Pictures of first artificial solar eclipse released
The European Space Agency released images of the first-ever artificial solar eclipse.
The two satellites of the Proba-3 mission orbit 150 meters (450 feet) apart; one has a large disc which blocks the sun, while the other has sensitive cameras and scientific instruments.
The pair must maintain their distance and alignment with millimeter precision for the 'eclipse' to work. They did so for several hours in March, taking images of the sun's corona — its superheated atmosphere, rising into millions of degrees — from which solar winds and storms emerge.
'Coronal mass ejections' can be devastating; one such event wrecked 40 Starlink satellites in February 2022 and as space becomes more commercially important, understanding and predicting them will be vital.
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Business Wire
2 hours ago
- Business Wire
Vistagen Reports Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vistagen (Nasdaq: VTGN), a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering neuroscience with nose-to-brain neurocircuitry to develop and commercialize a new class of intranasal product candidates called pherines, today reported financial results for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, and provided a corporate update. 'This was a defining year for Vistagen, marked by significant progress in our registration-directed PALISADE program for fasedienol in social anxiety disorder. With over 30 million U.S. adults affected by this serious and life-threatening disorder and no FDA-approved acute treatment, the need is urgent,' said Shawn Singh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vistagen. 'The enthusiasm from both patients and physicians continues to motivate us as we advance toward our next significant milestone of topline data from our PALISADE-3 trial later this year. We are also continuing to advance the development of our other lead programs, itruvone for major depressive disorder and PH80 for menopausal hot flashes and additional women's health indications. With five novel pherine product candidates in our neuroscience pipeline targeting at least six high-need indications, we are energized by the road ahead and confident in our strategic position and potential to deliver meaningful value to patients and our shareholders.' Clinical-stage Neuroscience Product Candidates Vistagen is developing a broad and diverse pipeline of five clinical-stage intranasal pherine product candidates. Lead Program Highlights Fasedienol for the Acute Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) The U.S. registration-directed PALISADE Program evaluating intranasal fasedienol for the acute treatment of SAD continues to progress. The PALISADE-3 Phase 3 trial remains on track for expected topline data in the fourth quarter of this year. Topline results for the PALISADE-4 Phase 3 trial are expected in the first half of 2026. Vistagen believes either PALISADE-3 or PALISADE-4, if successful, together with the positive results from PALISADE-2 reported in the second half of 2023, may establish substantial evidence of the effectiveness of fasedienol in support of a potential fasedienol New Drug Application (NDA) submission to the U.S. FDA for the acute treatment of SAD. Vistagen also continues to advance its US-registration-directed nonclinical, CMC, and human factors programs for fasedienol. New research presented by Vistagen at the 2025 Anxiety and Depression Association of America Conference shows that SAD, a serious and potentially life-threatening mental health disorder often associated with co-morbidities such as major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation, now affects more than 30 million U.S. adults, with rising prevalence, especially among those aged 18-22. Yet, diagnosis rates have remained stagnant, and treatment rates have decreased. Itruvone for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Building on the positive results from a placebo-controlled exploratory Phase 2A clinical study of itruvone in MDD, Vistagen is currently planning for further Phase 2 development of itruvone under its now open U.S. Investigational New Drug Application (IND). Itruvone has the potential to be a novel, non-systemic, stand-alone treatment for MDD without the weight gain, sexual side effects, and safety concerns associated with currently available depression therapies. PH80 for Menopausal Hot Flashes and other Women's Health Indications Building on the positive results from placebo-controlled exploratory Phase 2A clinical studies of PH80 in vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) due to menopause and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), Vistagen is currently preparing its U.S. IND to facilitate further Phase 2 clinical development of PH80 for women's health conditions. Additional Program Highlights PH80 showed efficacy for the treatment of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a condition with limited effective treatment options, in an exploratory Phase 2A trial. PH15 showed potential for improvement of psychomotor impairment caused by mental fatigue in a pilot Phase 2A study. PH284 demonstrated positive results on appetite from an exploratory Phase 2A study in cancer cachexia. Corporate Update Workplace Recognition Recognized for its workplace culture, Vistagen was awarded the highest level of recognition, the Platinum Bell Seal for Workplace Mental Health, from Mental Health America for the third consecutive year. The company was certified by Great Place To Work® for the second year in a row. Financial Results for Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2025 Research and development (R&D) expenses R&D expenses were $39.4 million and $20.0 million for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. The increase in R&D expense was primarily due to an increase in research, clinical and nonclinical development, and contract manufacturing expenses and headcount related to the U.S. registration-directed PALISADE Program for fasedienol in SAD and U.S. IND-enabling program for PH80 in women's health. General and administrative (G&A) expenses G&A expenses were $17.1 million and $14.1 million for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. The increase in G&A expense was primarily due to an increase in headcount and consulting and professional services fees. Net loss Net loss was $51.4 million for the year ended March 31, 2025, as compared to $29.4 million for the year ended March 31, 2024. Other financial highlights Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $80.5 million as of March 31, 2025. Conference Call and Webcast: Vistagen will host a conference call and live audio webcast today, June 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to provide a corporate update of Vistagen's progress. The conference call is being webcast live, and a link can be found under 'Events' in the Investors section of Vistagen's website. Participants may register to join the live call by following the link here to receive the dial-in numbers and unique PIN to access the call. Those who plan on participating are advised to join 15 minutes prior to the start time. A webcast replay of the call will be available on Vistagen's website about 24 hours after the end of the live conference call and will be accessible for at least 30 days. About Pherines Vistagen's neuroscience pipeline currently consists of five investigational pherine product candidates, each with a novel mechanism of action (MOA) and positive clinical data in their targeted indications. Pherines are agonists on peripheral receptors in human nasal chemosensory neurons and are designed to rapidly activate nose-to-brain neurocircuits believed to regulate brain areas without requiring systemic absorption or uptake into the brain to achieve desired therapeutic benefits and differentiated safety. About Social Anxiety Disorder Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a highly prevalent, serious, and sometimes life-threatening psychiatric mental health disorder affecting over 30 million adults in the U.S. With onset typically early in life, usually during adolescence, SAD persists for many years thereafter, with a reported mean duration of about 20 years. While often a long-term disorder, SAD can manifest acutely when triggered by anxiety-provoking social and performance situations during which individuals with SAD experience extreme anxiety, distress, fear, and impairment due to their feelings of embarrassment, judgment, humiliation, negative evaluation, and scrutiny. The disorder can significantly disrupt family and social life, diminish self-esteem, and hinder work performance. Anxiety associated with SAD often results in avoidance of everyday interactions and opportunities in academic, social, and vocational settings and an increased risk of serious and life-threatening co-morbid depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicide. About Vistagen Headquartered in South San Francisco, CA, Vistagen (Nasdaq: VTGN) is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging a deep understanding of nose-to-brain neurocircuitry to develop and commercialize a new class of intranasal product candidates called pherines. Pherines specifically and selectively bind as agonists on peripheral receptors on human nasal chemosensory neurons and are designed to rapidly activate olfactory bulb-to-brain neurocircuits believed to regulate brain areas involved in behavior and autonomic nervous system activity. They are designed to achieve therapeutic benefits without requiring absorption into the blood or uptake into the brain, giving them the potential to be a safer alternative to other pharmacological options if successfully developed and approved. Vistagen's neuroscience pipeline also includes an oral prodrug with potential to treat certain neurological conditions involving the NMDA receptor. Vistagen is passionate about developing transformative treatment options to improve the lives of individuals underserved by the current standard of care for multiple highly prevalent indications, including social anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and multiple women's health conditions, including vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) associated with menopause. Connect at Forward-looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict and include all matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as 'may,' 'could,' 'expect,' 'project,' 'outlook,' 'strategy,' 'intend,' 'plan,' 'seek,' 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'predict,' 'potential,' 'strive,' 'goal,' 'continue,' 'likely,' 'will,' 'would' and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Vistagen and its management, are inherently uncertain. As with all pharmaceutical products, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of development and commercialization, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that any of Vistagen's product candidates will successfully complete ongoing or future clinical trials within estimated timelines or at all, receive regulatory approval or be commercially successful, or that Vistagen will be able to successfully replicate the result of past studies of any of its product candidates. Other factors that may cause such a difference include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties relating to conducting and/or completing ongoing clinical trials, including PALISADE-3 and/or PALISADE-4, as currently expected or at all; completing IND-enabling programs for applicable product candidates, including itruvone and PH80; submission of a new drug application (NDA) to the U.S. FDA for any of Vistagen's product candidate, including fasedienol; the ability of any clinical trial information submitted by Vistagen to the U.S. FDA to support a NDA; Vistagen's dependence on third-party collaborators for the development, regulatory approval, and/or commercialization of its product candidates and other aspects of its business, which are outside of Vistagen's full control; risks and uncertainties resulting from disruptions and personnel turnover, staff reductions or otherwise, at the FDA, other government agencies and comparable foreign regulatory authorities; risks associated with current and potential future healthcare reforms; the scope and enforceability