Space & Future

Scientists may have detected signs of dark matter in black hole collisions

Dark matter is one of the biggest mysteries in modern science. Astronomers believe it makes up most of the matter in the universe, yet nobody...

Ancient Martian mega-flood carved a valley as long as Italy

A massive valley on Mars may hold some of the strongest evidence yet that enormous floods once rushed across the red planet billions of...

Astronomers finally capture how turbulent space warps light across the galaxy

Astronomers have directly observed how turbulent gas and charged particles floating between stars can bend and distort light traveling across the galaxy. The discovery gives...

Astronomers discover violent past hidden inside a “calm” galaxy cluster

A giant galaxy cluster once thought to be one of the calmest places in the universe is now revealing signs of a violent past. Astronomers...

Stardust trapped in Antarctic ice reveals tens of thousands of years of solar system’s...

When you think of outer space, you're likely picturing stars, planets and moons. But much of space is filled with clouds of gas, plasma...

How one tiny star change can transform an entire galaxy

A galaxy may look calm and stable from far away, but new research suggests it can actually behave in surprisingly chaotic ways. Scientists at Leiden...

What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur‑killing asteroid Armageddon

A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air. She picks up the scent from the carcass of a...

Hidden molecular patterns may reveal alien life on Mars and Europa

For decades, scientists searching for life beyond Earth have focused on one big question: what kinds of molecules should they look for on other...

Astronomers discover 27 possible “Tatooine” worlds orbiting two suns

For years, planets orbiting two stars have seemed more like science fiction than reality. The most famous example is probably Tatooine, the desert world from...

Dante’s Inferno may have predicted asteroid impacts 500 years early

For more than 700 years, Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy has been celebrated as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Most readers...

Scientists reveal stunning “cosmic soccer balls” glowing in deep space

Astronomers have captured breathtaking new images of one of the strangest places in space: a glowing cloud filled with giant carbon molecules shaped like...

Saturn’s icy rings likely formed from lost moon chrysalis

You’re a long-necked Titanosaurs grazing the plains and chomping away on tree leaves about 100 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous in what...

Deep Space

Astronomers see a black hole wake up from its ancient slumber

Four years ago, the supermassive black hole hidden in the heart of galaxy SDSS1335+0728 roared awake and announced its presence with a blast of...

The International Space Station may become a casualty of the Russian war in Ukraine

Will the Russian war on Ukraine lead to the demise of the International Space Station (ISS)? Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, says Western sanctions resulting...

Can we survive in space? It might depend on how our gut microbiome adapts

For over a century, people have dreamed of the day when humanity (as a species) would venture into space. In recent decades, that dream has...

Spinning star may have cracked a giant galactic “bone”

Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and powerful radio telescopes have likely solved a cosmic mystery—what caused a dramatic break in a massive structure...

Webb Telescope’s quest to find habitable planets

Exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system, are common in our galaxy. Some of these planets orbit in the "habitable zone" of their star, a...