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Scientists Finally Know How a Bizarre Snowman Shaped Space Rock Formed at the Edge of the Solar system
February 23, 2026
Deep within the Kuiper belt, some small worlds look like they were assembled from two mismatched snowballs pressed together.
The poster child is Arrokoth, the “contact binary” visited in 2019 by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft. Its twin lobes share similar colors and volatile ices, and its surface shows relatively modest cratering.
What still needed tightening was the how. Did Arrokoth start as two separate bodies that spent eons spiraling together under later nudges such as gas drag, orbital resonances, chance encounters, or did it emerge already “two-lobed,” shaped during the solar system’s formation itself?
A new paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society argues the simplest answer may work: contact binaries like Arrokoth can form directly during the gravitational collapse of a dense cloud of pebbles in the Solar System’s protoplanetary disk.
“When we first saw the results of our simulations, we were very excited,” Jackson Barnes, a graduate student at Michigan State University (MSU) and lead author of the paper, told Scientific American.
A bizarre relic from the dawn of our solar system
The international study, led by MSU, focused on a long-running idea in planet formation.
In the early solar system, when most planets had yet to form, millimeter-to-centimeter “pebbles” could clump together through processes tied to gas–solid interactions, then collapse under their own gravity into kilometer-scale planetesimals.
This avoids growth stages where sticking gets inefficient. Earlier collapse models often produced binary pairs: two bodies that form together and remain separated.
The new study focuses on whether collapse can also yield contact binaries — pairs that end up touching — without needing a long later history to bring them together.
Using 54 numerical simulations, the researchers found that contact binaries do appear as a natural outcome of collapse.
Across the simulations, the authors identified 29 contact-binary planetesimals out of 834 sufficiently resolved bodies, about 3%. Many showed clear bilobate shapes, and some looked strikingly Arrokoth-like in overall proportions.
Equally important is how gently the lobes come together. Observations and modeling of Arrokoth’s geology have long suggested a low-speed union, so more of a slow drift into contact than a crash.
The new simulations seem to agree, as nearly all contact events occurred at very low relative speeds, typically below approximately 20 feet (six meters) per second.
If Arrokoth didn’t need a long chain of outside nudges to bring its two halves together, then what did the job?
In these simulations, the answer is surprisingly straightforward: the “closing scene” can play out right inside the collapsing swarm.
In the early years of a solar system, two clumps often form as a natural pair early on, circling each other while everything around them is still messy and crowded.
As other newborn bodies drift past, their gravity tugs on the pair just enough to change the pair’s motion.
Over time, those repeated flybys act like gentle taps that shrink the gap between the two partners—until the lobes finally meet and stick.
The spin of these objects gives another reality check. A two-lobed body can’t whirl too fast without pulling itself apart, and the simulated contact binaries usually end up rotating at safe speeds.
Even in the far-off Kuiper Belt, where collisions are rare, tiny impacts over immense stretches of time can still nudge an object’s spin, little by little.
One mystery hanging out there is how many Arrokoths are floating in the void.
Telescope surveys hint that two-lobed “snowman” shapes might be fairly common in some Kuiper Belt groups, but the numbers are slippery.
From Earth, astronomers usually can’t see the shape directly. They infer it from how the object’s brightness rises and falls as it rotates, though brightness pattern can be misleading if the object is angled toward us.
“This was something that had been hypothesized ever since the flyby of Arrokoth in 2019,” Barnes said. “We’re rewarded with a variety of shapes including contact binary shapes just like Arrokoth.”
https://www.zmescience.com/science/astronomy/peanut-kuiper-rock/
https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/546/4/stag002/8488819?login=false
https://news.rice.edu/news/2026/can-humans-become-martians-solomon-investigates-how-life-beyond-earth-may-shape-our
Can humans become Martians? Solomon investigates how life beyond Earth may shape our evolution
Feb. 23, 2026
As commercial space travel and human settlement beyond Earth near reality, questions about the human body and mind in extreme conditions are crucial.
What are the short- and long-term implications for space travelers and future generations, including evolutionary changes?
Scott Solomon, teaching professor of biosciences at Rice University, headlined a lecture hosted by the Science and Technology Policy Program at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy to discuss those implications.
“Scott is one of the most talented communicators we have on campus,” said David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute, as he introduced Solomon on stage.
“He obviously does some interesting research. He does a lot of really cool stuff, but he’s in constant demand for doing tours with our alumni because of the skill he has at bringing that science into the public domain.”
In his new book, “Becoming Martian: How Living in Space Will Change Our Bodies and Minds” (MIT Press, 2026), Solomon examines how human migration into space could reshape human evolution, drawing on biology, genetics and space science research.
