Science and technology news today carried the familiar mix of spectacle, conflict and ambition. In Texas, SpaceX pushed Starship through its 13th test flight, sending the vehicle on a suborbital path and using the mission to trial onboard systems while deploying Starlink satellites in a first for this profile of flight. At San Diego Comic-Con, meanwhile, a different kind of future-looking nostalgia took center stage as Rick Moranis returned to public view, drawing a standing ovation while promoting “Spaceballs: The New One,” due in 2027. Beyond the headlines of innovation and fandom, events elsewhere were far grimmer: Palestinian officials said an Israeli airstrike killed northern Gaza police chief Abdel-Nasser al-Maqadma, part of a broader pattern of strikes on Gaza police figures. And in India, protests over an alleged NEET paper leak turned violent across Bihar, underscoring how trust in institutions can become a flashpoint.