of Vistagen's patents, including patents related to Vistagen's pherine product candidates and AV-101; fluctuating costs of materials and other resources and services required to conduct Vistagen's ongoing and/or planned clinical and non-clinical trials; market conditions; the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally; and other technical and unexpected hurdles in the development, manufacture and commercialization of Vistagen's product candidates. These risks are more fully discussed in the section entitled 'Risk Factors' in Vistagen's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Vistagen's SEC filings are available on the SEC's website at You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing Vistagen's views as of any subsequent date. Vistagen explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements other than as may be required by law. If Vistagen does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that Vistagen will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. 2025 2024 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 67,131 $ 119,166 Marketable securities 13,351 — Prepaid expenses and other current assets 1,594 1,506 Total current assets 82,076 120,672 Property and equipment, net 476 435 Right-of-use asset - operating lease 1,335 1,820 Other assets 454 726 Total assets $ 84,341 $ 123,653 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS ' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 653 $ 1,547 Accrued expenses 8,810 2,235 Deferred revenue - current portion 2,588 791 Operating lease liability - current portion 561 550 Total current liabilities 12,612 5,123 Deferred revenue - non-current portion 391 2,674 Operating lease liability - non-current portion 948 1,570 Total liabilities 13,951 9,367 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024; no shares outstanding at March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024 — — Common stock, $0.001 par value; 325,000,000 shares authorized at March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024; 29,001,481 and 27,029,731 shares issued at March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024, respectively 29 27 Additional paid-in capital 481,956 474,441 Treasury stock, at cost, 4,522 shares of common stock held at March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024 (3,968 ) (3,968 ) Accumulated other comprehensive gain 5 — Accumulated deficit (407,632 ) (356,214 ) Total stockholders' equity 70,390 114,286 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 84,341 $ 123,653 Expand Year Ended March 31, 2025 2024 Revenues: Sublicense and other revenue $ 486 $ 1,064 Total revenues 486 1,064 Operating expenses: Research and development 39,375 20,022 General and administrative 17,084 14,063 Total operating expenses 56,459 34,085 Loss from operations (55,973 ) (33,021 ) Other income, net: Interest income, net 4,557 3,351 Other income, net 5 312 Loss before income taxes (51,411 ) (29,358 ) Income taxes (7 ) (4 ) Net loss $ (51,418 ) $ (29,362 ) Unrealized gain on marketable securities $ 5 $ — Comprehensive loss $ (51,413 ) $ (29,362 ) Basic and diluted net loss per common share $ (1.67 ) $ (1.52 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted 30,877,029 19,354,500 Expand
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spacecraft unveils 1st-ever images of sun's south pole: 'Beginning of a new era'
Plenty of spacecraft and telescopes have throughout the years been able to observe the sun up close – with plenty more missions on the way. In late-December 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe got closer to the sun than any spacecraft before it. Earlier that same month, the European Space Agency sent a pair of satellites toward the sun to create "solar eclipses on demand." And in March, NASA sent four small satellites on its PUNCH mission to study how the sun's outer atmosphere becomes solar wind. But no spacecraft has ever gotten a good look at either of the sun's poles. Until now. In March, a spacecraft captured the first-ever clear images of the sun's south pole, which the European Space Agency released Wednesday, June 11. 'We reveal humankind's first-ever views of the sun's pole,' Carole Mundell, director of science for the European Space Agency, said in a statement. 'These new unique views from our Solar Orbiter mission are the beginning of a new era of solar science.' Here's a look at what the Solar Orbiter captured, and why ESA officials believe it will help scientists better understand our life-giving host star. Solar Orbiter: Newly-released photos capture the sun in highest resolution ever Before you saw the picture above, any image you have ever seen of the sun was taken from around its equator. Why? Because Earth, like all the planets in our solar system, orbits the sun along a line across a flat, disc-shaped plane in the sky known as the ecliptic. That means all the spacecraft we launch into orbit tend to do so as well. But by tilting the Solar Orbiter's orbit out of that plane, the ESA was able to reveal the sun from a brand new angle. The process began in February 2025 when the Solar Orbiter passed closely by Venus for a gravitational boost that allowed the spacecraft to push itself out of the orbital plane to see the sun at a higher angle. Then on March 23, the Solar Orbiter whizzed by the sun at an angle of 17 degrees, as compared to the 7 degree-orbit of all the planets and other sun-observing spacecraft, to get some historic snapshots of the south pole. A few days prior, the Solar Orbiter was also able to view the sun from an angle of 15 degrees below the equator while using its fleet of on-board instruments to observe the sun in different wavelengths – including visible light and ultraviolet light. The images were taken as the sun's peak activity, known as its solar maximum, begins to wind down. ESA scientists believe that studying the sun's polar regions could be key to unlocking secrets about the sun's 11-year solar cycle, which can cause space weather that disrupts satellites and even causes northern lights to flourish. "The sun is our nearest star, giver of life and potential disruptor of modern space and ground power