts of a person’s DNA. The team used the AI model AlphaFold3 to predict the likelihood that specific parts of the editor protein will touch the DNA, finding this way to be more sensitive than extant 3D models. Thus they created improved versions of common editors, including Cas9.