2026 in science

The following scientific events occurred, or are scheduled to occur in 2026.

Events

January

• 1 January – Researchers operating China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) report the first experimental verification of a theorised density-free plasma operating regime, achieving stable electron densities approximately 1.3–1.65 times the Greenwald limit.^[1][2]
• 2 January – Researchers at the Vienna University of Technology and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology demonstrate self-sustained superradiant microwave emission, produced by interacting spins in diamond, offering potential applications in quantum communication and sensing.^[3][4]
• 4–8 January – 247th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society^[5]
• 5 January – NASA announces that it has awarded contracts to seven companies to study technologies for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a next-generation telescope that could launch in the 2040s.^[6][7]
• 7 January – Astronomers using data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory report that 2025 MN₄₅ has the fastest spin of any known asteroid larger than 0.5 km (0.31 mi) in diameter, completing one rotation every 1.88 minutes.^[8]
• 13 January – The European Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that 2025 was the world's third hottest year on record (2024 was the hottest and 2023 the second hottest). In Antarctica, the average annual temperature was the warmest since measurements began and in the Arctic, it was the second highest.^[9]
• 14 January
  • Researchers led by the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences report the first direct experimental observation of the Migdal effect, a quantum process in which a recoiling atomic nucleus ejects an electron, confirming a prediction made in 1939 and enabling new approaches to searches for light dark matter.^[10][11]
  • Researchers from the University of Copenhagen publish a Nature paper explaining little red dots as young and relatively small supermassive black holes enshrouded in a dense cocoon of ionized gas.^[12][13]
  • The Ice Memory Foundation opens its ice core archive at Concordia Station in Antarctica, storing the first samples from glaciers on Grand Combin, Switzerland and Mont Blanc, France.^{[14][15][16][17]} The samples travelled from Trieste for more than 50 days aboard the Italian icebreaker Laura Bassi.^[18]

Scheduled events

• NASA's first crewed lunar‑orbit mission in decades is slated for early 2026.^[19]

See also

• 2026 in spaceflight
• 2026 in Antarctica
• 2026 in climate change

References

1. Liu, Jiaxing; Zhu, Ping; Escande, Dominique Franck; Liu, Wenbin; Xue, Shiwei; Lin, Xin; Tang, Panjun; Wang, Liang; Yan, Ning; Yang, Jinju; Duan, Yanmin; Jia, Kai; Wu, Zhenwei; Cheng, Yunxin; Zhang, Ling (2 January 2026). "Accessing the density-free regime with ECRH-assisted ohmic start-up on EAST". Science Advances. 12 (1). doi:10.1126/sciadv.adz3040. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 12757026. PMID 41477826.
2. Mishra, Prabhat Ranjan (1 January 2026). "China's EAST Tokamak achieves stable operation at densities beyond limits". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
3. Kersten, Wenzel; de Zordo, Nikolaus; Diekmann, Oliver; Redchenko, Elena S.; Kanagin, Andrew N.; Angerer, Andreas; Munro, William J.; Nemoto, Kae; Mazets, Igor E.; Rotter, Stefan; Pohl, Thomas; Schmiedmayer, Jörg (2 January 2026). "Self-induced superradiant masing". Nature Physics. doi:10.1038/s41567-025-03123-0. ISSN 1745-2473.
4. Paleja, Ameya (2 January 2026). "First self-powered quantum microwave signal achieved in experiment". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
5. "Calendar". Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
6. "NASA Selects Tech Proposals to Advance Search-for-Life Mission". NASA. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
7. "NASA seeks to accelerate development of Habitable Worlds Observatory". Space News. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
8. "NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Spots Record-Breaking Asteroid in Pre-Survey Observations". Vera C. Rubin Observatory. 7 January 2026. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
9. "Global Climate Highlights 2025". copernicus.eu. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
10. Yi, Difan; Liu, Qian; Chen, Shi; Dong, Chunlai; Feng, Huanbo; Gao, Chaosong; Huang, Wenqian; Jing, Xinmei; Kong, Lingquan; Li, Jin; Li, Peirong; Liang, Enwei; Ma, Ruiting; Su, Chenguang; Su, Liangliang (15 January 2026). "Direct observation of the Migdal effect induced by neutron bombardment". Nature. 649 (8097): 580–583. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09918-8. ISSN 0028-0836.
11. Nuo, Xu (16 January 2026). "New finding to help probe dark matter". global.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
12. Communication, N. B. I. (15 January 2026). "Copenhagen researchers make the front page of Nature: Solving the mystery of the universe's 'little red dots'". nbi.ku.dk. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
13. Rusakov, V.; Watson, D.; Nikopoulos, G. P.; Brammer, G.; Gottumukkala, R.; Harvey, T.; Heintz, K. E.; Damgaard, R.; Sim, S. A.; Sneppen, A.; Vijayan, A. P.; Adams, N.; Austin, D.; Conselice, C. J.; Goolsby, C. M. (2026). "Little red dots as young supermassive black holes in dense ionized cocoons". Nature. 649 (8097): 574–579. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-09900-4. ISSN 1476-4687.
14. "Ice from Swiss glacier is safely stored in Antarctica". blue News. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
15. "Antarctica ice sanctuary launched to preserve the cores of dying glaciers". Yahoo News. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
16. "Schneehöhle als Klima-Archiv der Erde: Erste Eisbohrkerne in Antarktis-Lagerstätte". stern.de (in German). 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
17. Stocker, Thomas (14 January 2026). "La première bibliothèque de carottes glaciaires en Antarctique pour protéger la mémoire climatique de l'humanité". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
18. "Antartide: nasce archivio mondiale ghiaccio con primi campioni da Alpi - Borsa Italiana". www.borsaitaliana.it. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
19. "Artemis II 2026: NASA prepares first crewed mission to circle around the moon in 50 years, scheduled for February". The Times of India. 25 September 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 31 December 2025.

External links

• Media related to 2026 in science at Wikimedia Commons