He framed his approach around the idea of the “civic scientist,” arguing that science communication should illuminate process as much as outcome.
Rather than simply reporting conclusions, he said he immerses himself in research environments, observing scientists at work and translating their methods and experiences into narrative form.
“I’m an evolutionary biologist, and so a lot of what I try to do is think about the biological, the genetic, the physiological changes that could happen to people living for long amounts of time in deep space,” he explained.
“But there’s also psychological effects of being in space. And one of the ways that we have learned a lot about this is not only by studying people that are actually in space but by doing simulations.”
Solomon described an “amazing” experience he had while researching the book right on Rice’s campus.
Kirsten Siebach was selected by NASA for the team working on the Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity and welcomed the organization’s Mars Science Team to Rice to host its sessions. Solomon was able to sit in on these meetings as an observer.
Rice and Houston are at the center of many space initiatives, he said. The Rice Space Institute, for instance, has just created a Space Humanities Initiative with Alexander and the head of Rice’s English department as leads.
The team will bring the human aspect into the space exploration conversation, Alexander said.
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“Absolutely fascinating work,” Alexander said.
“We know a lot about the conditions (on Mars), and we know that the conditions there are quite different, actually, from the conditions in low Earth orbit, where astronauts are actually close enough to Earth that they still benefit from some of the protection of our magnetic field.
So how do we make predictions about what would happen to people that are traveling deeper into space, such as to Mars?”
Currently, no one knows exactly what would happen to a person spending a prolonged amount of time in a radiation environment like Mars that also lacks the magnetic field and atmosphere that protects humans on Earth, Solomon said.
Science fiction often features people living in glass domes on the surface, but Solomon argues that humans would be more protected by living underground as ants do.
“I would also just add that I think some of the most important questions that we have to be asking — especially as we start to think about the idea of living in space, settling it — are ethical questions,” he said.
“I think those are things that we need to be spending time on now, because there’s serious ethical questions, for example, about raising a child in that kind of an extreme environment and the idea that a child born there might not be able to come back to Earth.
“We haven’t even gotten into the topic of should we be using genetic engineering, for example, gene editing to modify the body in order to make it sort of easier for people to live in those conditions?
There’s technological, there’s biological questions, but there’s also really important ethical questions that need to be part of that conversation.”
This lecture is part of the Civic Scientist Lecture Series, sponsored by Virginia Clark with support from Benjamin and Winifer Cheng and Rice’s George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing and Wiess School of Natural Sciences.
“Over the past 20 years, the Civic Scientist Lecture Series has hosted more than 40 speakers at Rice who shared their passion for science and challenges they face with our community,” said Kirstin Matthews, director of the Science and Technology Policy Program.
“This includes Nobel lLaureates, directors of the National Science Foundation, presidential science advisors and local scientists, engineers and doctors of distinction.
Rice is fortunate to have a history of distinguished civic scientists, including Dr. Lane, as well as our great Nobel Prize winners, Rick Smalley and Bob Curl. Tonight’'s speaker is another great example of a civic scientist.”
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Starfighters Space Founder Rick Svetkoff Steps Down
February 23, 2026
Starfighters Space, the innovative aerospace company, owner and operator of the world’s largest fleet of commercial supersonic aircraft, announced today that Company founder Rick Svetkoff, 72, has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, President, Chairman and Director.
Mr. Svetkoff’s spouse, Brenda Svetkoff, has also resigned as Company secretary. The board of directors of the Company has appointed Tim Franta as Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Svetkoff has had a distinguished career. After college, Svetkoff joined the U.S. Navy in 1978 and flew the venerable A-4 fighter jets. Svetkoff left the Navy in 1984 and began a new career as a Continental Airlines pilot, prior to founding Starfighters in 1996.
On behalf of the remaining board and management, the Company thanks the Svetkoff’s for their visionary leadership and efforts in progressing Starfighters to its current stage of development and wishes them success in their future endeavors.
“Rick built Starfighters from the ground up. As we move into the commercialization era of our business, we are grateful for the strong foundation, both operationally and financially, he has left us,” said Tim Franta, Chief Executive Officer.
Tim Franta has served as Starfighters’ Vice President of Development since October 18, 2022. He is leading development of the STARLAUNCH air-launch system intended to fly rockets capable of delivering payloads to space.
Before Starfighters, he was Energy Florida’s Deputy Director in Cape Canaveral (October 2018 to September 2022) and previously Director of Special Projects (2012 to October 2018).
His work focused on space and energy business development, translating financial and technical requirements into fundable business plans and aligning public policy with private and government financing.
