Rare Earth Supply for Defense: REalloys secured preferential access to rare-earth feedstock in the Appalachian Basin, targeting magnet metals like neodymium and dysprosium ahead of a 2027 push to cut Chinese-origin material from U.S. defense supply chains. Techbio Drug Discovery: ChronicleBio named immunology veteran Dr. John Mumm as CSO to speed targeted therapies for neuroimmune conditions using multi-omics and AI. Space Weather Watch: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe completed its 28th close pass of the Sun, gathering new data on the solar wind and solar activity during the current solar encounter. Astronomy Infrastructure: The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project laid out its dish-and-antenna plan across South Africa and Australia, aiming to become the biggest radio telescope array ever built. Climate & Wildlife: BLM’s ANWR lease sale drew only two bidders and no major oil operators, underscoring ongoing tension between energy extraction and Arctic wildlife protection. Public Health: A new national analysis finds mesothelioma deaths and diagnoses are still rising in the U.S., with limited survival improvements despite asbestos regulation. Education Gains: NAEP data shows early reading and math scores for nine-year-olds rose sharply from 2022 to 2025, signaling a rebound in early childhood learning. Conservation Tech in Action: California’s first wildlife bridge is already seeing mule deer use it while construction is still finishing.