Could life survive on Mars? Yeast passes the ultimate red planet test
Could life—past or future—survive on Mars?
New research suggests that even the simplest organisms from Earth might be tougher than we think.
Scientists have discovered that...
Cosmic dust may have delivered the ingredients for life to early Earth
Life on Earth may have begun with a little help from the stars.
New research suggests that amino acids—the essential building blocks of proteins—could have...
Astronomers find water traces in an interstellar visitor
For millions of years, a tiny icy fragment wandered through space—like a sealed bottle drifting across a cosmic ocean.
This summer, that “message in a...
Comet or alien spaceship? An astrophysicist explains what we know about interstellar traveler 3IAtlas
The eyes of every astronomer widened this year when an interstellar traveler was discovered in our solar system.
Despite some suggestions that it could be...
Astronomers confirm Betelgeuse has a hidden companion star
For decades, scientists have suspected that Betelgeuse—the giant red star that forms Orion’s shoulder—wasn’t alone.
Now, a team from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has confirmed...
This young star’s magnetic heartbeat runs 10 times faster than the Sun’s
Astronomers have taken a close look at the magnetic activity of a young star strikingly similar to our own sun—and discovered that it has...
Gravity vs. magnetism: How the universe shapes giant stars
Astronomers have taken their clearest look yet at how some of the biggest stars in our galaxy are born—and it turns out the process...
20 years of space images reveal the secrets of Mars dust devils
For decades, we’ve known that Mars is a dusty world.
Its red surface is constantly shaped by wind, storms, and whirlwinds that dance across its...
Far side of the moon may be colder than the side we see, study...
The moon has long puzzled scientists with its “two faces.”
The near side, which always faces Earth, looks very different from the mysterious far side...
Astronomers detect the smallest dark object ever seen through gravity’s lens
Astronomers have made an exciting breakthrough in the search for the universe’s most mysterious substance—dark matter.
They have discovered the lowest-mass dark object ever detected...