systems, so it is imperative that we understand how it works and learn to predict its behavior," Mundell said. The Solar Orbiter launched February 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with 10 scientific instruments to study the sun. Its mission? Gather images of the sun from closer than any spacecraft before it and study the hot star's polar regions to understand things like the sun's atmosphere, its solar cycle and how solar wind forms. In November, the ESA released images the Solar Orbiter obtained in March 2023 that the agency said are the highest-resolution views of the sun's surface, known as the photosphere, to date. According to the ESA, the best views from the Solar Orbiter are yet to come. In the coming years, the Solar Orbiter will continue to orbit around the sun at even higher angles, reaching as much as 33 degrees in July 2029. Scientists at the ESA also expect to receive images of the north solar pole by October that the Solar Orbiter has already taken. 'This is just the first step," Daniel Müller, Solar Orbiter project scientist for the ESA, said in a statement. "In the coming years, the spacecraft will climb further out of the ecliptic plane for ever better views of the sun's polar regions." Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spacecraft captures 1st-ever images of sun's south pole: See photos
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Watch: First-ever images of sun's south pole
Watch: First-ever images of sun's south pole Solar Orbiter, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency, is revealing the first-ever views of the sun's south pole. These never-before-seen images offer scientists a chance to better understand our star and its effects on Earth. 01:30 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 14 videos Watch: First-ever images of sun's south pole Solar Orbiter, a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency, is revealing the first-ever views of the sun's south pole. These never-before-seen images offer scientists a chance to better understand our star and its effects on Earth. 01:30 - Source: CNN The NHL Stanley Cup's perfect imperfections The Stanley Cup is one of the most iconic trophies in all of sports, but one of the reasons the NHL's championship trophy is so lionized is its perfect imperfections. CNN's Coy Wire spoke to The Keeper of the Cup Howie Borrow for a tour of some of the trophy's character-building bloopers. 01:02 - Source: CNN Storm chaser captures 'unprecedented' view of monster hailstones falling from sky Storm chaser and research scientist Sean Waugh has documented softball sized (or greater) hailstones in freefall with an ultra-high-tech camera mounted on a retrofitted research vehicle. The goal – to study and better understand what makes gigantic hail form, and how to better detect it and ultimately improve severe weather warnings. Sean speaks with CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam while on the road, capturing imagery of this very impactful and expensive natural phenomenon. (edited) 01:47 - Source: CNN Flash flood destroys apartment building An apartment building in West Virginia partially collapsed as flash floods hit the area. The governor's office said at least five people are dead and four people remain missing following the floods. 00:31 - Source: CNN After talking to hundreds of dads, this podcaster shares his two biggest lessons Dr. John Delony speaks to millions of listeners on his popular podcast about mental health, family and relationships. As a therapist, he's used to offering advice to struggling fathers, but we asked him about the biggest lessons he's learned as a dad. 01:32 - Source: CNN Rare deep-sea squid filmed alive for first time Scientists have captured the first-ever footage of the elusive Gonatus antarcticus squid alive in its deep-sea habitat. CNN's Jeremy Roth describes the rare encounter. For more on this story, visit 01:12 - Source: CNN Trump draws boos and cheers at Kennedy Center President Donald Trump drew charged reactions of both admiration and ire at the Kennedy Center's opening night of "Les Misérables." 00:29 - Source: CNN The many adventures of the Stanley Cup Winner's of the NHL's Stanley Cup each get to take the cup for a day and do whatever they want with it. CNN's Coy Wire recounts some of the Cup's wildest days out. 00:43 - Source: CNN BTS members discharged from South Korean military One of the world's biggest boybands could soon be making a comeback with six out of seven members of K-Pop supergroup BTS now discharged from South Korea's mandatory military service. The band plans to reunite at some point later this year. 00:47 - Source: CNN Combs requests mistrial for a second time CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister explains that Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense team requested a mistrial for a second time, which was denied. Combs' team accused the prosecution of presenting false testimony from Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie Ventura's, who testified that Combs dangled her over a balcony. 01:26 - Source: CNN Tennessee sheriff's office airlifts escaped zebra to safety DEK: A zebra, that escaped from its owner in Christiana, Tennessee was captured on Sunday and airlifted to safety by the local sheriff's office. The animal, named Ed, had been reported missing just a day after he was acquired by its owners in Rutherford County. They have since been reunited. 00:35 - Source: CNN Jamie Foxx breaks down during BET Awards acceptance speech Jamie Foxx was overcome with emotion while accepting the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards. He reflected on his 2023 health scare. 00:45 - Source: CNN See what's coming to your iPhone and other Apple devices Apple announced major software updates at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Most of the new features won't reach users' devices for a few months when OS 26 releases this fall. 01:49 - Source: CNN Coco Gauff reacts to winning the French Open Coco Gauff claimed her second career grand slam singles title, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open women's final. 00:46 - Source: CNN
