KBO 55636 (2002 TX300) is one of the Kuiper belt objects — specifically, a member of the water-ice-rich Haumea KBO collisional family. Here, observations are reported of a multi-chord stellar occultation by KBO 55636. Calculations show that KBO 55636 is smaller than previously thought and, like its parent body, is highly reflective. The dynamical age implies either that it has an active resurfacing mechanism, or that fresh water-ice in the outer Solar System can persist for gigayear timescales.

Over the past few decades, two techniques in particular have opened up new avenues for probing molecular processes: ultrafast spectroscopy and single-molecule detection. The two approaches have now been combined, enabling not only the observation but also the manipulation of vibrational wave-packet interference at ambient conditions. The technique could help to unravel details of molecular function and dynamics in systems as diverse as light-harvesting complexes, photoactive proteins and conjugated polymers.

Rifting and magmatism are fundamental geological processes that shape our planet's surface, but the nature of the relationship between these processes has been controversial. Here a numerical model that explicitly accounts for the effects of earlier episodes of extension has been applied to compare magmatism generated at different locations during continental rifting. The findings show that the volume of rift-related magmatism generated depends not only on the mantle temperature but also on the rift history.