Earlier, he worked for the Florida Legislature and served as Chief of Staff for the Florida Space Authority, where he helped draft space transportation legislation, oversaw FAA licensing of two launch pads, and supported more than $300 million in space and ground infrastructure funding.
He also authored the Florida Space Transportation Act.
“I’ve worked with Tim for more than 20 years on commercializing space. It is very fitting that he now leads a company that aims to continue that development.
I congratulate him on his new role and look forward to seeing to what heights he can take Starfighters,” said Bill Posey, former congressman (2009–2025) who represented Florida’s Space Coast.
https://www.citybiz.co/article/809298/starfighters-space-founder-rick-svetkoff-steps-down/
https://starfightersspace.com/
U.S. Space Forces Southern collaborates with space industry in radar site visit
Feb. 23, 2026
U.S. Space Forces Southern Guardians met with commercial space industry representatives during a radar facility visit Feb. 17.
The engagement focused on potential integration opportunities for increased space domain awareness through advancing radar technology and global expansion into the Western Hemisphere.
The visit marked the first time SPACEFOR–SOUTH conducted an official engagement at the commercial radar site in Pearce.
Guardians received demonstrations of the radar’s capabilities and discussed how private-sector technologies could support Space Force missions to enhance space superiority.
“Radar data provided by commercial companies adds significant value to the U.S. Space Force,” said Capt. Justin Lee, Space Systems Command liaison to Space Forces Southern and U.S. Southern Command.
“Private industry can provide access to data from strategically valuable locations around the world.”
Lee noted that SPACEFOR–SOUTH continues to assess how commercial space capabilities may complement military systems.
A better understanding of the commercial market allows the component command to advocate for expanding access to space-related capabilities and information sharing among partner nations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.
Commercial partnerships contribute to space operations and command and control efforts.
This includes, tracking satellite positions, identifying systems, understanding their functions, and assessing potential risks to U.S. assets in orbit.
It also supports critical systems such as GPS and navigation services used by consumers worldwide.
Lee emphasized the importance of sustained dialogue with partner nations on space-related matters.
Recent efforts include SPACEFOR–SOUTH’s work towards delivering optical telescopes to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
The systems are intended to support partner-nation capacity and improve regional awareness for a secure Western Hemisphere.
“Expanding space-related capacity through engagement with the commercial sector is mutually beneficial,” Lee said.
“Partner nations gain access to data they may not otherwise have, while the United States benefits from information collected from locations not currently accessible.”
As the first Space Force Component to visit the commercial radar site, the engagement provided Guardians an opportunity to exchange perspectives with industry representatives and gain a deeper understanding of how commercial technologies may inform future operations.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4411689/us-space-forces-southern-collaborates-with-space-industry-in-radar-site-visit/
obligatory leftfield response
Maybe he retired the current vessel to trade it in for a better one?
Russia will respond if Estonia hosts NATO nukes – Kremlin
22 Feb, 2026 20:01
Russia will aim its nuclear weapons at Estonia if NATO nukes are deployed there, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, after the Baltic nation’s foreign minister stated that Tallinn would not be opposed to hosting nuclear weapons.
European members of the US-led bloc have discussed expanding their nuclear deterrence as part of a massive military buildup, which has been justified by what Western officials describe as the ‘Russian threat’ – a claim that Moscow has dismissed as “nonsense.”
“We do not threaten Estonia, or any other European country,” Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday.
“But if nuclear weapons are deployed on Estonian territory and are aimed at [Russia], then our nuclear weapons will be aimed at Estonian territory,” he warned, adding that Tallinn “should have a solid understanding of it.”
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said Estonia is not against the idea of hosting NATO nuclear weapons, adding that the country will be ready if the bloc decides to deploy them there.
Estonia has been one of Ukraine’s top supporters and has pushed for increased defense spending in Europe, citing the supposed threat of a Russian attack.
Last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Estonia “one of the most hostile countries,” and accused it of “spreading myths and falsehoods” about Russia.
Estonia is not the first European NATO member to express a desire to acquire nuclear weapons one way or the other. Earlier this month, Polish President Karol Nawrocki suggested that Poland should develop its own nuclear weapons program.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the Munich Security Conference in mid-February that he had discussed EU-level nuclear deterrence with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Earlier, a senior MP from his party said Berlin should have access to French and British nuclear weapons.
https://www.rt.com/russia/632908-russia-estonia-nato-nuclear-weapons/
Zelensky rejects territorial concessions to Russia
23 Feb, 2026 16:17
Kiev will never rescind its territorial claims on formerly Ukrainian regions lost to Russia and is set on seizing them back in the future, Vladimir Zelensky has stated, once again ruling out withdrawing from Donbass.
In an interview with the BBC published on Monday, Zelensky reiterated his refusal to withdraw from the areas of Donbass still under Ukrainian control, claiming such a move would only “divide” the country’s society.
A withdrawal has been one of the key Russian demands and the main issue of the ongoing US-mediated talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Moreover, the Ukrainian leader said the country remains set on getting back all the territories it has lost to Russia.
“We’ll do it. That is absolutely clear. It is only a matter of time,” he stated.
Zelensky admitted that Ukraine is currently unable to accomplish this because it lacks both sufficient funds and troops.
“To do it today would mean losing a huge number of people – millions of people – because the [Russian] army is large, and we understand the cost of such steps,” he said.
“And we also don’t have enough weapons. That depends not just on us, but on our partners.”
The Ukrainian leader repeated his longstanding talking point about getting all the territories within the 1991 borders, when the country became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Seizing all the land back would constitute “victory of justice for the whole world,” Zelensky asserted.
The territories in question include Crimea, which broke away from Ukraine in the aftermath of the Western-backed 2014 Maidan coup and joined Russia via a referendum shortly after.
The Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics declared their independence early on in the post-Maidan conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass.
The DPR and LPR joined Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions in being incorporated into Russia in late 2022 following referendums in which the overwhelming majority of the regions’ respective populations supported the move.
While Russia controls the entire territory of the LPR, Kiev’s forces still hold roughly 20% of the DPR. Moscow’s control of Kherson and Zaporozhye remains partial, with the respective namesake capital cities of the two regions held by Ukraine.
https://www.rt.com/russia/632931-zelensky-russia-territorial-concessions/
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/el-mencho-dead-a-drug-cartel-with-tanks-drones-and-sophisticated-weapons-heres-how-mexicos-deadly-cjng-operated-under-el-mencho/articleshow/128713307.cms
https://www.borderreport.com/news/utep-expert-airspace-shutdown-extreme-but-cartel-drone-threat-is-real/
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/mexico/jalisco-new-generation-cartel-leader-killed-rcna260184
https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2025983858684887338
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk0uHealg6c
A drug cartel with tanks, drones and sophisticated weapons — here’s how Mexico’s deadly CJNG operated under El Mencho (and drone footage)
Updated: 22 February, 2026 03:24 PM -8 GMT
$15 million U.S. bounty. A cartel active in 32 Mexican states. Rocket launchers powerful enough to down military aircraft.
That is the scale of the operation that ended with the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes — better known as “El Mencho” — during a high-risk Mexican military raid on Feb. 22, 2026.
Mexican officials confirmed that special forces killed the longtime leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in an operation near Puerto Vallarta, a major tourist destination on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The cartel boss had been one of the most wanted fugitives in the world. The U.S. State Department had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his capture or conviction, ranking him among the top transnational criminal targets.
What made El Mencho uniquely dangerous was operational discipline. He kept such an extreme low profile that all verified photographs of him dated back decades. No recent confirmed images existed.
No public appearances. No verified voice recordings. He ran a $30 billion-a-year criminal enterprise from near-total obscurity while American and Mexican intelligence agencies spent years hunting him.
CJNG did not operate like a traditional cartel. It deployed weaponized drones, armored assault vehicles, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers — military hardware that outgunned local and state police forces across Mexico.
The cartel controlled drug supply chains from production in Jalisco and Michoacán all the way to distribution networks inside 35 U.S. states.
Authorities say the raid uncovered a military-grade arsenal, including rocket launchers, armored vehicles and heavy-caliber weapons typically seen in war zones, not civilian law enforcement operations.
Within hours of his death, cartel gunmen launched coordinated retaliation across several Mexican states, setting vehicles ablaze, blocking highways and forcing airports to suspend flights.
The fallout underscores how deeply CJNG had embedded itself into Mexico’s security landscape and the U.S. drug supply chain.
Military-grade weapons seized in cartel raid
Mexican military officials reported that the operation recovered multiple rocket launchers capable of striking low-flying aircraft.
The discovery revived memories of a 2015 attack in which CJNG gunmen used a rocket-propelled grenade to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter, killing soldiers on board.
In addition to anti-armor weapons, security forces seized armored trucks, high-powered rifles and large ammunition stockpiles.
Defense officials have previously disclosed that at least five rocket launchers were tied to CJNG operations in recent years, highlighting the cartel’s access to battlefield-style hardware.
The raid involved Mexican Army special forces, supported by the Mexican Air Force and National Guard.
According to U.S. and Mexican sources, American intelligence support contributed to the targeting process. A U.S.-led task force specializing in intelligence gathering shared dossier-level information before the final operation.
The scale of weaponry reflects CJNG’s evolution from a regional trafficking group into a paramilitary-style organization capable of confronting federal forces directly.
Who was “El Mencho”?
Born July 17, 1966, in Aguililla, Michoacán, Oseguera came from a family of farm workers in a region known for avocado production.
He dropped out of school after sixth grade and later migrated north, operating in Tijuana and San Diego. Court records show he entered the United States multiple times and was deported.
His criminal ascent accelerated after he joined the Milenio Cartel. When that organization fractured in 2008–2009 following arrests and killings of senior leaders, Oseguera orchestrated a violent internal coup. By early 2011, he emerged as head of CJNG.
Under his leadership, CJNG expanded aggressively. U.S. law enforcement agencies described the cartel as having thousands of operatives and networks stretching across North America, South America, Europe and Asia.
The group trafficked fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the United States at large scale, contributing to the synthetic opioid crisis.
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The U.S. Department of Justice charged Oseguera in federal indictments, including a 2017 case in Washington, D.C., alleging he ran a continuing criminal enterprise and conspired to distribute massive quantities of drugs.
Additional meth trafficking charges were filed in Mississippi in 2013. American officials repeatedly labeled him among the “most ruthless” drug kingpins operating globally.
Cartel violence erupts after El Mencho’s death
Following confirmation of his death, cartel gunmen unleashed coordinated violence in Jalisco and neighboring states including Michoacán, Colima, Guanajuato, Veracruz and Tamaulipas.
Highways were blocked with burning trucks. Businesses were torched. Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were advised to shelter in place. Major airlines, including U.S. carriers, suspended flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara amid security concerns.
Eyewitness videos showed smoke plumes rising over city roads and travelers scrambling inside airport terminals. Security analysts warned that the immediate aftermath could trigger a power struggle within CJNG’s command structure.
Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials have previously described Oseguera as the centralized authority within the cartel’s hierarchy. His removal raises the prospect of factional infighting or retaliatory violence aimed at demonstrating strength.
Power vacuum and U.S.-Mexico security implications
CJNG has operated in most of Mexico’s 32 states and established footholds in strategic ports and border corridors. It rivaled the Sinaloa Cartel once led by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in the United States.
Security experts say CJNG’s decentralized cell structure may allow it to continue operating despite the loss of its founder. However, leadership transitions in major cartels often spark short-term surges in violence as lieutenants compete for territory and trafficking routes.
For U.S. authorities, the development marks a significant milestone in counter-narcotics enforcement. CJNG has been a primary source of fentanyl entering American communities.
The synthetic opioid surpassed heroin as the deadliest illicit drug in the U.S., according to federal health data.
The broader question now is stability. Analysts warn that dismantling a cartel leader does not immediately dismantle supply chains. Production labs, trafficking corridors and financial networks often remain intact.
“El Mencho” spent more than a decade evading capture. He survived multiple prior raids, including at least one in which his forces shot down a military helicopter. His death ends one of the most intense manhunts in recent Mexican history.
But as smoke cleared from burning roadblocks and grounded flights resumed, a new uncertainty emerged: who controls CJNG next — and whether Mexico faces a violent reshuffling of cartel power.
For now, authorities on both sides of the border are bracing for the next chapter in a conflict that continues to shape U.S.-Mexico security, immigration pressures and the fentanyl crisis.
FAQs:
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Was El Mencho killed in the Mexican military raid?
Yes. On Feb. 22, 2026, Mexican special forces confirmed the death of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, during a high-risk operation near Puerto Vallarta.
He was the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and one of the most wanted drug lords in the world. U.S. authorities had placed a $15 million reward on him.
His death followed years of failed capture attempts and coordinated U.S.-Mexico intelligence efforts.
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What weapons were seized in the CJNG raid in Puerto Vallarta?
Mexican forces seized multiple rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft, armored vehicles, and heavy military-grade firearms. At least five rocket launchers had previously been linked to CJNG stockpiles.
These are battlefield weapons, not standard criminal arms. The seizure confirms CJNG’s access to high-powered arsenals and its capacity to confront federal forces directly.
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How will El Mencho’s death impact fentanyl trafficking to the United States?
CJNG operates in most of Mexico’s 32 states and has been a primary source of fentanyl entering the U.S. market. Federal indictments accused Oseguera of overseeing large-scale methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl shipments.
His death disrupts leadership but does not automatically dismantle supply chains. Production labs, trafficking routes, and distribution cells remain active unless systematically targeted.
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